Video poker lobbies are cluttered with dozens of variants, each promising better odds or bigger payouts. Most are carefully designed traps that look appealing but deliver worse returns than the games they’re supposedly improving.
I’ve tested virtually every video poker variant available online. Here are the few genuinely worth your time—and the warning signs that help you avoid the money pits disguised as “improved” games.
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Jacks or Better: The Foundation
Full-pay Jacks or Better (9/6 paytable) remains the gold standard. It pays 9 coins for a full house and 6 coins for a flush with perfect play yielding a 99.54% return.
- Why it works: The strategy is learnable, the paytable is transparent, and you can verify the odds. No gimmicks, no confusion, just solid video poker fundamentals.
- Finding full-pay tables: Most online casinos offer 8/5 or 7/5 variants that look identical but reduce your return to 97.3% or 96.15%. Always check the paytable before playing. The difference between 9/6 and 8/5 Jacks or Better costs you about $2.50 per hour at $1.25 per hand.
Bonus Poker: Simple Upgrade
Bonus Poker takes Jacks or Better and increases four-of-a-kind payouts. Four aces pay 80 coins instead of 25, and other quads get smaller bonuses.
The full-pay version (8/5 Bonus Poker) returns 99.17%—slightly worse than Jacks or Better, but still excellent. The strategy changes are minimal: you’ll hold ace-high hands more often and break up certain pairs when drawing to four aces.
- Personal experience: I prefer Bonus Poker for longer sessions because the enhanced quad payouts create more exciting moments without significantly worse odds.
Double Bonus Poker: High Risk, High Reward
Double Bonus Poker amplifies four-of-a-kind payouts dramatically. Four aces pay 160 coins, other premium quads pay 80 coins, but full houses and flushes pay less to compensate.
Full-pay Double Bonus (10/7/5) returns 100.17%—actually positive expectation with perfect play. The catch? Massive volatility. You’ll experience longer losing streaks between big hits.
- Strategy insight: Double Bonus requires holding kickers with pairs of aces through fours (like holding Ace-Ace-King instead of just Ace-Ace). This feels wrong initially, but it’s mathematically correct.
- Warning: Most online versions are 9/6/5 or worse, dropping the return below 99%. Verify you’re playing full-pay before committing time to learn the complex strategy.
Deuces Wild: The Skill Game
Deuces Wild transforms all twos into wild cards, creating a completely different game with unique strategy requirements. Full-pay Deuces Wild returns 100.76%, making it theoretically profitable.
- Why it’s challenging: The strategy is complex and counterintuitive. You’ll discard natural straights and flushes to chase wilds. Learning optimal play takes serious study.
- Finding good games: Look for full-pay schedules that return 25 coins for four deuces and 15 coins for five of a kind. Many online variants reduce these payouts, making the game unplayable.
- Reality check: Even with perfect play, the volatility is extreme. Bankroll requirements are roughly double that of Jacks or Better for the same playing time.
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Variants to Completely Avoid
Multi-Hand Games
Playing 50 or 100 hands simultaneously sounds exciting, but it destroys your hourly return. The increased action accelerates losses through the house edge, and the complexity makes optimal play nearly impossible.
- The math: Playing 50 hands per minute instead of 10 means you’re betting through five times as much money per hour. Even a slight house edge becomes expensive quickly.
Progressive Side Bets
Video poker games with progressive jackpots for rare hands (like royal flushes) require side bets that carry house edges of 20-30%. These side bets are slot machine-level terrible.
- Example: I found a Jacks or Better game with a $1 side bet for progressive royals. The base game returned 99.54%, but the side bet returned approximately 75%. Playing both destroyed the overall return.
Spin Poker and Power Poker Variants
These games add slot machine elements to video poker, introducing random multipliers and bonus features that obscure the base game’s return. The added complexity usually hides worse odds.
- Trust test: If you can’t easily calculate the game’s theoretical return, don’t play it. Legitimate video poker variants publish clear paytables that let you verify the house edge.
How to Evaluate New Variants
When encountering unfamiliar video poker games, check these elements:
- Published paytables that show exact payouts for all hands
- Strategy cards available from reputable gambling sites
- Theoretical return percentages calculated by independent analysts
- No mandatory side bets or progressive elements
Red flag: Games that don’t publish complete paytables or theoretical returns are designed to confuse players about their true odds.