If you’ve been a part of the world of poker for a long time, you can probably tell the difference between video poker and online poker. However, this article is mainly aimed at beginner poker players who are still very new when it comes to poker lingo.
One of the things that many newcomers mix is online poker and video poker. Although these both have “poker” in their names, they are actually pretty different games. Let’s take a quick look at what these two types of poker and how they are different from each other.
Online Poker
If you’re reading this article, the chances are that you were actually looking for a way to play online poker. Simply put, it’s the most common type of poker nowadays, and it’s becoming more popular than live poker too.
Online poker is played on special poker platforms where you need to sign up and make a deposit. After that, you need to choose a cash game or a tournament that you want to play and sit at the virtual table where you’ll have a chance to play against other players. All opponents are real people who are also enjoying online poker.
Online poker rooms are made to resemble live poker rooms. You get to choose the stakes size, type of poker, type of cash game or tournament, and much more.
You might not be able to look at the faces of other players, but you’ll still be able to tell when someone’s bluffing just by looking at their cards. Moreover, you’ll still have an opportunity to use beginner and advanced strategies to minimize the element of luck and get the most out of your poker action.
Video Poker
Now, video poker is something completely different. It can be found in land-based and online casinos as a stand-alone machine where players get to play poker by themselves. The game is inspired by 5-card draw poker, and the rules for every video poker game are pretty much the same.
All you have to do is place a bet, and you’ll receive five cards. Once you take a look at them, you’ll have an opportunity to change some of them. After the new cards appear, it’s the end of the round, and you get paid according to the paytable, which is usually located above the game.
Unlike online poker (and any other kind of poker, for that matter), video poker is played against “the machine” instead of against other players. In other words, it’s basically a single-player game where your goal is to make as high a hand as possible and receive payouts for your results.
In the case of video poker, there are no particular strategies that can be applied — at least not those you usually apply when you play Texas Hold ’em or Omaha. However, there are some strategies regarding card-swapping in video poker that can help you lower the house edge.
Which One Is for You?
The answer is probably online poker. Simply put, it’s the most popular way to play the game, and there are already huge online tournaments where players can be rewarded with millions of dollars.
Although there are thousands of fans of video poker out there, this type of game is still just an ordinary casino game, just like video slots.
In other words, online poker comes with hundreds of books, thousands of hours of useful video content, and millions of players who create a very active community around the game.
But in the end, it’s up to you to choose which one you prefer more.