Online Video Poker for Real Money in New Zealand 2024
On the surface level, playing video poker in New Zealand online casinos isn't much different from playing video slots. You pick your preferred game, choose your betting level, and hit the "deal" button (as opposed to spin in slots). After that, your first five cards are dealt. This is where the resemblance ends. Instead of sitting back and waiting for the action to unfold, just as it happens in online slots, you must make decisions in video poker. These decisions involve knowing which cards to hold and which to dispose of. Without proper knowledge of the value of cards, you might have a difficult time making such important decisions while playing video poker online for money. And if somehow you end up playing the game, it will all be guesswork.
You don't have to be the player who guesses. This page should bring you up to speed on all the information you need to play online video poker games. Read more about the game rules, how hands are ranked in video poker, and the games you can play online. Perhaps you are searching for the best video poker online casino sites? We have a list to help you pick a suitable site.
Best Online Casinos to Play Video Poker NOVEMBER 2024
| Casino | Welcome Offer | Rating | Bonus | Visit | |
| 1 |  Jackpot City Review | 100% up to NZ$1600 | NZ$1600 | Play now! | |
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| 5 |  Boomerang Review | Get 100% deposit bonus up to NZ$750! | NZ$750 | Play now! | |
| 6 |  Rapid Review | Claim up to NZ$1000 on your initial three deposits! | NZ$1000 | Play now! | |
| 7 |  PlayOJO Review | Claim 50 FS on your first deposit! | 50 FS | Play now! | |
| 8 |  21Bit Review | 200 FS welcome offer | 200 FS | Play now! | |
| 9 |  Rolling Slots Review | Get NZ$500 + 200FS | NZ$500 | Play now! | |
| 10 |  Rocket Review | Up to NZ$1000 + 150FS | NZ$1000 | Play now! | |
| 11 |  Lucky Dreams Review | Ger $4000 + 300FS | $4000 | Play now! | |
| 12 |  Ricky Review | Up to NZ$1000 + 120 FS | NZ$1000 | Play now! | |
| 13 |  Bizzo Review | Claim up to NZ$400 on your first two deposits! | NZ$400 | Play now! | |
Page Contents
About online video poker game
The video poker games we play today can trace their roots to the mid-1970s, and many of them still use the classic arcade theme. The first ever video poker game to be developed was Draw Poker, released in 1979 by SIRCOMA (now IGT). Once they became popular in Las Vegas casinos, they spread worldwide. They first spread to the UK, then a few other European countries, before finally reaching Australia and New Zealand. Today, you don't have to physically visit a land-based casino, like it was in the past, to play video poker games. Thanks to online casinos, you can now play online video poker for real money from anywhere in the world. The games are fully accessible from any mobile device, and you can access them from your device's browser or download the casino's mobile app.
But it doesn't always have to be real money play. Some of you are new to the game and would like to try it out before committing real money. Furthermore, given the variety of video poker online games, you might want to play a game before you can commit real money. If you are in such a scenario, you can always go for the free online video poker game. It gives you access to all the features available in real money, besides the ability to win real money.
Playing online video poker in New Zealand has plenty of other advantages. You have access to flexible bet limits, you can receive bonuses, which you can use to play the games, and access to hundreds of online casinos offering the service. Most importantly, the RTP figure is high. To put this statement into perspective, most video slot games are capped at around 97%, and online roulette games have an RTP below 98%. For video poker, you will find many games with an RTP greater than 98%.
Rules of online casino video poker
Before getting into details of the best online video poker strategy to use when playing the game online, it's important you understand the basic rules. And while the game has multiple variations online, they basically follow the same rules. Nearly all online video poker games, even those played at brick-and-mortar casinos, are based on 5-card draw poker. This game is as simple as online poker gets, and it's much simpler when you decide to play the video poker version, as there is only one player in the game – you!
The primary objective in video poker is to form the strongest hand possible from the five cards drawn. You have to base your hand on the standard hand rankings described in the section below. To play online video poker in New Zealand, you are required to place your bet. This is done by selecting the coin value. Depending on the video poker game you are playing, you can also select the number of hands you'd like to play. This option is only available in multi-hand video poker games.
