Last Updated on May 30, 2024 by Mary Henderson
Video Poker Casinos in Canada
Video Poker has been a staple of casino games for over four decades and still enjoys a huge reputation among Canadian casino enthusiasts.
With a decent skill level and a low house edge compared to other games, Video Poker is one of the big power games in a land-based or online casino.
Many Canadian players like Video Poker because it offers the potential to win big while playing – much like slots – on your own and without distraction from other players.
Let’s learn more about video poker and, lastly, claim a video poker bonus to play online.
How to Choose the Best Video Poker Casino in Canada
Picking the best video poker casino in Canada necessitates a critical eye. You’ll want to ensure the site is safe, fun, and user-friendly.
So here are some tips for our Canadian friends:
1. Licensing and Regulation
Check licensing. The last thing you’d want is to discover that your chosen casino isn’t registered with an approved regulatory authority like the Kahnawake Gaming Commission or any other recognized international body.
2. Game Variety
Selections, Selections, Selections – A good video poker site will offer various games. The more variety, the more likely you will find something that fits your play style.
3. Bonus and Promotions
Get those bonuses – Many Canadian sites offer exclusive promotions and bonuses for their video poker players; sometimes, these can make or break a player’s bankroll.
4. Payout Rates
RTP RTP RTP – Always try to play games with high return-to-player rates, as this means that over time, you’ll get higher returns on your bets made. Games with an RTP of 98% or higher are always nice!
5. Banking Options
Everything but Bitcoin – Make sure that the site supports a wide range of banking options accessible in Canada (CCs, e-wallets, etc.). Secure deposits and fast withdrawals are always key.
6. Mobile Compatibility
Play on the go! Mobile gaming has become increasingly popular today, so make sure that whatever site you choose has a smooth mobile version of its website/app for seamless smartphone gaming experiences!
7. Customer Support
Nothing’s worse than having unanswered questions while playing at online casinos! Look for platforms with quick customer support available around the clock through live chat, email or telephone.
8 & 9 Security & Reputation
Don’t share my data – Look into each casino’s security measures; they should have SSL encryption. Please read up on their privacy policies to ensure your information is safe!
10. Reviews
Get feedback – Lastly, take a look at some player reviews. They’ll be able to tell you more about reliability, game fairness, and overall service quality than anyone else.
Best way to play your chances with a video poker casino bonus
Online casino fans sadly overlook video poker. Everyone loves slots! We understand that slots are bright, shiny, easy to understand, and in many different shapes and sizes.
And so does video poker!
Most of us already have a decent understanding of the game from its enormous cultural footprint. And, if you don’t, I can explain it in a sentence or two now – you’re dealt five cards out of 52, you get a chance to change as many cards as you want in a second random deal, and you’re paid for completing winning poker hands.
It couldn’t be simpler!
Playing online is also simple, with a slot-like setup that’s second nature to any online casino player.
Looking for a video poker casino bonus
The best thing for players is that video poker offers the best value of any game in the online casino world. Some machines – usually deuces wild – offer a theoretical return to players of over 100%.
Standard games are close to that figure – often more than 99% – with only the blackjack rivalling the long-term potential of these games for skilful players.
That makes online video poker casino bonuses hard to find.
Casinos want your bonus to be spent on games with a much lower RTP, and you might well find restrictions on your bonus funds that stop you from playing video poker, limit your stakes, or restrict the amounts of your play that can be counted towards your wagering requirements.
Play Video poker bonuses with no wagering restriction
That’s why – if you’re onto the good news about video poker – you must look for bonuses targeted specifically at players.
These are much less likely to have terrible wagering requirements on your favourite game.
You’re also less likely to have strict limits put on your wagering.
Once you’ve found one of these bonuses, you should grab it because they’re rare.
Making the most of it should be relatively easy. In casino terms, video poker is relatively low-risk and requires some studies to devise a coherent wagering strategy.
Keep your stakes low when you start, and learn the game before you get up to them. It would be best to get good value from your video poker bonus.
About Video Poker
Video poker is a game of 5-card draw poker, the most popular style of poker in the Wild West in the US. Each player is dealt five cards. The players discard one to five cards and replace them with new ones. The best 5-card hand wins the pot.
The 5-card draw is the same on video poker machines. The difference is that you are playing against the house instead of against other players. To beat the house, you must make a minimum poker hand to win the game. Some video poker machines allow a pair of tens or better, while more commonly, you will see jacks or better video poker games. It would be best to have at least a pair of jacks to win the hand.
Depending on the variation of video poker you play, you will also be given wild cards, such as deuces wild or joker poker. In deuces wild, the 2 is the wild card and can count as any card in the game, while in joker poker, two jokers are added to the pack and can count as any other card in the game.
The Basics
Playing with between 1 and 5 coins, a Video Poker machine presents a player with five cards. It is then up to the player to decide whether to hold and which cards to remove. The machine will then provide cards in place of their discards, paying according to the win or moving on if there is a loss. This is truly an easy game to play and can be surprisingly enthralling.
