Free Video Poker: Strategy, Where to Play and More
Free Video poker is easy to find on the internet; not only can you practice and get helpful ideas on free poker online apps, but you can also find demo games at many online casinos, and unlike real money wagering, you play and practice these games in all 50 states.
Of course, if you're dealt a royal flush and you are playing for free, you may be wishing you were playing for real money, but at least if you sign up with the online casinos to play in a demo, you will likely get some nice email offers and maybe even a chance to enter some prizes from tournaments.
Why Play Free Video Poker?
You will be playing draw poker on nearly every type of video poker machine. That means you will be dealt five cards, and then you can discard the cards you don't think will help you get the best five-card poker hand and draw new ones.
On the original Jacks or Better video poker machines, the hands you wanted to get were pretty much the same as you always wanted to be dealt in online poker. Starting with a natural royal flush, then a straight flush, four-of-a-kind, full house, flush, straight, three-of-a-kind, two-pair, and then a pair of jacks or better, which was the last hand you could get paid on.
Now, you may find some confusing pay tables with games like Deuces Wild, other wild card games, or even many of the bonus poker games. For example, five of a kind beats a straight flush in the original Deuces Wild. Four aces with a two, three, or four pay 800x, but four aces with any other card only pay 160x in Triple Triple Bonus Poker.
On the bright side, the natural royal flush is still the top hand on most video poker machines or online video poker. But make sure to check the payables to understand what hands pay what.
READ MORE: Poker Glossary of Terms
Basic Video Poker Strategy
Let's be perfectly clear. There is a correct way to play every video poker hand, and these were determined by crunching millions of hands played through computers to solve these games mathematically. A strategy chart is the play for each hand that results in the highest-paying decisions.
This strategy chart will not only be different for each type of video poker game but can even vary by paytable. This makes sense if you think about the fact that with a flush paying six and a straight flush only paying 25, you might be content to stay with any dealt straight, but perhaps if that straight flush paid 100, you would be tempted to throw away a dealt flush for a chance at a straight flush.
These strategy charts for every game can be found easily online and printed out so you can practice. While they may appear initially confusing, they list the order of hands or partial hands that should be held in decreasing order of importance to your win rate.
READ MORE: Online Poker Strategy
Types of Video Poker Games
There are more than a hundred different types of video poker games available, and each of these variations has several different payables. Some, albeit hard-to-find, video poker games like full pay Deuces Wild offered over 100 percent return to the player, meaning you could make money if played correctly. However, many others, like 9/6 Jacks or Better or the not-so-ugly Deuces Wild, offer returns to player numbers well over 99%. But a 6/5 Jacks or Better Game only has a 95% return to player (RTP). So you have to comparison shop in order to get the best value for your gambling dollar.
Jacks or Better
The OG of the Video poke machine world, this classic can be found in one form or another just about everywhere. No wild cards, no crazy joker, just draw to a pair of jacks or better, and you are a winner.
Deuces Wild
"What if instead of a joker, we just made all the deuces wild instead?" - Teddy Roosevelt, probably. With four wild cards, this game plays very differently than jacks or better, but because those wild cards give you a sense that anything might happen each and every hand, Deuces Wild remains a wildly popular game and even has variations of its own. Its original paytable was over a 100% return for the player, which also probably helped with the game's popularity initially.
Bonus Poker
Bonus poker, as the name implies, turns the paytable inside out to reward some hands over others. In the case of bonus poker, a four-of-a-kind made up of twos, threes, or fours pays much better than any other four-of-a-kind. In double bonus poker, four aces now pay 4x more than usual, while the four of a kind with low pairs still pay 2x the other four of a kind, and well, you get the idea.
Where to Play Free Video Poker Games Online
We think the best place to play free video poker is in demo mode at the online casinos. But "I'm not in a state where it's legal", we hear you saying. These casinos offer demo mode, which, as long as you are 21, you can play for free no matter where you are. Or, you can play for "fun money" on a social casino like the ones above, and use our links to get some extra chips!
Since these are the same games you will be playing when you get to a state where you can gamble real money legally online, or even if you go to a brick-and-mortar casino, we think that this can be a perfect way to improve your game, see how each game plays, its volatility, and even what the graphics look like.
Golden Nugget Online Casino
- Read our Golden Nugget Casino Bonus Code & Review
- Bonus Offer: Spin for a shot at $1,000 in Casino Credits + Deposit Match up to $1,000 in Casino Bonus!
- Promo Code: TANGN
- Available States: Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia
- T&Cs: GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER (MI/NJ/PA/WV). 21+. Physically present in MI/NJ/PA/WV only. Eligibility restrictions apply. Void in ONT. 1 per new customer. Min. $5 deposit req. to receive Mystery Spin Bonus and 100% deposit match on first deposit after opt-in. Spin Bonus rewards between $10-$1,000 in Casino Credits. Max. $1,000 in Casino Credits on select games that are non-withdrawable and expire in 7 days. Deposit Match req. opt-in. Max. match of $1,000 in non-withdrawable Casino Bonus Funds that req. 10x play-thru w/in 7 days at different contribution rates on select games. Max. match req. play-thru of $10,000 at 100% contribution rate; or a max. of $50,000 at 20% contribution rate. 7 days = 168 hours. Terms: goldennuggetcasino.com/welcome
All Golden Nugget video poker offerings can be played in demo mode, allowing you to see how these games play and pay. They offer the IGT Game King, where you can find the following popular video poker games:
- Jacks Or Better
- Bonus Poker
- Bonus Poker Deluxe
- Double Bonus Poker
- Double Double Bonus Poker
- Triple Double Bonus Poker
- Deuces Wild
- Deuces Wild Bonus Poker
- Joker Poker
Other Online Casinos for Video Poker
While both DraftKings and Golden Nugget allow you to play all their Video Poker games in demo mode, that isn't always true at Caesars Palace or BetMGM, so make sure to look for the demo sticker on the game's thumbnail. We've included these casinos because of the sheer number of video poker products and because they have state-of-the-art mobile casino apps that let you play from anywhere. Remember, you can play the real money game if you live in New Jersey, Michigan, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Connecticut, Delaware, or Pennsylvania.
