Video poker is a card game played against a machine. You are dealt five cards, choose which to keep, and the machine replaces the rest. If you are searching for video poker at Kong Casino, you probably want to know how the game plays, which versions exist and what to check before you start. The sections below explain the game itself and what to look at before you play at Kong Casino.
Common variants of video poker
Video poker is a family of games built on the same five-card draw, with different paytables. The common variants include Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, Joker Poker (Joker's Wild), Double Bonus Poker, Tens Or Better, Triple Play Poker, Joker Poker 3 Hands, Playboy Jacks or Better, Game King Video Poker, 2 Ways Royal Video Poker 10 Hands and Super Video Poker. The rules and payouts differ between them, so a hand that pays well in one variant can pay less in another. Games of this type are made by providers such as Microgaming, Green Valley Games (GVG), Play'n GO, Red Rake, IGT, KA Gaming, GamesOS and Pragmatic Play.
If you want to play video poker, search for it among the games at Kong Casino or look for similar card games there. Whichever version you find, read its paytable before you place a stake, because the paytable decides what each hand pays.
How video poker works
Each round starts with five cards dealt face up. You choose which cards to hold and which to discard. The machine then replaces the discarded cards from the same 52-card deck and pays out according to the final hand.
Hands are ranked as in standard poker, from a pair up to a royal flush. The paytable shows what each hand pays for your stake, and it is the most important part of the game screen. In Jacks or Better, for example, a pair pays only when the pair is jacks or higher. Other variants set their own minimum hands and payouts.
The return to player depends on the paytable and the variant, so compare paytables rather than names. The maximum win is also set by the paytable. The replacement cards are random, so no choice of cards guarantees a particular result, even when a hand looks strong.
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Video poker and live casino games
Video poker runs on a random number generator (RNG). Every deal is produced by software, and there is no dealer. Live dealer games work differently: a real dealer runs the table, the cards or wheel are shown on camera, and you play in real time at the dealer's pace.
A live game with a similar name is not the same as the RNG version. Check whether you are joining a live table or playing a software game before you place a stake.
Practical tips
Read the paytable before you place a stake, and make sure you know which hands pay and by how much. Learn the rules of the variant you choose, since the same cards can pay differently between versions.
Set a budget before you start and stop when you reach it. Choose a stake you are comfortable losing, because no stake changes the random result of the next deal. Betting systems such as Martingale, which raise the stake after each loss, do not change the odds. They only change how quickly your budget runs out.
If you play on a phone, see the mobile version page first. If gambling stops being fun, the safer gambling page explains where to get help.
