Online Video Poker Games For Demo Play

• Published: October 20, 2017
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There are two video poker variants that you must never play for real money. The payouts are such that the average return to the player is very low even with correct play. One is Louisiana Double video poker from Microgaming at online casinos like Royal Vegas. The other is Pyramid Video Poker from Betsoft at Bovada Casino. But these games offer different challenges and are great for mental exercise in demo play.

Louisiana Double video poker uses a special deck of 53 cards in which the extra card is a Double card. It is not a wild card so it does not contribute to a poker hand ranking. If this card appears in the final poker hand then the payout will be doubled. Discerning online video poker players will realise that poker hands that require all five cards cannot be doubled. So that leaves only four hands, which are pairs, three of a kind, two pairs and four of a kind.

Louisiana Double video poker follows the same hand rankings as Jacks or Better. However, some of the payouts are different. Straight flush and four of a kind pay out more and royal flush and three of a kind pay out less. The net result is that Louisiana Double has an average return to player of only 93.5%, when played using optimum strategy. But because it poses a different set of challenges the strategy has to be reworked. A common conflict hand is whether to try for a doubled payout or a five card ranked hand.

Betsoft Pyramid Video Poker is a generic title that offers variants like Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild and Joker Poker. The initial five cards are dealt in the layout of a pyramid. You face three different payout tables. In the first one all five cards are used with the normal poker hand rankings for that online video poker variant. The second payout table is for the three cards hand from the left side of the pyramid and the third payout table is for the three cards in the right side. You have to bet for all three hands.

The three card payout tables need some elaboration. Four cards and five cards winning combinations are not possible in these. The sequence of hand rankings in ascending order are as follows: jacks or better, flush, straight, three of a kind, straight flush and mini royal flush, which is A, K and Q of the same suit. The two three cards tables have different payouts, which makes the replacement of cards even more challenging. However, the average return to the player is not attractive.