Another basic aspect of Video Poker is that the house rarely holds a significant edge over a player. Some machines, however, can give you an advantage (albeit a small one).
Standard Video Poker Rules
Most Video Poker games you will encounter are played with a standard 52-card deck. Variations on video poker games deviate from this rule, including titles with Joker Wilds in them. While there are a few differences in playing such games, there are generally universal rules to how the games operate. For example:
- When you have selected an amount to wager, press the “deal” button, and the game will provide five randomly selected cards for you
- It is then up to the player to choose what cards to discard and those which they want to keep
- The game will then provide cards in place of those which the player has rejected
- If a player is lucky to win, then they will receive money according to the strength of that particular hand
- If there is a loss, then a new game can be initiated by the player
Video Poker Odds and Payouts
| Hand | Odds | 1 Coin | 2 Coins | 3 Coins | 4 Coins | 5 Coins |
| Royal Flush | 649,740 to 1 | 250 | 500 | 750 | 1000 | 4000 |
| Straight Flush | 72,193 to 1 | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| Four of a Kind | 4,165 to 1 | 25 | 50 | 75 | 100 | 125 |
| Full House | 694 to 1 | 9 | 18 | 27 | 36 | 45 |
| Flush | 509 to 1 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 | 30 |
| Straight | 255 to 1 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 |
| Three of a kind | 47 to 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 |
| Two Pairs | 21 to 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Pair J, Q, K or A | 7.69 to 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Strategy: Finding a Full Pay Machine
Choosing the right machine is the first step toward any seasoned strategy that works. This will generally depend on the type of Video Poker machine and how you play as an individual.
When it comes to choosing the right machine, there are a few hints and tips which we have provided below, which can certainly help you decide:
A full-pay machine
This type of machine effectively offers the best odds, making top payouts for hitting the right hands. On any typical Video Poker Jacks or Better machine – where you need nothing less than a pair of jacks to win – you can find in the machine’s paytable if it pays in full. Try to identify the machines before you play.
You should always check for the payout a machine grants for a full house or a flush. A full house should pay nothing less than nine times your bet and a flush six times what you wager on a game. 9/6 games, therefore, take their name from this method of paying out on flushes or full houses.
Full-payout machines are among the best choices for winning big. The house edge is so much lower than in other games, so it is no secret why savvy players shun roulette tables and slots in favour of Video Poker games. If the house edge is less than one percent, it is not difficult to see why this is the case and has been for a long time.
To put this into perspective, a game with a 1% house edge effectively pays out 99 cents from every dollar bet. The house edge is much higher when you do not play according to a learned strategy; however, doing your homework before playing the game is always the best advice for any player looking to get involved in video poker.
Hints and Tips
| Hand | Cards | Description |
| Jacks or Better | J♠ J♡ | Pair of Jacks or higher-ranking cards |
| Two of a Kind | Q♠ Q♡ 4♠ 4♡ | 2x sets of pairs |
| Straight | 6♣ 7♢ 8♠ 9♣ 10♣ | Five cards in a sequence that don’t have matching suits |
| Flush | 3♣ 5♣ 7♣ 9♣ 10♣ | Five cards of the same suit but are not in a sequence |
| Full House | 9♠ 9♡ 7♠ 7♡ 7♢ | A pair of matching cards and three-of-a-kind |
| Four of a Kind | 5♠ 5♡ 5♢ 5♣ | Four cards of the same value |
| Straight Flush | 10♣ 9♣ 8♣ 7♣ 6♣ | Five cards of the same suit and in sequential order |
| Royal Flush | A♡ K♡ Q♡ J♡ 10♡ | The strongest hand has cards A-10 in the same suit |
Always aim to play maximum coins, as this is the best chance to hit a big win. This may be out of the question for some, at least until they have a large bankroll to facilitate it.
Don’t expect a machine to show indications before landing a good hand; they are not programmed to do this.
Always do your homework on a Video Poker Machine before you play it. Many have subtle differences that, if picked up on, can be the difference between success and failure.
Always practice before you play, as this will give you an idea of how far you can take your strategy and hone it before you invest any real money in playing Video Poker. As with anything in life, different Video Poker machines respond better to various techniques. What works on one machine may not work on others. The best way to approach this is to take as much information as possible into the game, so practising hands in a demo mode, for example, should be the place to start.
Video Poker Should be Fun
Not many people can ever rely exclusively on gambling as their sole source of income. Despite many strategies and tips floating around in the ether of the internet, it is unlikely that any of them will offer a foolproof way to clean up while playing Poker consistently. We would wager that none of them will be completely proven in terms of success.
Video Poker, like any other game, should be fun. Yes, doing your research into any game before you play it can greatly improve your chances of winning, but most of the time, it is simply too random to have any type of control over. Lastly, always claim a video poker bonus when you can – it can significantly increase your chances of winning!
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