Video Poker in Comparison to Slots
video poker can be considered the slot machine game for the thinking person. It is not, in fact, a slot machine as it does not having a spinning wheel, however there are many similarities between video poker and slot machines.
Video poker is also very similar to traditional poker, however there are significant differences between the two.
Video poker is based on the five-card draw poker. It first became commercially available and common in casinos in the mid-1970s at around the same time as personal computers were first produced. It became more popular through the 1980s. Through the 1990s, many casinos began cutting their paytables or only offering 25c machines or higher.
Similarities between Video Poker and Slot Machines
• Video poker and slot machines are most commonly produced by the same IGT company.
• Video poker and slot machines both offer progressive jackpot options.
• The shape and size of the machinery is very similar in both video poker and slot machines.
Differences between Video Poker and Slot Machines
• There is strategy involved in video poker that does not exist in slot machines. In video poker, one has the opportunity to make decisions affecting the payback percentage of the game. In slot machines, there are no decision-making opportunities.
• Outcomes are determined differently between video poker and slot machines. In video poker, outcomes are determined by random number generators and are based a shuffled deck of playing cards. In slot machines, outcomes have a predetermined payback percentage.
• Video poker can have a positive expectation in the long term, with perfect strategy, due to its determination of payback percentages. They are almost always higher in video poker than in slot machines.
• There are various different kinds of video poker to chose from.
Similarities between Video Poker and Traditional Poker
• Video poker hand rankings use traditional poker rankings.
• Perfect strategy can achieve positive expectations in both video poker and traditional poker. In other words, strategy can improve with practice.
Differences Between Video Poker and Traditional Poker
• Traditional poker involves bluffing, while you cannot bluff while playing video poker.
• You do not have the opportunity to read people in video poker, as you do in traditional poker.
• The aim in video poker is not to beat another hand, as it is in traditional poker. In video poker, the aim is to have the best hand possible on the payout chart and thereby hit that particular payout.
The Appeal of Playing Video Poker
Most people play video poker for fun. They prefer it over slot machines as they have some control over the outcome and therefore find it more satisfying than slots, which has a random predetermined outcome. The payouts also tend to be higher in video poker, especially if you become experienced.
For those who enjoy the game of poker, but not the company, or who prefer the idea of gambling alone, video poker is a welcome alternative to often crowded traditional poker rooms.
