Poker Vs. Video Poker

These days, you've got plenty of opportunity to play poker whenever you have a spare moment in your day. Online and mobile casino sites such as pokernewsheadlines.com offer a plethora of quick play single and multihand pokers in all the popular variations. You can literally ante up and tap into the likes of Texas Hold'em, 3 Card Poker, Pai Gow and Caribbean Stud without moving more than the fingertips. There are also a multitude of modified poker games that offer bonus payouts, progressive jackpots, side bets and more. These are the online casino games.

Video Poker Based on 5 Card Draw

Then there are the video poker games. Again, there are dozens of options with descriptive monikers based on in-game features that vary from the more conventional to the bonus and power pokers. Jacks or Better or Tens or Better, for instance, pay out on a pair of 10s or Jacks or better. Deuces or Joker Wild are games where twos or jokers are wild cards, while Aces and Eights or Aces and Faces pay out bonus wins for four aces and an eight, or aces and picture cards. The most obvious difference with video poker is that you play on a machine layout, similar to a slot machine, and not a traditional table layout. In addition, the entire genre is based on 5 card draw poker.

Head-to-Head vs. Paytable Wins

In online poker you are essentially going head-to-head with the dealer. You have to create a better hand by strategically discarding and replacing cards in order to win. In most online poker games, the dealer has to qualify for the hand by achieving a certain card or higher. In video poker, you get paid out if the cards in your hand match any winning combination published on a paytable on the gaming interface. In both instances, you can discard some or all of your cards in the hope of achieving a winning hand.

Double vs. Single Wagers

When you play Texas Hold'em or 3 Card Poker, you place an ante bet to kick start proceedings. If you do not fold your hand, you have to place a second wager, a raise bet, following the draw. In video poker, you place just one wager before the cards are dealt. In both forms of casino poker, winning hands are based on conventional poker hand rankings. Payouts are according to defined odds. Combinations with the lowest probability of occurring, such as straight, flush and royal flush have the best odds. Find the best online casinos for your poker play right now at zodiaccasinos and enjoy cross-category poker games that can pay out winnings in hard cash.

Calculating Probability and Payback

Notwithstanding your choice of poker, be it online poker or video poker, you can maximise your chances of winning by implementing a strategy specific to the variation or type of game you are playing. In video poker, you can calculate the probability of being dealt certain cards, provided only one 52-card deck is in play. You can work out the payback percentage and the correct strategy for playing the game the best way you can. You can also choose games based on 'pay' structure. A full pay or 9/6 Jacks or Better offers a higher payout percentage than an 8/6 game.

Poker Strategies

Similarly, there are tried and tested strategies available on the internet and in books that pertain to a specific types of poker - be it draw, stud or Texas Hold'em. There are complex strategies, such as the Fundamental Theorem of Poker that states 'Every time you play your hand the way you would if you could see your opponents' cards, you gain, and every time your opponents play their cards differently from the way they would play them if they could see your cards, you gain'. Pot odds, poker probabilities, bluffing and using raising and calling to deceive your opponents are other highly effective poker strategies.

Live Poker

Technology is such that you can now take a virtual seat at a live table in a gaming studio located on the other side of the globe. The action is streamed in real-time to your PC and you can place bets and even chat to your fellow players via the live gaming software. The best online casinos offer live tables. This is the closet it gets to the real deal. Game play, blinds, game rules and table limits are exactly the same as what you'll find at the B&M casinos. In fact, you can now participate at live poker tables at casinos in Dublin or Malta without getting out of your pyjamas and into black tie!

Video Poker vs. Online Poker: Major Similarities

• Payouts are based on conventional poker hand rankings
• Cards can be discarded and replaced to create a better hand
• You can use strategies to optimise the payout rate
• Winnings are paid out according to published odds
• Both of games of skill
• Game play is automated and quick in both instances

Video Poker vs. Online Poker: Major Differences

• Video poker is played on a console layout, while poker is played on a table layout
• In poker you play against the dealer. In video poker you are paid out for any winning combination
• In poker, the dealer's hand has to qualify or the hand is a push
• Poker has an ante and raise bet, video poker has an opening wager

Why Play Online

Apart from the obvious benefits of internet based gambling, you'll be hard pressed to find any B&M casino that can offer the huge variety of poker based games in one super accessible destination. Factor in the enormous poker oriented progressive jackpots, ongoing promotions, multi-tier loyalty programmes and big dollar bonuses that are commonplace at the best casinos online, and it really is a no-brainer to play poker online - whether it's live Caribbean Stud, Bonus Bonus video poker or multi-hand Triple Pocket Texas Hold'em!