The Ultimate Video Poker Guide in India

Poker is one of the world’s best-loved card games and it’s explored to its full potential in games of Video Poker, which utilize the classic Draw format. Explore several top Video Poker variants right here at Casino.cricket IN. Collect bonuses, aim for progressive jackpots, and wait for those big wins to roll in.

Poker comes in many varieties, including Omaha, Hold’em, and Stud. One of the most popular is a variant known as 5-Card Draw. This is the game played by Wild Bill Hickok and his companions in the infamous town of Deadwood—a game that has survived for generations and led to countless big wins, not to mention a few shootouts.

All players are dealt five cards and from there, they can change anywhere from 0 to 5 of these cards. Simply choose how many you want to hold/discard, and then wait for the deal. Once you get your new cards, the hand ends, wins are declared, and the next hand begins.

This simple format works perfectly for games of Video Poker. You just need to understand poker hand values, which we have outlined in detail below.

The average house edge in a game of Video Poker is between 0.5 and 1%, and many games go lower than this. In simple terms, this means that if you bet €1 per hand for 100 hands, you can expect to lose between €0.5 and €1.

In actual fact, you could win, you could break even, and you could lose more—those odds are generated over millions of plays. However, it gives you an idea of what the payouts mean and you can use this to compare Video Poker games.

The odds of landing a winnable hand are very high in Video Poker games and the odds of getting a big hand are also quite favourable.

As for a Royal Flush, the odds of one appearing during any game of poker are 1 in 649,740. The odds for a four-of-a-kind, on the other hand, are around 1 in 4,100, which is much more achievable.

Take a look at our help section at the bottom of this guide for more information on specific games and their odds.

Before you sit down to enjoy a few Video Poker games, take a look at the following Video Poker strategies.

1. Play Slowly

   Slowing down can help you immensely when playing games like Video Poker, as you’re more prone to making mistakes when you play quickly. You miss potential chances, you bet too much, and you generally make costly errors that impact you heavily over the long-run.

   Give yourself time to think about each hand and plot each move, and only click that “Deal” button when you’re good and ready.

2. Learn the Rules

   Understanding poker hand values is essential for playing any game of poker. You don’t know what you have, how to improve, and when to fold if you don’t have a good grasp of poker hand values.

   Luckily for you, there isn’t much to know. Just take a look at the table below. This will teach you the most basic rules, after which you’re ready to go.

3. Bet Wisely

   In video poker, it’s tempting to chase the Royal Flushes, as that’s where the jackpots are, but more often than not, you’ll miss and walk away with nothing. It’s often better, therefore, to chase the more sensible and achievable results, always aiming for the most profitable and likely outcome, as opposed to just the most profitable.

   For instance, if you have: Ah, As, Kc, Qc, 9d, you might be tempted to hold only the two Clubs and chase a Royal Flush or hold the King, Queen, and one of the Aces to chase a Straight.

   But these are long-shots, and more often than not, the best move is to hold the Aces and get rid of everything else.

The only thing that can make a good session of Video Poker even better is a generous bonus, or two. Luckily for you, we have a number of offers available at Casino.cricket India, and these are targeted toward new players and loyal members alike.

Take a look at our promotions page to learn more, and make sure you read the Ts & Cs before you opt-in and collect.

Learning the most commonly used terms and phrases is the first step to truly understanding how to play Video Poker online. Take a look at this glossary for more information.

• Ace-High: If a hand doesn’t have a Pair or better, it will be judged based on its highest value hand, with Ace being the best possible single card.
• Action: All money that has been staked by a player, including money bet on both winning and losing hands.
• Bust: If a hand does not improve after the Draw, it is described as a “Bust”.
• Discard: A card can be discarded if a player does not want it. It will then be swapped with a new card when the “Draw” button is clicked.
• Draw: A button that triggers the second stage, removing all Discarded cards, leaving all Held cards, and producing the final hand.
• Drawing Hand: A starting hand that needs to improve during the next stage of play.
• Face Card: A Face Card is one that contains the face of the King, Queen, or Jack.
• Hold: If you determine that a card is strong and can help you to improve to an even better hand, you can choose to “Hold” it. The card will then remain during the next stage of play.
• House Edge: All Video Poker games are weighted slightly in favour of the casino, and the degree at which they have an advantage is known as the House Edge.
• Jacks or Better: Many games of Video Poker require you to get a hand that has at least a pair of Jacks. These variants are known as Jacks or Better.
• Max Bet: Click the Max Bet button to set the highest possible stake allowed by the game.
• Min Bet: Reduce the wager to the lowest possible amount. This is the “Min Bet” allowed.
• Multi-Hand: Some games of Video Poker deal multiple hands at once, with the biggest variants going as high as 100 hands.
• Pay Table: The Pay Table gives you a detailed rundown of all hands and their resulting payouts. It shows you how much you will win for One Pair, Two Pairs, and more, all the way up to a Royal Flush.
• Pay Hand: A Pay Hand is a hand that meets the minimum qualifying criteria (such as a pair of Jacks or higher in a game of Jacks or Better).
• Progressive Jackpot: A jackpot that increases with every play and from every player. In Video Poker games, it’s often triggered when a Royal Flush appears.

All Casino.cricket IN games are supported on mobile. Enjoy a hand of Jacks or Better on your smartphone, play a few games of Joker Poker on your tablet, and take these games with you wherever you go.

Tweaks and updates have been made to ensure the games look just as glorious on mobile as they do on desktop, and the result is a crisp, clean, and effortless gaming experience for true poker fans.

As simple as Video Poker is, if you’re new to the game, you may encounter some issues. But don’t worry, as we have you covered:

• Help Files: Every slot, card game, and Video Poker variety at Casino.cricket IN has its own help file. In this file, which can be accessed via the hamburger menu, you can learn about payouts, rules, and more.
• Customer Support: When the game file can’t help you, our dedicated Customer Support team almost certainly can. Contact them today via Live Chat, phone, or email, and get a quick response.

Video Poker games are classic, and they warrant inclusion in any online casino. It’s a game variety that we’re very fond of here at Casino.cricket IN and one that we have in abundance. If you can’t resist a game of poker or two every now and then, join Casino.cricket IN, collect your Welcome Bonus, and start playing!