While there are plenty of online games where players can start with smaller deposits and end up winning large sums of money, there aren’t a lot of online games with a great house edge. However, playing online video poker might just be the right game for you because it has one of the best house edges among online games.
If you are interested in video poker and are located in New Jersey, you will be happy to hear about the exciting online world of video poker available to residents of the Garden State.
What is Online Video Poker?
If you are still searching for the right casino game for you and you’re not generally familiar with the online gambling industry, you’ve come to the right place. This article will explain online video poker in detail, so you’ll know what you are getting yourself into.
Online video poker is a computerized version of the video slot machine that you have probably seen in many casinos before. The game is based on draw poker — a game where players need to make specific poker hand combinations.
It’s important to find an online site that works with an RNG — Random Number Generator. A casino that has an RNG function operates properly and provides a fair gaming experience. Online video poker also functions with a random number generator which shuffles cards continuously — the shuffling stops when a player hits the Deal or Draw button.
Each video poker machine has one deck of cards to start with, called a single-deck game. This game is a great choice for beginners, as it is good for practicing and easy to master. However, if you get bored or you feel ready for a more serious experience, you can choose to play with several decks at once.
Each video poker hand consists of five cards, and each winning hand will pay out a higher or a lower amount of money — depending on the card values. The goal is to receive the highest ranked five-card poker hand — the same as in draw poker, except that you are not competing against other players.
When you click Deal, you will keep the first five cards. By choosing to click Hold, you will be able to keep cards of your choosing. This style of video poker is an excellent way to improve your original hand. Note that the strength of your hand determines your winnings — stronger hand equals higher cashouts.
Keep in mind that there are no cheating patterns or shortcuts to win by playing online video poker — there are over 2.6 million possible card combinations. However, you can use your skills to your advantage, but more on that later on.
Learn to Play Video Poker
First, a player needs to select the value of the coin before playing video poker. The lowest amount is usually $0.05, with the highest being $5. The best return is typically at five coins per hand, which is your safest option for playing.
When betting on five coins, the payout ratio on a royal flush is almost always more than three times higher than when betting on four or lower. By playing with five coins, you add about 1.5% to the total return of the video poker machine. That’s why it’s important to bet as high as you can when playing video poker.
Once you choose your bet value, click on the Deal button and you will be dealt five cards.
Machine Types of Video Poker in NJ Online Casinos
Most machine types of video poker are available in online casinos that accept players from New Jersey. To play the game, you’ll first need to choose a machine type, and then a game variation.
Single Play vs. Multi Play
As you have probably already guessed, single play means playing one hand at a time and multi play considers playing a higher number of hands at a time.
Single play video poker is simple — there is one deck of cards and players are dealt one hand of five cards. It is the simplest type of game and the base of all other games.
Multi-play machines allow you to play as low as three hands at once, or as high as one hundred hands at a time. It’s up to you to determine how much you can handle. As we previously mentioned, you can improve your original hand by choosing to play a multi-play video poker game.
The game starts out as a regular single play game where a player is dealt five cards. From there, the player can choose to draw more cards if they want to improve their hand. By selecting to draw more cards, the player’s hand is split into as many hands as selected — the draw is run independently for each hand.
The cards you initially hold are the same on each hand — for example, if you chose three hands, you will have the same number of cards in all three hands. However, the draw will provide each hand with different cards to further improve your chances of winning.
Other Machine Types
Besides the single-play and the multi-play machine types, there are more complicated but less popular video poker machine types. Players can additionally opt for multi strike poker, spin poker, quick quads, and super times pay.
Be sure to carefully read about all four of these machine types, as they are quite complex. If you’re a beginner at playing video poker, choose a single-play or a multi-play machine type for starters.
Game Variations at New Jersey Online Casinos
Online video poker games started out simple, with only a couple of different game variations. However, nowadays, the variations are endless! You have selected a machine type, so now you will need to opt for a game. There are multiple game variations, so let’s dig in.
Easy Games
New video poker players can enjoy an easy game, such as Jacks or Better. Jacks or Better, or Draw Poker, was one of the first video poker games. Only hands with a pair of jacks or higher are paid, as the name suggests. There are no wild cards or bonus payouts to worry about, so the game is simple to master.
Exciting Games
More exciting games usually include the wild card games such as Deuces Wild or Joker Poker. For example, in Deuces Wild, all four deuces in the deck are wild. The wild cards can represent any other card to make the best hand possible.