Once you are satisfied with these parameters, hit the "Deal" button to receive five cards. If you are happy with the cards dealt in the first round, hit the "Deal" button again to see the outcome. If you are not satisfied with the hands dealt in the first round, you can choose the number of cards you'd like to hold by selecting the "Hold" button. You can hold all of them or discard all of them. The choice is yours. Once you are satisfied with your selection, hit the "Deal" button again to see the outcome.
Online video poker interface
Video poker hands
Video poker hands are responsible for determining how much the game pays out. Of course, this also depends on the amount you wager. So, the higher the bet wagered and the higher the hand ranks, the better the payout.
Those who have played poker before are probably familiar with some of the common hands. In case this is the first time, here are some common video poker hands, with examples.
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Royal Flush
is the most valuable combination you can form in a video poker game and the hardest to form. To form a Royal Flush, you must have an Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and 10 – all of the same suit. An example of a Royal Flush is a hand with AS, KS, QS, JS, and 10S
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Straight Flush
this is the second most valuable hand you can create. When you have a series of five successive cards of the same suit, you have a Straight Flush. For example, 2D, 3D, 4D, 5D, and 6D
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Four of a Kind
a hand with four cards of the same rank. For example, 2S, 2D, 2C, 2H and KD
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Full House
features 3 of a kind and a pair, i.e., three cards from one rank and two of another. A hand with 10S, 10H, KS, KC, and KH is an excellent example of a Full House
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Flush
a hand that has five cards of the same suit. For example, 2C, 5C, 10C, KC, and JC
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A Straight
should have five successive cards of different suits. 3D, 4C, 5S, 6H, and 7C
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Three of a kind
features three cards of the same rank. QH, QD, QF, 4C and 7D
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Two pair
has two cards of one rank and two of another. An example of such a hand includes 4D, 4C, 6C, 6H, and 2H
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One pair
has two cards of a matching rank and three unrelated ones, For example, AS, AD, 8S, 6H, and 2D
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High card
is any hand that doesn't qualify in the category above
How to get the best video poker hand
The most difficult hands in video poker are found at the top of the list above, starting with the Royal Flush. As you progress down the list, the hands get easier to form, consequently decreasing their value. At the start of this guide, we stated that there are standard video poker hands. However, the hands have minor alterations, and they vary from game to game. This means the trick to understanding how video poker hands rank is to know the rules of the specific game you are playing.
For example, while playing Jacks or Better, you are required to form at least a pair of jacks to receive a payout. In Deuces Wild, deuces (2s) are wild cards, and they increase your chance of forming better winning hands.
There's no denying the fact that we are all after winning big, and the best way is to form the Royal Flush. However, certain video poker online games – such as Joker Poker – pay higher for a Sequential Royal Flush. To create this hand, you must have a Ten, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of the same suit. These cards have to appear in the same order listed above from the left side to the right side of the screen. How do you determine if the video poker game supports the Sequential Royal Flush hand? The best way is to check out the paytable.
Video poker games RTP
| Video Poker Game | RTP% |
|---|---|
| Jacks or Better | 99.54% |
| Deuces Wild | 99.73% |
| Bonus Poker | 99.17% |
| Double Bonus Poker | 99.11% |
| Double Double Bonus Poker | 98.98% |
| Tens or Better | 99.14% |
| Aces and Faces | 99.26% |
Best online video poker varieties
Poker games are quite varied online. There are over 100 different software providers, and each has a game or two in its portfolio. Given the variety, you might want to quickly play a game that catches your eye first when you visit an online casino. There's nothing wrong with this.
However, it's best to familiarise yourself with some common games before you can play online video poker in New Zealand. Every poker game has advantages and disadvantages, and the more you know about it, the more you'll enjoy playing it. Of course, you will also be in a position to make better calls when it comes to holding and dealing cards.
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Jacks Or Better
This is the original video poker game online. If the "father of online video poker" would take a second name, it would be Jacks or Better. It has nine hands, ranging from the Royal Flush down to a Pair of Jacks. To win while playing Jacks or Better, you must have at least a Pair of Jacks. When you play Jacks or Better online with an optimum strategy, the game offers a house edge of 0.46%.