Caesars Palace Online Casino
- Read our Caesars Palace Online Casino Promo Code & Review
- Bonus Offer: Get a 100% Deposit Match up to $2,500 + 2,500 Rewards Points! when you use promo code ACTION22500
- Alternative Bonus Offer: Get $10 on Registration + 100% Deposit Match up to $1000! Use the bonus code ACTIONLAUNCH
- Available States: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Michigan
Caesars is not only known for its luxury high-end casino on the strip, but it now operates almost four dozen regional properties under the Harrah's, Horseshoe, Eldorado, and Tropicana brands, meaning that there is probably a Caesars somewhere close to you. They also operate the Tropicana Online Casino in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, which has the same video poker titles.
We are naming Caesars the winner of most video poker games as they seriously have many games on offer. Once you get signed up, they offer many ongoing promotions online and through their regional brick-and-mortar casinos. Their welcome bonus is up to a $1000 deposit match, which is sadly aimed squarely at slot players. You can still get 2500 Caesars reward points for wagering your first $25.
- Deuces wild/ Deuces Wild Elite
- Regal Poker/Regal Poker Deluxe
- Double Regal Poker/Double Regal Poker
- Five Play/ Ten Play/ Triple Play Draw Poker
- Jacks or Better/Jester Poker
- Ultimate X Five Play/Ten Play/Triple Play
- Game King with all of the games listed under Golden Nugget
BetMGM Online Casino
- Read our BetMGM Casino Bonus Code & Review
- Bonus Offer: MI, NJ, and PA users — use promo code ACTIONCASINO and you’ll receive the following promo: Get a 100% Deposit Match up to $1,000 in Casino Credits + $25 on The House! WV users — use promo code ACTIONCASINO to claim this new user promo: Deposit Match up to $2500 + $50 on the House + 50 Bonus Spins!
- Available States: Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia
BetMGM has the largest selection of online slots — about 1200 — so we shouldn't be surprised that its video poker library is also full of some hard-to-find favorites. There is a welcome bonus that is sadly also aimed at slot players, but they have good ongoing promotions and some great offers at their Las Vegas properties once you sign up for their email.
- Game King with all of the games listed under Golden Nugget
- Double Double Regal Poker
- Five Play Draw Poker
- Ten Play Draw Poker
- Triple Play Draw Poker
- Ultimate X Five play
- Ultimate X Ten Play
- Ultimate X Triple Play
- Jester video poker
DraftKings Online Casino
- Read our DraftKings Casino Promo Code & Review
- Bonus Offer: Play $10 Get $100 Casino Credits Instantly + $35 Extra on Deposit!
- Available States: CT, NJ, MI, PA, WV
DraftKings Casino is a well-known provider of daily fantasy sports (DFS) games getting poised in the online casino market. Their big name and deep pockets translates to a good deal of value for users, as you'll find a fair number of real money video poker options that can be tested in free play.
- Game King with all of the games listed under Golden Nugget
- Multi Rise Deuces Wild
- Multi Rise Bonus Poker Deluxe
- Multi Rise Double Bonus Deuces Wild
- Multi Rise Jacks Or Better
- Multi Rise Double Double Bonus
FanDuel Online Casino
- Read our FanDuel Casino Promo Code & Review
- Bonus Offer: No promo code is needed to claim the following new user offer: Deposit $10, Get $20 In Site Credit & Play It Again up to $1000!
- Available States: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Michigan, and West Virginia
FanDuel is another huge online casino tied in with their sportsbooks, which are legal in more than twenty states. If you are fortunate enough to be in a state where you can play a real money game, they have an attractive welcome bonus that will refund your losses for your first 24 hours with casino credit up to $1,000, and video poker losses are figured into that. While it's not a vast selection, they have all the essential classic games with decent payables.
- IGT Game King has all of the same games listed under the Golden Nugget.
Pros & Cons of Free Video Poker
Free video poker won't be for everyone, and like most things, it has its pluses and minuses, but any time you can practice and learn how to play without having to wager real money, that is always a great option to have.
Pros 👍
- It's Free
- You can play it anywhere, not just in regulated legal states.
- It's a great way to learn new games or test a winning strategy.
- Signing up with online casinos to play in demo mode will get you lots of great offers.
- Video Poker has a very low house advantage, much lower than slots.
Cons 👎
- You can't win cash.
- Payouts aren't as large as slots.
- It requires concentration, and it is very hard to be social if you are playing video poker in a brick-and-mortar casino.
