Best Online Video Poker Guide for South Africans
The seventies was a time of disco balls and over-the-top fashion. With it came video poker, which is still one of the most popular casino games in South Africa. If you like a game of skill, low house edge and large real money wins, video poker could be for you.
No, it does not involve a green felt table and there are no intimidating players sitting across from you. It’s just you and a machine. But how do you play? That’s what we’re going to help you understand. As there is skill involved, you will need to read more than this guide to video poker. However, what provide you with will be enough to get started on one of our online video poker casinos.
Top 3 reasons to play at a legal SA video poker site:
- The odds are in your favour
- It’s very easy to learn
- Can play real cash online video poker anytime, anywhere
Don’t forget to check out our ratings and reviews of the top internet video poker gambling rooms.
How to play online video poker
The rules of internet casinos’ video poker games are simple. You will get 5 cards, which are shuffled and distributed by a random number generator. You choose which cards you want to hold and which you want to discard. Your discarded cards are replaced by new cards from the same deck. You are then paid according to the value of your hand.
Focus on the video poker games that offer the highest payouts for small wins like two pair and higher.
Video poker variations
Like any other online gambling game, there are several different types of video poker to choose from. Jacks or Better is a good option for South Africa players who are new to the game. Aces and Eights is another option for beginners, but include a few extra ways to win. Deuces Wild makes all 2’s wild; this means extra ways to win real cash. Other options include Double Bonus, Jokers Wild and Tens or Better. All our online South Africa video poker casinos will offer these variations, so be sure to read our reviews.
Another twist to video poker variations is the multi-hand options. This lets you play multiple hands at once; from 2-100. Make sure you have the basic strategy of the game down before you move into multi-hand online video poker.
Finally, if you’re interested in winning big, try playing the progressive video poker games. Many of these accept low bets, but the jackpots are often six or seven figures. Give it a try.
Best bets and odds to win an online video poker game
One of the best things about internet gambling video poker rooms is that you can know the return of the game before you start playing. The return of online video poker is determined by the pay table. You can see this on your screen whenever you begin to play SA video poker for real money. On average, the house edge is between 2.5% and 3%. This means your return will be 96.5%-97%.
When you’re playing online gambling sites’ video poker games, you may be dreaming of getting that fourth ace or the final card to complete a straight flush. We don’t blame you, but how frequently does this actually happen? The following stats are based on average play. They will give you a good foundation to set realistic expectations as well as bets.
First dealt cards
- Royal Flush - 1 in 649740
- Straight Flush - 1 in 72193
- Four of a Kind - 1 in 4165
- Full House - 1 in 694
- Flush - 1 in 509
- Straight - 1 in 255
- Three of a Kind - 1 in 47
- Two Pairs - 1 in 21
- Pair A,K,Q or J -1 in 7.69
- Any Pair - 1 in 2.37
Once you discard and redraw new ones, your odds of winning any specific hand do go up. It is during this time of the play that you can begin to win some real money.
A beginner’s strategy to successfully play video poker casino games
Each video poker variation will have its own strategy. To get you off to a good start, you should learn the hands of poker. You can do that by visiting our in-depth beginners guide to online poker Other ways to build a strategy to help you to win real money on a video poker game include:
- Set a budget before you start playing and stick to it.
- If you can afford it, play the max coins on every hand
- Learn from your mistakes and don’t chase your losses
- Understand that you will not always win
- Join the online casinos members or VIP program for incentives
- Try playing a free demo game before you play for real money
The largest jackpots come from video poker machines that offer the most for a royal flush, the best hand you can get in the game.
We have found the best online gambling video poker casinos for SA players
Now you have a grasp of the basic principles to play video poker, head to our ratings and reviews of internet gambling rooms. We did not just put together a random list of operators from 2015. Rather, our experts carefully selected these casinos based upon the game selection, graphics, security and customer service. In addition to this, we made sure these video poker casinos accept South Africa players. Therefore, you will also be able to make a deposit in Rand and withdrawal your winnings to a SA friendly payment option.
What are you waiting for? Read the reviews, sign up for a free account and start having a lot of fun. Who knows, today could be your lucky day.
How does video poker work?
Video poker works much like a slot machine, a screen displays a random combination of poker cards and the player tries to get winning combinations from standard poker rules. Players are often allowed to keep some symbols while spinning the rest of them to hopefully get a better combination.
What are the odds like?
Video poker offers poor odds compared to table games, but offers comparable odds to slot machines as far as winning goes.
Which game has the best odds?
The games with the best odds are those that offer the highest pay for simple hands like a two-pair. Look for games like 'Jacks or Better' that offer a payout of 10 credits for a two pair.
How much is it possible to win?
It’s possible to win as much as 4,000 times your initial bet while playing video poker. The maximum depends on the maximum bet amount available at the video poker machine.
Where can I find the biggest jackpots?
The biggest jackpots come from video poker machines with the highest maximum bet and the highest payout award for a royal flush. These are often at top rated casinos, but always check the max payout and the max bet before starting to play when you want the highest jackpot value.
Is it rigged?
Video poker is not rigged any more than slot machines are rigged. While playing video poker your cards are based on a random number generator that hands out values randomly.