It can take a long time to hit that big hand

1. Video Poker Casino Online
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3. Free Video Poker Machine Games
4. Video Poker Casino Guide
5. Video Poker Casino Locations

By Jerry “Stickman” Stich

All casinos under the MGM umbrella use the same Players Club promotion, which is known as M Life Rewards. Under the M Life Rewards system, video poker players are entitled to one Express Point (which is just their term for a base comp point) for every $10 in bets placed. Video Poker is a classic casino game, and our titles deliver an immersive online gaming experience here at Casino.com. You can choose from various styles and gameplay rules, including the Jacks or Better variant. This is actually one of the best casino games you can play, in terms of player-friendly payouts.

It seems that hardly a week goes by without someone telling me that they think video poker games are rigged. One standard “proof” of this statement is the person saying he or she played several months without getting a royal flush. Let’s take a look at this premise.

At a very loose approximation, a video poker player should get a royal flush about once every 40,000 hands or so. This number will vary (sometimes by several thousand hands) depending on the game that is being played, the specific pay table of the game being played, and/or how closely the player follows the proper playing strategy for the game they are playing.

When you think about it, 40,000 hands is a very large number. I would guess the average recreational player plays somewhere around 200 to 400 hands an hour on average. A recreational player likes to play, but is also interested in talking to those around them, or the bartender. They may even spend time on their cell phone or engaged in people watching or other non-playing activities while seated at a game. If the game is not going well and they are losing fairly quickly, they may really slow down their play or even stop for a period of time even though they continue to sit at the machine. Counting all the interruptions and distractions for the recreational player, let’s assume they play 300 hands per hour – and this may be generous. That 300 hands per hour works out to five hands a minute or one hand every 12 seconds. At this rate, the player will have to average almost 135 hours of play before a royal flush becomes “due.”

Actually, for the record, a royal flush is never really due. Each hand has the same chance of a royal flush–approximately one in 40,000 hands. But for this part of the discussion, let’s assume a royal flush will occur after 40,000 hands which for this player is 135 hours. If this player averages four hours of play per day, it will take better than 33 days of play in order to get a royal flush. If there is such a thing as an average recreational player, they will probably play no more than about once or twice a month at a local casino. If each monthly trip involves four hours of video poker play, it will take almost three years before 40,000 hands are played. At two four-hour trips per month it will take almost a year and a half to reach 40,000 hands. That is a whole lot of time.

Adding to the uncertainty of the number of hands played, most people assume they play a lot more hands than they actually do. Most players do not have a clue how many hands they actually play. When they say that it has been “forever” since their last royal flush, they really don’t know if they have played 5,000 hands, 10,000 hands, 20,000 hands, 40,000 hands, or 100,000 hands – although I would seriously bet against that last number.

The human brain is an amazing organ. It can truly alter reality. Think about taking a road trip. The journey to your destination seems to take a whole lot longer than the return trip.

Why is that?

It is because you are anxious to get to your destination. Players tend to quickly forget the last royal flush. They are much more concerned about getting to their “destination” – the next royal flush. As they feed one bill after another into the machine, all they know is they need something big – like a royal flush – and they are anxious to get it.

My standard answer to players saying it has been forever since their last royal flush (after determining they have no idea how many hands they have played since that time) is basically what I have written above. Unless they actually know how many hands they played, it will always seem like a lot more hands than reality.

If they do have a decent idea of the number of hands, then a discussion about randomness and standard deviation follows. Even though a royal flush should occur about once every 40,000 hands, it can take up to three times (or more) that many hands before one actually appears. The 40,000 number is an average over a very long timeframe. Anything can happen in short term.

The same arguments hold for players who say they have not received other low frequency hands such as a straight flush, a four of a kind, or a flush. Most players do not know how many hands they have played and they most likely overstate the actual play. Even if they do have a decent idea of the number of hands played, standard deviation is a brutal thing. You can play for several hours getting basically nothing but trash. This is what is remembered. You remember because you have to keep feeding the machine. The times you forget are those where the less frequent hands just keep coming and coming. Those are the good times and the minutes and hours go by quickly. In the long run it all balances out, but you only remember the bad times.

Just because it seems like it has been a very long time since the last royal flush, or you have experienced a long streak with hardly a single high-paying hand does not mean that video poker machines are rigged. In the major gaming jurisdictions, tests are periodically run to ensure that the games results are what the math predicts it will be. Also, the casinos have almost every machine “rigged” in its favor. Even with all hands occurring exactly as the math dictates (in other words a fair game) the casino will get a profit. They short pay the winning hands. That is where their profit is, not by reducing the appearance of hands to less than random.

They have no need to rig games to not be fair. They will get their money. They always do.

