Is Video Poker a Good Alternative to Conventional Poker?
One of the many beauties of playing poker is the variety of ways the game can be played. Texas Hold’em, Omaha Hi, Seven-Card Stud, 5-Card Draw, and Badugi are all examples of poker variants. However, aside from the traditional poker variants, there are other ways to play the game. Video poker is a good example but is this a good alternative to conventional poker?
Video Poker
Video poker is an easy game to learn, and you play against a machine rather than other people. The devices used for video poker in land-based casinos look much like slot machines and the same can be said when playing online. Online video poker looks a lot like pokies online real money games but they do play differently. Video poker is more complex than pokies and you must make key decisions that impact the game. When playing pokies, you spin the reels and hope you land something good but there is skill involved when playing video poker.
Differences Between Video Poker and Conventional Poker
When it comes to the hand rankings, both video and conventional poker are similar, but most video poker games will pay more for a full house than three of a kind. In video poker, straight flushes are not always worth more than three of a kind and there can be other differences depending on the specific version of video poker game. For example, in some video poker games, a pair of jacks will be worth more than a pair of tens but in the same video poker game, two kings will not be worth more than two jacks. When playing conventional poker, there is betting over a series of rounds and decisions to made in each round. This is not the case when playing video poker, where you decide before the draw based on your cards and once the draw is made, the game is over.
It is impossible to bluff or use conventional poker strategies when playing video poker. However, you know what hand will be good enough to land a win when playing video poker, which is not the case when playing conventional poker. For example, three of a kind would get you a win when playing video poker but that is not guaranteed when playing conventional poker.
Advantages of Playing Video Poker
You can play video poker without having to involve any other people. Even online, if you do not have enough players to make up a live game or the live game you want to play is currently unavailable, you can switch to video poker, which is always ready to play. Video poker offers better odds than conventional poker and some casinos have even been tempted to remove video poker machines because of the higher pay out rate. In addition, for those who want to play poker but are not ready to face real people, video poker is a tremendous way to play without the pressure of having other people in the game.
So, video poker is a suitable alternative to conventional poker, but you must be aware of the differences between the two before playing.
