Online Video Poker

Before we talk about online video poker, lets look a bit first at video poker itself (in its original land-casino form). Video Poker is a somewhat contemporary invention, a fusion between traditional poker and modern slot machines. The video poker game is a match between you and the machine. During a game of video poker the dealer aka the machine will deal you a hand of five cards. After you receive your hand you must decide which cards to hold (keep) or discard. The objective is to finish the game with the strongest hand possible. The payout at the end of the game is dependent on the value of the hand you are holding. If you have won, the game will offer you an additional opportunity to increase your winnings by participating in a doubling phase.

The biggest difference between power poker and the standard video poker games is that you will be dealt four hands instead of one. Your initially dealt one hand, play it as you would play any poker hand. Selecting the cards you want to keep will lock them in for all four hands e.g. if your dealt two aces and you choose to hold them, they will be held in all four hands. The objective is to finish the game with the strongest hand possible. The payout at the end of the game is dependent on the value of the hand you are holding. If you have won, the game will offer you an additional opportunity to increase your winnings by participating in a doubling phase.

Playing online Video Poker is a different experience than playing video poker in a land-casino; but it's still the same game, rules, and expectancies. The difference lies in everything else - the video poker "machine" is now a piece of software that is running on your personal computer. The casino environment has been replaced with your computer room, bedroom or wherever your computer happens to be. The Vegas you can't see (because casinos don't have windows), is replaced with your own hometown.

Playing online Video Poker is playing the same game, the same way you're used to playing video poker. The added advantage of being in your own environment gives you a lot, more than most people expect. Las Vegas is built around distracting you; it's a huge part of their business. They basically serve you free alcohol to impair your senses, they put mesmerizing carpet patters that never lead you out of the place, they take out all clocks and windows so you don't know what time it is, or sometimes you may even lose track of where you are! Is all of this distraction accidental? Don't count on it. Las Vegas is all about details, and it costs them a lot of money to distract you so well. The reason they're willing to spend that money is because they know they make it back ten-fold from the bumbling of their patrons.

You can play great FREE online video poker at any time, right here at WinningPoker.Net, simply by clicking on the top graphic above and to the right of this text, where it says "Play Free Video Poker". We'll give you 1,000 free points to start you off, so lets see how far you can take it and whether or not you can make it to the Top 10 players list. Have fun!