All New Jersey casino sites offer video poker. The selection at some is better than others. The common theme is that the pay tables are better at the New Jersey online casinos than they are in Atlantic City in most limits.

Best New Jersey online video poker

New Jersey online casinos offer better video poker than is found on most Atlantic City machines. Another bonus is that the limits are lower at New Jersey online casinos. Players can usually find full pay games at the nickel denomination at regulated New Jersey sites. Atlantic City casinos require at least $.25 denomination but often it is $1 or $5.

What’s the best video poker game at NJ online casinos?

Tropicana Casinoand Virgin Casino offers the best video poker game at New Jersey online casinos. It is called Deuces Wild and is only available on the Three- and Five-Play versions of the Game King machine.

This game plays like any other video poker game, in that players are dealt five cards, and must choose which ones to hold. However, all deuces act as wild cards. This changes the optimal strategy compared to traditional games like Jacks or Better by leaps and bounds.

Additionally, players receive smallerpayouts for made hands, because the wild card increases an average hand’s value dramatically. In fact, players need three-of-a-kind just to get their money back.

In multi-line games, players are dealt one hand, just like they are in single-line variants. The difference is that whatever cards they hold are applied to allhands (in this case three or five hands). Each hand outcome is determined separately, and the total payout is the cumulativetotal of all hand payouts.

Players have to ante up the same wager for each hand. So if they bet $1 on a five-play game, the cost per round is $5.

The version of Deuces Wild on Trop and Virgin is nicknamed Not So Ugly Deuces (or Ducks). It is characterized by 4 coins on Four of a Kinds, 10 on Straight Flushes, and 16 on Five of Kinds.

The game returns 99.73 percent to the player using adhering to optimal strategy decisions. Players won’t find a better game on NJ online casino sites, or on non-progressive video game terminals in Atlantic City.

Other great video poker games to consider

The best video poker game at most New Jersey online casinos is Jacks or Better. Nearly every casino platform in the state offers this game.

The game is called Jacks or Higher at 888 and Harrah’s but players will want to avoid that one, as it features reduced payouts for Quads and Straight Flushes.

The benefit of Jacks or Better is that is offers the easiest basic strategy. It is simple for a player to learn. Unlike higher variance games, perfect play will make sense to players familiar with the concept of poker.

The way that a player knows that Jacks or Better is the best game is because a full house will pay nine and a flush will pay six. Make sure to choose the Game King version distributed by IGT. The 9/6 Jacks or Better house edge is 0.46 percent with perfect play.

There is another version by Spin Games spread by some casinos, also called Jacks or Better. Make sure to avoidthis version. It short pays on the flush.

Golden Nugget’s online casino (and Caesars Casino) spreads the next best video poker game. It is called Deuces Wild Elite. This game is like Deuces Wild, except it’s the “bonus” version, paying augmented payouts on five-of-a-kinds, at the expense of reduced payouts on straights (even money). The house edge on this title is a slim 0.55 percent, but the volatility is through the roof.

Golden Nugget is also home to an exclusive higher paying video poker game. It is called Tens or Better. This is the lowest variance video poker game in New Jersey. It has a house edge of 0.86 percent on any wager and with perfect play.

What video poker games can I play at NJ online casinos?

New Jersey video poker variants

There are more than 20 different versions of video poker in the regulated New Jersey interactive gaming market. These games are distributed by IGT, Spin Games, 888 and Amaya Gaming.

IGT owns six titles at online casinos. These are Jacks or Better, Bonus Poker, Double Bonus Poker, Double Double Bonus Poker, Triple Play Draw Poker, and Five Play Draw Poker. Spin Games offers some of the single-line titles with lower pay tables, except Bonus Poker, which is the same.

Spin Games also offers Tens of Better and Jester Poker, which is Joker Poker with an unplayable pay table. Jester Poker only returns 93.2 percent, which is by far the worst game at New Jersey online casinos outside of slots.

Amaya Gaming duplicates a few titles and pay tables. It also offers a Deuces Wild game that only returns 97 percent. 888, which also powers Harrah’s, offers Jacks or Higher, which has a return of 98.25 — nearly 1.3 percent lower than the Game King version.

Of all the games featured on New Jersey online casino sites, video poker and blackjack afford gamblers the best opportunity to see a return on their investment.

However, in order to fully maximize expected value on either of these games, players must develop sound strategies. Now, that’s easy enough for blackjack, where basic strategy only varies slightly from variant to variant.

Video poker payouts

But mastering video poker is worlds harder, as both the gametype and the payout schedule dictate optimal playing styles. The good news is that with all the video poker strategy sheets and calculators on the web, even beginning players can readily look up and learn winning plays.

