Video poker and slot games are among the machine-based offerings available at many casinos today. There are several others, of course, including video line games, video keno, and video bingo, but slots and video poker are doubtlessly two of the most liked. Slot games are wildly popular, with almost any casino in the world featuring at least two or three ‘one-armed bandits’ installed on their floor space. However, after spinning away at the machine for a while, players sometimes need a change, which we know is as good as rest. Interestingly, the main reason so many people play the slots is the basis for wanting to change. Slot games are purely luck-based.
Then, a player who’s had rough times at the machine might want to switch to a different game where they can affect the outcome using their skills or reasoning. And since both games are machine-based, it’s common to see slot players jumping straight to the video poker machine. Since one man’s meat is another’s poison, this post will attempt to compare both games to find out if video poker might be the best alternative casino game for you.
Video Poker Strategy
Slots are not exactly strategy-free. There’s bankroll management to be done and meticulous in choosing slot games with reasonable payout rates. That said, video poker is a game where the player’s decisions directly determine the chances of winning or losing. In video poker, the player deals five cards, and it’s up to them to decide which cards to lose or keep. Making the wrong choice drives the house edge up, while the vice versa is true for those who make intelligent decisions. Therefore, video poker is an excellent choice for those who prefer strategy-based games.
Video Poker Jackpots
Both video poker and slot games offer players the chance to walk home with a jackpot. However, the value of both banks is incomparable because a player can win an absolute, life-changing fortune in slots. Progressive jackpots in slot games grow well into the millions:
- $22 million: won at an online casino by Jon Heywood, a British soldier.
- $39.71 million: won at Las Vegas’ Excalibur Casino by a 25-year-old software engineer.
- $34.56 million: won at Vegas’ Desert Inn by Cynthia Jay-Brennan, cocktail waitress.
The above are just a few famous examples. It has many progressive jackpot winners arranged with casinos to keep their wins under wraps for fear of attracting unwanted celebrities. On the other hand, video poker progressive jackpots rarely reach a million dollars. When Huck Seed, a poker pro, won a $670,000 poker jackpot in 2011, it was a record-breaking feat, and he had been playing $500 hands.
Video Poker RTP
RTP is short for Return to Player – a measure of the proportion of all money wagered in a game back to players. Games with a higher RTP have a lower house edge and offer players a better chance to win. In a nutshell, video poker has a much higher RTP than slot games. Here are a few popular video poker titles and their RTPs:
- Full-pay Joker Poker – RTP of 100.64%
- 10/7 Double Bonus – RTP of 100.17%
- 9/6 Jacks or Better – RTP of 99.54%
And here are a few well-paying slot games:
- Mega Joker – RTP of 99%
- Blood Suckers – RTP of 98.0%
- Hot Ink – RTP of 97.50%
From the above examples, even the best RTP slot game still needs to be better off than the most minor RTP video poker title in payback. Therefore, video poker is an excellent alternative for players who want a better chance of winning.
