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VIDEO POKER

General Comments: For many years, Video Poker was - more or less - confined only to American brick-and-mortar casinos. For whatever reason, casinos in other parts of the world "just didn't get it." When Internet casinos came along, this situation was reflected in the games the casinos offered because the VP available was generally of two varieties: those that had lousy pay schedules and those where you could make a (small) fortune overnight. For obvious reasons, neither game will have much of a future.

Offering good VP games on the 'Net requires that the casino involved walk a very fine line between what's appealing to the players and what will keep the "pros" away. Now, understand that the term "pro" is different when it comes to Internet gambling. A pro at Internet gambling isn't necessarily an "odds expert", but is more likely a skilled computer programmer, or at least a talented "geek". When VP games that offer over a 100% return for perfect play were available at Internet casinos, the "pros" created robot players - computer programs that could play the game perfectly, not to mention fast - and, of course, the games were soon burned out. Consequently, games that will return over 100% for correct play are, for the most part, no longer available at Internet casinos, unless there's a progressive jackpot of some sort that will, on occasion, put the total return over 100%.

I realize that sometimes we get a little fanatical around here, particularly when it comes to games where the player can get an edge and we lose sight of the fact that most people really are just using gambling as a form of recreation or entertainment and they're not out to extract the last .0001% that a game may offer. Hey, they hit quad Aces a few times and they're happy. There's nothing wrong with that; in fact, we "advantage players" need those players because they keep the games profitable for the casinos, just like it is in Blackjack.

Those who play Video Poker at Internet casinos have to be especially careful about dealing with casinos where you can reasonably expect to be paid. Imagine finally hitting a Royal Flush and the casino won't pay! A grim scene. So, not only do you want good games, but you want good games at good casinos. I could easily list a lot of VP games that appear to return over 100%, but some of the software manufacturers out there still "don't get it". For example, you might run across is a VP game that is really a slot machine in disguise. What this means is that the game is set to return a fixed percentage that is much less than what's implied by the pay schedule. To the best of my knowledge, all the games I'm recommending here use the pay schedule to set the return, with the cards being dealt in a random manner from a 52-card (or more, in the case of wild card games) deck. And it should go without saying (but I'll say it anyway) that the casinos I'm recommending will most likely pay you. I cannot guarantee that, of course, but you're getting the (free) opinion of someone who has been involved with this scene for over 7 years now, so I'm pretty confident. Otherwise, I wouldn't recommend them, believe me. Okay, that's enough background, let's get to the games!

I'm going to divide the recommended games into two categories: games with progressives and non-progressive games that we sometimes call "flattops" because they have a fixed jackpot amount, which is usually the Royal Flush. The progressive category will include those games with a progressive jackpot that may or may not be the Royal, but they usually have the potential of offering a 100+% return for proper play. By the way, if you're a newcomer to Video Poker, you should read my series, "A Video Poker Primer" that is in the archives on the Video Poker page before going any further with this.

Non-progressive Games

#1 Full-pay Jacks or Better at Microgaming-powered casinos - There are a lot of casinos out there that use Microgaming (MGS) software and, most likely, one of them is advertising right here. Almost all of them offer what is known as "full-pay" Jacks or Better VP. This is the ubiquitous "9/6" game that has a long-term return of over 99.5% for those who use the proper playing strategy. Generally available in denominations ranging from $.25 to $5, this is the game upon which many other versions (Bonus Poker, Double Bonus, Double Double Bonus, etc.) have been built, so it's definitely a game you want to learn and learn well. Many MGS casinos also offer the game in what they call the "Power Poker" format. This is a multi-line version where you hold whatever cards you wish on the first line, then each line is played out from a separate deck.

#2 Double Bonus Poker at Intercasino - For additional comments about this casino, see the Blackjack section of the Recommended List. I call this game "Fortified Jacks" because it has a closer resemblance to 9/6 Jacks or Better than to the "real" Double Bonus Poker that we're used to. That's not a bad thing, though. The long-term return for it is 99.94%, if played properly. Add in a 0.1% "slot club" cash rebate and your total return can just sneak over 100%. For a detailed discussion of this game, see my article, "Fortified Jacks or Better: Cryptologic's Double Bonus", which is archived on the Video Poker page of this site. Other reliable casinos that use Cryptologic software are The Sands and William Hill Casino.

#3 Joker Poker at Lasseter's Online Casino - From what I hear, nearly every VP game ("pokies") in Australia are of the Joker Wild type and this is no exception. The "joker poker" games here in the U. S. brick-and-mortar casinos are probably the least favorite of all, but if it has a decent pay schedule it can not only be fun to play, but profitable as well. The game offered at Lasseters offers a long-term return of 99.43% to those that use the proper playing strategy. This game has a proportional pay schedule, so the return is the same if one coin or five coins are played. Because Lasseter's is licensed by the Australian government, you don't have to worry about cheating or not being paid. The software isn't very sophisticated and they won't accept accounts from the residents of some states in the U.S. (check with the casino before you deposit any $$$), but you'll at least get a fair shot here, once you begin playing.

Progressive Games

#4 Super Jackpot Poker at Cryptologic-powered casinos - This is an 8/5 Jacks or Better game with a progressive Royal Flush. Available in both $.25 and $1 denominations, this game has a long-term return of only 97.3% when the Royal is at 4000 coins, which is obviously $1000 on the quarter game and $4000 on the dollar game. For the total return tp be over 100%, the "jackpot" must be over 8800 coins. If you do not have a favorite casino that uses this software, you can quickly check on the current jackpot by going to www.slotcharts.com/

#5 Double Double Bonus Poker at Global Player Casino - This casino has been an advertiser here for quite a few years and it has earned our top recommendation because they're honest and will pay you if you win. This game, which is undoubtedly the most popular VP game in brick-and-mortar casinos despite its relatively low payout, has a progressive Royal Flush along with all those nifty 4-of-a-kind bonuses. This is a $.25 game and when the "jackpot" is at $3000 or more, the total return is over 100%.

# 6 Mega-Jacks at City Club Casino - This casino has advertised here and it uses Playtech software. The game is 9/6 Jacks with a progressive Royal Flush "jackpot". When the progressive is at $1000 (it's a $.25 game), the return for "perfect" play is 99.54%. The total, long-term return is over 100% when the Royal is at $1250 or more. You can check the value of the progressive at http://www.cityclubcasino.com/progressive_jackpots.html/

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