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Deuces Wild
As the name infers, all the deuces in Deuces Wild video poker are wild. For those new to playing video poker, deuces simply refer to "2," and in this case, they can substitute all the cards to form the best winning combination. They play the same role as a wild symbol in a video slot game, and the action of replacing happens automatically.
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Joker Poker
Joker Poker is much like Deuces Wild, only that in this version, the Joker is the game's wild. It means instead of playing with a deck of 52 cards, you will have 53, which includes the Joker. There is an interesting feature in Joker Poker. Underlying the winnings is a risky yet rewarding gamble bonus game.
To play the bonus game, click the "Gamble" button, and you will be redirected to a second screen. Here, you are required to either guess the suit or colour of a card. A correct pick for the suit of the card will see your winnings get quadrupled. If you correctly predict the colour of the face-down card, your winnings are doubled. You can continue playing the gamble bonus game for a few more rounds and for as long as you win. However, one wrong move and all the winnings accumulated will be lost.
Aces and Faces
Ace and Faces follows the standard poker rules but has higher payouts for some hands, such as four Face and four Ace cards. Just like in Joker Poker, there is a gamble bonus game, which requires you to guess the colour or suit of the hole card.
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Bonus poker
Bonus poker builds up on the basic video poker gameplay to create more winning opportunities for its players. It achieves this by jacking up payments for certain four-of-a-kind hands you form.
Play video poker for free
Video poker winning tips
Whether this is your first time playing video poker online for money or you are a seasoned player with years of experience, there is always room for improvement and learning. With the ever-evolving technological industry, you can always expect new games to be created. They might have slight variations to the game rules but still follow the basic ones. This means some of the basic video poker winning tips below will always come in handy when followed to the tee.
Always play the maximum coins
Before you start playing video poker, you have the option of picking the bet amount you'd like to spend in one round. Since video poker is a game with a high RTP and low house edge, it's always advisable you play with the highest number of coins possible. This way, you can always maximise the returns in the event that you win a hand.
Adjust your bet size
While playing the maximum number of coins gives you a better chance of landing the jackpot, the real strategy is adjusting your bankroll depending on the online video poker games you are playing. This is especially true when it comes to multi-hand video poker games. Since you'll be playing, say, four hands in a game, it's important you lower your regular stakes. For instance, if you are betting 10% of your bankroll while playing single-hand video poker, you should consider dropping down to 2.5% per hand when playing four hands in one go. The variance also changes when you switch to
multi-hand video poker.
Use a video poker calculator
The video poker calculator is one of the products of the internet and can prove to be the difference between winning and losing hands. Many video poker calculators on the internet can help you figure out the best/optimal video poker strategy to use while playing the game. They achieve this by requiring you to enter data into it before calculating the odds of winning and giving you the result. Beware, though, some of these video poker strategies are not perfect and cannot guarantee you a win. Some are designed to show you that they work, but when put to the test, they fail terribly. Therefore, it is recommended that before you start to use any video poker calculator online, you try using it in the free online video poker version before you proceed to real money.
Understand the paytable
It may sound very basic, but the best online video poker strategy is to understand the game's paytable. Most of the so-called “professional video poker players” will only pick a game with a proper payout level, information that they can only get from the paytable. You should also follow suit. As already stated, video poker is one of the games that offer a high RTP. Therefore, there is no point in you playing a game with a paytable that indicates 97% or 98% while you know there are games with a 99% or higher RTP.
Conclusion
The best video poker online casino sites have bridged the gap between different worlds. They've linked land-based casino gaming with online casinos. Furthermore, they use elements from poker – card rankings – and also incorporate some slot machine features. This makes it more interesting and fun to play video poker in New Zealand online casinos. However, the biggest draw to playing video poker online is that it can be beaten. With its relatively low house edge, making certain plays can easily improve your chances of winning. And the most important rule, as you've seen in the guide above, is knowing the basic game rules and understanding the paytable. Furthermore, deciding where to play online video poker for real money will also play a big role, as some online casinos have games that are rare to come by on other platforms.
