Most casino players love the slots and indeed, these popular games of chance are one of the most popular forms of gambling in the world. With hundreds of top quality slots to choose from and even free spins available on some games, it is hard to imagine anyone becoming a little tired with the genre.
Yet, there are a large number of casino enthusiasts who may start out playing slots but who then decide that they have had enough of this type of gaming and would instead prefer to play something else.
The question here is, what would a keen slot player turn to first? Should they try card games like baccarat or blackjack, head to the roulette wheel or the craps table, try their luck on a scratchcard or something similar, or load up a poker room and try their luck against other players rather than a casino?
There's no easy answer here, slots players who understand their game will realise that it is 100% based on the luck of the draw and how the random number generators that power your slot fall for you as you play.
That isn't the ideal training ground for some casino games, especially those such as blackjack and poker where a good deal of strategy is required, not to mention a very deep understanding of the subtle nuances of each game, in order to be successful.
Ideally a slot player would play a game that was as simple to play as a slot, but also had a similar random element. It would also be very nice of that game offered the player a lower house edge than slots too.
If that all sounds like it is too much to ask, then you need to take a look at one particular genre of game; Video Poker. We can recommend Jackpot City Casino for the best and latest video poker games, check it out here.
What is video poker and how does it differ from regular poker?
Video poker is a game that is played online by a single player against the casino. This is the first key difference between video poker and traditional online poker, which is played online against other opponents from around the world.
The only real similarity between video poker and traditional casino poker is that they use the same hand rankings (from Royal Flush, down to a pair of same value cards) to order hands from best to worst. In all other respects, the games are almost entirely different.
For slots players seeking a fresh challenged, this is a good thing. Traditional poker can take a huge amount of time to learn even the basics of and can take years to become fully proficient at.
Video poker on the other hand is much easier to learn and there is no need to learn all about poker strategies and techniques or to worry about reading opponents, bluffing or any of the other aspects of real poker play that can leave a beginner at a huge disadvantage when they start to play.
In video poker you play one hand of five cards. You are dealt all five cards face up and in order to win a stated amount, you must achieve a certain value with your hand. Usually this is a pair of cards rated higher than tens (or sometimes jacks) or better.
The amount you win is based on the strength of your poker hand. A high value pair is the lowest ranked hand, so pays out the smallest amount, whereas a Royal Flush is the highest ranked hand and pays out the most.
After you have been dealt five cards initially, you can then elect to discard any of the cards in your hand if you wish to do so. The aim being to replace these cards with (hopefully) better cards to improve the value of your hand and thus the amount of money that you will win.
You can change up to all five of your cards if you wish.
After you have selected which cards you want to hold (keep), the remaining cards are removed from your hand and replacement cards are dealt to you. You can now see your final hand and the software will check against its list of hands as to whether you have won money or not.
Why would video poker appeal to a slots player?
There are several different reasons why video poker would appeal to a slot player seeking something different to play.
The first thing is that it is essentially a game of chance. While the player has autonomy in selecting which of their initial hand cards to hold, the cards you receive are random. This is very similar to the old-fashioned slots where players would 'hold' certain reels in the hope of hitting a winning combination.
Secondly, unlike other forms of poker, you don't need to have a deep understanding of the game to play video poker. Provided that you understand which are the winning hands and how they rank (and these are clearly displayed in all games), this is a game you can pick up and play as easily as any slot.
Thirdly, video poker is similar to slots in that you are looking for matching patterns of cards just as you are matching symbols on a reel.
But arguably the biggest and best argument for slots players to try video poker is that of all casino games, video poker is one of the best in terms of a low house edge. Indeed only blackjack of the most popular casino games, has a house edge as low as most types of video poker.
What this means is that if you were to play 100 hands of video poker and play roulette for 100 spins, or even play slots for 100 spins, you'd be more likely to walk away with more cash playing video poker than the other games.
Video poker jargon and terms
Some video poker games may use confusing terminology in their games. Any game suffixed with the 'or better' phrase, such as "Jacks or Better" or "Tens or Better" simply refers to the lowest pair of cards you can hold to win money (usually your stake back).
Any game suffixed with the phrase "wild" as in "Jokers Wild" or "Deuces Wild" means that if you receive these cards in your hand, they can substitute for any other card in the deck, in the same way a wild symbol can substitute for any other on a reel.
There are other variations of the game available but these are the most common alongside the traditional game which just sees all 52 suited cards used from a pack.
If you are a slot player seeking something new to try in 2015, then video poker is well worth a look. It is a lot more similar to playing a slot than you would initially suppose and it also offers generally a lower house edge than most slots games. This is of key importance especially to those slot players keen to maintain a healthy bankroll.
|
|||
|
|||
|
|||
|