However, becoming a video poker wizard also requires recognizing the best payout tables.

Why? Because a seemingly slight change in the payout structure (for instance, a Full House paying 8 coins as opposed to 9) can result in a house edge that is four or five times as high when compared to what’s known as a “full pay” schedule.

Luckily, NJ online casinos offer some of the most generous payout tables on the web.

Locating them – now that’s the tricky part. The aim of this short guide is to turn you in the right direction.

Best beginner game – Jacks or Better by Game King

There are almost too many reasons to list why the Game King version of Jacks or Better is one of our favorite video poker games in New Jersey.

For one, at 99.54 percent it boasts the best return of any video poker game in the industry. We recognize this because the Full House pays 9 coins and the Flush 6 coins.

Secondly, the Royal Flush pays a full 800 coins regardless of denomination. Try finding a game in any brick and mortar casino that will pay that figure at denominations as low as $0.10 per spin – we doubt you’ll have much luck.

Jacks or Better is also a relatively straightforward game to learn – at least when compared to other video poker games. The optimal strategy consists of 36 basic rules, and just a handful of exceptions. Guidelines can be easily found on the web.

Lastly, it’s offered at a majority of NJ online casinos, including:

• Borgata/PartyCasinos
• Tropicana/VirginCasino
• Resorts/Mohegan Sun Casinos
• Pala Casino (Game King knock-off that requires 5 coin bet for 800:1 Royal Flush payout)

It’s certainly worth noting that many of these sites also offer other (non-Game King) Jacks or Better variants. Steer clear from them, as more often than not, they’ll only payout 5 coins for hitting a Flush, thus reducing the optimal return rate to 98.45 percent.

Best high volatility game – Double Double Bonus by Game King

The sole drawback to Jacks or Better is that it can be a bit dull, only offering jumbo sized payouts for the Royal Flush. On the other hand, video poker variants like Double Double Bonus Poker have become the game of choice for many gamblers because they offer souped-up rewards for hitting four-of-a-kind.

To offset the increased payouts for quads, Double Double Bonus only pays 1:1 for Two Pair (as opposed to 2:1 for Jacks or Better), and thus, is a far more volatile game that can just as easily create fortunes as wipe out bankrolls.

The best Double Double Bonus variant in New Jersey pays 9 coins for the Full House and 6 for the Flush (98.98 percent). A 10/6 version does exist, but because it pays slightly over 100 percent, is very difficult to find.

Again, we recommend you stick with the Game King version, as the Spin edition (entitled Double Double Regal Poker) once again only pays 5 coins for a Flush.

The NYX Gaming version (found at Golden Nugget Casino) does offer a 9/6 payout schedule, but only pays 800:1 for a Royal when betting 5 coins.

Thankfully, the Game King Double Double Bonus format is found at every NJ online casino that also offers Game King’s Jacks or Better. Better yet, players who prefer to straddle the middle line between the two will find single line 8/5 Bonus Poker (99.17 percent) and 9/7/5 Double Bonus (99.11 percent) at these casinos as well.

Best multi-line game – Five Play by Game King

The overwhelming majority of online casinos in New Jersey have recently implemented Three Play and Five Play video poker terminals, both by Game King.

The upshot is that these terminals offer games that were previously unavailable in the market. Examples include Deuces Wild Bonus, Bonus Poker Deluxe and the highly volatile Triple Double Bonus.

However, it’s difficult to recommend these games is good faith, due to the often lousy payout schedules. For instance, at most online casinos Triple Double Bonus only pays 5 coins for a Flush – pushing the optimal return all the way down to a paltry 97.03 percent.

Other games aren’t much better, as even Jacks or Better pays just 8 coins for a Full House and 5 for a Flush for a return of 97.30 percent.

Thus, as tempted as you may be to play multiple hands, generally speaking you’ll want to resist the urge – with a few notable exceptions.

Borgata/Party offers a stronger payout table for its three and five line games, including a decentDeuces Wild variant (98.91 percent return, otherwise known as 4/4 or LV Airport/Illinois Deuces).

Other multi-line games on Borgata/Party generally return between 98-99 percent, which isn’t as good as their single-line counterparts – but less than optimal payout structures are generally par for the course with multi-line formats.

Play SugarHouse offers multi-line games with the same same payout tables as Borgata/Party.

Tropicana Casino and Virgin Casino have kicked things up a notch further. It’s multi-line games feature the same payout tables as its stellar single-line Game King games. This is rare, as most casinos make players pay for the reduced volatility of multi-line games by downgrading the paytables.

Not Trop/Virgin. In fact, its Deuces Wild variant offers the bestreturn of all NJ online casino video poker games: 99.73 percent. Play at one of these two online casinos whenever you can.

