Video poker is the rare casino game where your choices shape the return. Play full-pay Jacks or Better with correct holds and the RTP reaches 99.54%; pick a short-pay version of the same game and it drops below 97%. That’s why this page focuses on paytables first. Every video poker casino below comes from our list of real money casinos that accept Australian players, and we compared their video poker online games on variants, AUD stakes and how fast PayID withdrawals land.
Best Video Poker Casino Sites For Australians
| Casino | Video poker games | Welcome bonus |
|---|---|---|
| DragonSlots | Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild (1 to 100 hands), Double Double Bonus Poker, Aces and Eights, Tens or Better, Joker Poker | AUD 10,500 + 650 free spins |
| Rollxo | Split Way Royale, Bonus Deluxe, All American, Tens or Better, Deuces Wild, Joker Poker | Up to AUD 10,875 + 525 free spins |
| Goldex Casino | Bonus Poker Deluxe, Pick ’Em Poker, Bonus Poker, Draw Five Poker, Joker Poker (Kings or Better) | 4-in-1 package up to AUD 57,000 + 500 free spins |
| HellSpin | Triple Double Bonus Poker, Double Double Bonus Poker, Deuces Wild, Aces and Faces | AUD 1,200 + 150 free spins |
| Bizzo Casino | All American Poker, Double Bonus Poker | 100% match on first deposit |
| Wild Tokyo | Joker Poker | AUD 500 + 150 free spins + up to AUD 300 cashback |
Top Video Poker Games
Every game below is built on five-card draw, but the paytable and wild cards change how you should play and how much the game gives back.
Jacks or Better
The starting point for most players. You need at least a pair of jacks to get paid, there are no wild cards, and the strategy is short enough to learn in an evening. The version to look for is 9/6, named after its full house and flush payouts: the full-pay version returns 99.54%.
Deuces Wild
All four 2s are wild, so three of a kind and straights turn up far more often. The catch is that the lowest paying hand is three of a kind, not a pair. Played perfectly, full-pay Deuces Wild can go above 100%, but that version is rare online. Check what four of a kind pays: full pay gives 5 coins per coin bet, weaker versions give 4.
Bonus Poker, Double Bonus and Double Double Bonus
These pay extra for four of a kind, especially four aces, and take a little back on two pair and full houses. Bonus Poker feels closest to Jacks or Better. The Double versions swing harder: long dry spells, then one quad that pays for the whole session.
Joker Poker
A 53-card deck with one joker as a wild card. Most versions start paying at a pair of kings rather than jacks, so you lose some small wins at the bottom and get more five-of-a-kind chances at the top.
Tens or Better and Aces and Eights
Two niche variants worth a look. Tens or Better pays from a pair of tens but trims the full house and flush payouts to make up for it. Aces and Eights adds a bonus for four aces or four eights, which is where the name comes from.
Multi-Hand Video Poker
You play one hand, choose your holds, and the same holds apply to anywhere from 3 to 100 hands, each drawing from its own deck. The odds per hand stay the same. What changes is how fast your balance moves, in both directions, because your total bet is multiplied by the number of hands.
How to Play Video Poker Online
- Set your coin value and coin count. Most games take 1 to 5 coins per hand. Check what the royal flush pays at each level: in many games it jumps to 800 per coin only at five coins.
- Press Deal. You get five cards from a freshly shuffled 52-card deck (53 in Joker Poker).
- Choose which cards to hold. Tap the ones you want to keep, anywhere from none to all five.
- Press Draw. The cards you didn’t hold are replaced from the same deck.
- Get paid on your final hand. The win comes straight from the paytable shown above the cards.
No dealer to beat and no other players at the table, just your hand against a fixed paytable.
How to Read a Video Poker Paytable
Two games with the same name can pay very differently. The numbers that move most are the full house and flush payouts, and even one coin of difference shows up in the return. Here is the same Jacks or Better game at three paytables:
| Paytable (full house / flush) | Return |
|---|---|
| 9/6 | 99.54% |
| 8/5 | 97.30% |
| 7/5 | 95.95% |
The last two figures come from Playtech’s multi-hand and progressive versions of Jacks or Better. Two coins less on a full house and one less on a flush cost more than three and a half percent of every dollar you bet. If a game doesn’t show its paytable before you deal, skip it.
Among the casinos in our table, the strongest titles include Split Way Royale at 99.80% at Rollxo and Bonus Poker Deluxe multi-play at 99.70% at Goldex. If you want the same high-return approach across the whole lobby, see our guide to highest payout casinos.
Simple Strategy That Changes Your Results
You don’t need a full strategy chart to stop giving money away. In Jacks or Better, these habits close most of the gap:
- Don’t break a winning hand for a long shot. Keep a made straight, flush or full house. The one exception: four cards to a royal flush are worth breaking a flush or straight for.
- Keep any pair over two high cards. Even a pair of 3s beats holding an unsuited ace and king.
- Don’t keep a kicker. With a pair of jacks and an ace, hold only the jacks.
- Hold four to a flush over a low pair. A high pair (jacks or better) still comes first.
- Skip inside straight draws with no high cards. Hitting one specific card in the middle isn’t worth it.
Deuces Wild plays differently: count your deuces first and build from there. Holding a single deuce and drawing four is often the right move. That’s what sets video poker apart from most casino games: your decisions move the return, not just the size of your bet.
Video Poker vs Online Pokies
Both run on a random number generator and sit in the same lobby, but they’re built differently. Most online pokies keep their maths hidden: at best you see the RTP, never the reel strips. Video poker prints the full paytable on screen, so the exact return can be calculated by anyone. High-RTP pokies rarely get near 99%, while a decent video poker paytable starts there.
The trade-off is pace. There are no bonus rounds or cascading reels, and the big prize, a royal flush, lands roughly once every 40,000 hands.
Using Bonuses on Video Poker
Read the bonus terms before you opt in. Because the return is so high, many casinos count video poker at a reduced rate toward wagering or exclude it altogether, and nearly all cap your stake while a bonus is active. If you mostly play video poker, a no wagering bonus or weekly cashback usually gives you more than a large match bonus you can’t clear on these games. For short sessions, a small deposit at low coin values is enough to compare a few paytables.
FAQ
Can you cheat a video poker machine?
No. Online video poker uses a random number generator, and each hand is dealt from a fresh virtual deck. Stories about beating land-based machines involved hardware tricks that don’t exist online, and past hands don’t predict the next deal. The only real edge is picking a better paytable and making correct holds.
Should I always bet max coins?
Only if the royal flush pays more for it. In many games the royal pays 250 per coin for one to four coins and 800 per coin at five, which is worth about 1.5% of return in Jacks or Better. If five coins is too much at your chosen coin value, lower the coin value rather than the coin count.
Is the double-up feature worth using?
It doesn’t improve your long-term return. After a win, many games let you risk it on a card guess to double it, and at best that’s an even-money coin flip. It just makes results swing harder, so if you want steady sessions, take the win and move on.
Can I play video poker for free?
At most casinos, yes. Video poker titles usually have a demo mode with play credits, which is the best place to practise holds before betting real money. Some lobbies only show demos after you register, but the rules and paytable are the same in demo and real-money modes.
How often does a royal flush hit?
Roughly once every 40,000 hands in Jacks or Better with correct strategy. At a normal online pace, that can take weeks of regular play. A session can look negative for a long time even on a 99%+ game, because a big part of the return sits in that one rare hand.