Profitable Games
If you want to win more, you should opt for Bonus Poker or Double Bonus Poker. The former is a version of Jacks or Better with a payable bonus on four-of-a-kind hands. The latter is a version of Bonus Poker which increases the payout by double. However, Double Bonus Poker also reduces the payout for smaller hands.
Other Games
Triple Play Draw Poker and Five Play Draw Poker are among more interesting games; however, they can be too complicated for some players, making these games a second choice. New Jersey players usually avoid Jester Poker since its return is only 93.2 percent, making it the lowest of all video poker games.
Video Poker Payouts
Video poker is one of the most challenging games to play online since both the game type and the payout schedule impose the optimal playing styles. Luckily, any player can search for and learn winning plays online. Most online casinos provide video poker strategy sheets and calculations.
New Jersey online casinos probably have the most generous payout tables. Players need to find an excellent payout table and learn how to recognize it. The reason behind that lies in the payout structure. Even the tiniest change in the payout structure can make the house edge higher. Be careful with your choice of online casinos.
Tips for Winning at Video Poker
Since video poker provides one of the best odds compared to other online casino games, you should also learn some tips to maximize your winnings. The best tip you can get for playing video poker online is to use your skills.
First of all, your return to investment, or ROI, can be improved to over 99% by playing video poker. Each game has a specific return-to-player rate and a hit frequency that can make your chances of winning higher. As mentioned before, be on the lookout for the best pay tables.
If you want to maximize your wins, you should look for full pay games. Your safest bet is to find a 9:6 scheme that will pay out 9:1 for a full house and 6:1 for a flush. You should stay clear of the 8:5 games — it doesn’t seem much lower but the house edge increases significantly.
Jacks or Better might be the simplest video poker game, but also the most popular with New Jersey players because of its high RTP of 99.54%.
Always remember that casino game odds favor the house over the player. However, video poker gives you the best chance of beating the house because you can select the cards you’re holding.
If you are aiming to win big, study these tips and work on your skills. Video poker games rarely offer progressive jackpots, so working hard and being patient will eventually get you to your desired winning amount.
New Jersey Mobile Video Poker
If you’re searching for online video poker in New Jersey, you won’t find more than six video poker games for PC. Unfortunately, there are even fewer mobile video poker options. Hopefully, there will be more options for mobile play in the future. For now, there are a few video poker games available for both iOS and Android users.
Players can pick Jacks or Better among other single line games — another reason why Jacks or Better is popular with players from the Garden State. Triple-play and five-play games are still not available for mobile devices.
The Legality of Video Poker in New Jersey
New Jersey is one of the least restrictive American states when it comes to both online and land-based gambling. The Garden State was one of the first states in the USA to legalize video poker machines in land-based casinos. Subsequently, legalizing online video poker was an easy and correct decision made by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement in 2013. Brick and mortar casinos are able to legally host online video poker games.
If you are looking for a fair chance of winning and full protection of your personal details, it’s safer to stick to legally playing video poker. Offshore casino sites that offer video poker games could lead to a lot of trouble. Also, by playing online video poker, you will have higher chances of winning compared to playing video poker in land-based casinos.
Final Thoughts
Playing online video poker is completely legal for residents of New Jersey. There are no restrictions, except for the minimum legal age of 21 years. Different payouts, machine types, and game variations make for an exciting game to play from the comfort of your home.
New Jersey casinos offer free video poker games which will be of great significance for beginners. Additionally, the basics of the game are straightforward so you’ll have no trouble catching up. Online video poker proves to be a fantastic game for avid poker players.
FAQ
Is it legal to play video poker online in New Jersey?
Yes, it is. It is 100% legal to play online video poker if you’re located in New Jersey.
Can I play online video poker for free in New Jersey?
Yes, you can. Some online casinos offer free games of video poker, so conduct thorough research to find out where to play.
Can I win real money playing online video poker in New Jersey?
Yes, you can. You can invest as little as $0.05 and still win a lot of money. Look for the casinos with the best pay tables if you aim for higher cashouts.
Which game should I choose when playing online video poker in New Jersey?
If you’re not sure of your skills or you’re a beginner, you should opt for Jacks or Better. It’s the simplest game to learn and the basis for all other video poker games.
Can I play video poker on my mobile device while in New Jersey?
Yes, you can. However, keep in mind that there are fewer options for playing on your mobile phone.