Biggest disappointment – Deuces Wild

The lack of a good single line Game King Deuces Wild game is a severe disappointment, and one this gambler hopes will eventually be addressed.

The previously-mentioned 98.91 percent return game on some NJ online casinos isn’t terrible for a multi-line game, but still pales in comparison to Not-So-Ugly-Deuces (99.73 percent return, and only found at Trop/Virgin), and Full Pay Deuces (100.76 percent return).

Granted, we’d likely never see the latter in New Jersey, but even a solid 99+ percent return single line game would attract the masses. The closest we get is Deuces Wild Elite, which returns 99.45 percent but is super swingy.

Otherwise, what we’re left with are non-Game King variants that boast abysmal payout schedules. For instance, Deuces Wild by Spin returns just 97.06 percent. At 97.50 percent, Pala Casino’s version is marginally better, but hardly worth playing (also stay away from its Deuces & Joker Wild game).

And that’s about it.

New Jersey mobile video poker

Most New Jersey online casinos offer at least six video poker games on the standard PC software. Android and iOS mobile apps also feature video poker games, but not as many.

Players looking for action on the go in New Jersey will have to settle for Jacks or Better, and other single line games, as Triple- and Five-Play titles have yet to make themselves available.

Will NJ mobile casinos show video poker games more love? Hopefully, but not necessarily, as most operators revolve their mobile sites around slots.

How to play video poker

A game of video poker starts with players deciding the coin denomination. Most sites start at the $.05 denomination. The limits can go as high as $5. The best return is at five coins per hand.

The best action is to play five coins per hand. This is because the payout ratio on a royal flush is usually over three times higher when betting five coins as opposed to four or less. This can add about 1.5 percent to the total return of the video poker machine. This is why it is important to play the denomination that you can most afford to play five coins on.

Once the denomination and number of coins are chosen, click the deal button and the game will deal five cards. The player decides which buttons to keep by clicking the cards with the mouse pointer or touching the screen on a tablet.

Click the draw button to see what cards replace the discards. This hand is then graded and paid based on the pay table listed.

Types of video poker

Jacks or Better

Video Poker Casino Online

Jacks or Better is the most common video poker game. All New Jersey sites offer it. All of the “Bonus Poker” games are drawn on the same concept. The minimum hand to win is a pair of jacks.

The pay table is as follows:

Free Casino Game Slots Video Poker Games

• Royal Flush: 800
• Straight Flush: 50
• Four of a Kind: 25
• Full House: 9
• Flush: 6
• Straight: 4
• Three of a Kind: 3
• Two Pair: 2
• Pair of Jacks or Better: 1

888 is the only site that does not offer this pay table. It pays 8 on a full house and 5 on a flush. Jacks or Better is also the only video poker game spread by 888. All other sites offer the games described below.

Bonus Poker

Bonus Poker pays the same as Jacks or Better with a few exceptions.

• Four Aces: 80
• Four 2’s, 3’s, and 4’s: 40
• Full House: 8
• Flush: 5

Double Bonus Poker

Free Video Poker Machine Games

This game drops two pair down to even money and loads the top hands.

• Royal Flush: 800
• Straight Flush: 50
• Four Aces: 160
• Four 2’s, 3’s or 4’s: 80
• Other Quads: 50
• Full House: 9
• Flush: 7
• Straight: 5
• Three of a Kind: 3
• Two Pair: 1
• Jacks or Better: 1

Double Double Bonus

Double Double Bonus has the same pay table as Double Bonus except that four aces with a 2, 3, or 4 kicker pays 400 and four 2’s, 3’s or 4’s with an ace, 2, 3, or 4 kicker pays 160.

Deuces Wild

Twos are wild in Deuces Wild. The lowest paying hand is three of a kind. A common pay table is:

• Royal Flush: 800
• Four Deuces: 200
• Wild Royal Flush: 25
• Five of a Kind: 15
• Straight Flush: 9
• Four of a Kind: 4
• Full House: 4
• Flush: 3
• Straight: 2
• Three of a Kind: 1

Avoid pay tables where Wild Royal Flushes pay 20, and Five of a Kinds 12, even if Straight Flushes pay 10. The return on these games is lower than 98 percent.

Joker Poker

Video Poker Casino Guide

Joker Poker has one wild card. The minimum winning hand is a pair of kings. The pay table is:

• Royal Flush: 800
• Five of a Kind: 200
• Wild Royal Flush: 100
• Straight Flush: 50
• Four of a Kind: 18
• Full House: 7
• Flush: 5
• Straight: 3
• Three of a Kind: 2
• Two Pair: 1
• Pair of Kings or Aces: 1

Video Poker Casino Locations

Guides to games at NJ online casinos