Even though they both have the term ‘poker’ in their names, video poker and online poker are two different casino games. If you’re a beginner in the industry of online casino and wanted to try your luck in these games, you must first be able to describe the difference between a regular online poker and a video poker.
Both of these games follow the same basic rules of poker, but have a different set of winning strategies and special rules in terms of scoring and game play. Basically, online poker is a casino game where your competition is not the house, but the other players at the table; while video poker is generally a solitary game in which you are playing against the house alone and your odds of winning are predetermined.
There are probably a lot of interesting differences that occur in these two games – the game rules and the hand rankings to be more specific. In video poker, you are playing against a machine with a fifty three card pack (including the joker). The house is the one banking the game, however the machine is not designed to beat you. It’s more like a solitaire. It just delivers the cards and there is no one to bluff. The hand rankings are also the same for regular online poker and video poker – which ranges from high card, to a pair, two pair, three of a kind, a straight, flush, full house, four of a kind, and royal flush. But unfortunately, the similarities end there. The amount of your winnings is directly related to how good a hand you make in the end. Regular online poker can be played in various ways, but you need to compare your best five card hand to the hands of your opponents every end of the game. Unlike in video poker, wherein you can replace your initial five cards anytime to make your best poker hand. In short, the power of your hand only determines whether or not you win the jackpot.
A little difference also lies in the betting rules of each poker game. In video poker, all the betting is done before the game begins. You will likely to pick a machine or an online casino game to place your bets. Usually, you can place your stakes up to 5 times only. On the other hand, in online poker, you can bet in every turn. The amount of your bets likely depend on which type of poker you are playing. It’s either fixed, pot limit, or no limit. Also, if you do not want to place a bet, you can have a fold, but that won’t allow you to have any winnings.
Lastly, the most common difference between online poker and video poker is the factor of skills and luck. The game of video poker is somehow similar to a game of slots, in which you cannot predefined the outcome. And in this case, you have to heavily depend on pure luck. But in a regular poker, you can get the results that you want by just relying on your own skills as a gambler.
By Cassy Novamba
Cassy Novamba is an article contributor for online casino mansion blog. The articles provided in there are some of the updates and guides to all casino games player specially those enthusiast who loves playing online.