Video poker apps

How video poker apps work

Video poker is a single-player game based on five-card draw. You stake an amount, tap Deal and get five cards. You choose which to keep by tapping Hold under them, then tap Draw to replace the rest. The final five cards are paid according to a fixed paytable. There’s no dealer hand to beat and no other players: just you, the deck and the paytable.

Each hand is dealt from a freshly shuffled virtual deck by a random number generator. Because the deck has 52 known cards and the paytable is published, the return of each version can be calculated exactly, assuming you make the best hold every time. That’s why video poker players talk about paytables the way slot players talk about RTP.

Video poker is different from table games like Casino Hold’em, where you play against a dealer. Our poker apps UK page compares all the poker formats you’ll meet on a phone.

Reading a Jacks or Better paytable

Jacks or Better is the base game most other versions build on. The lowest paying hand is a pair of jacks or higher. Here’s the full-pay 9/6 version, named after its full house and flush payouts.

Notice the jump in the royal flush payout at five coins: 4,000 instead of 1,250. The published RTP figures for video poker usually assume you bet the maximum coins. On a phone, ‘coins’ are usually set by a coin value and a bet level, so a 5-coin bet at 10p a coin is a 50p hand. If you prefer smaller stakes, lowering the coin value keeps the full royal flush bonus, while betting fewer coins gives it up.

Video poker RTP: why one payout changes everything

Casinos change video poker returns by trimming a few payouts, usually the full house and flush. The difference looks small on screen but adds up over many hands.

‘Per £100 staked’ means total bets, not deposit. At 50p a hand, £100 is just 200 hands, which on a phone can pass quickly. These are long-run averages; any session can finish well up or well down. The game’s help screen states the RTP of the version in your app.

Video poker variants you’ll find in apps

Each variant needs its own paytable check, because RTPs depend entirely on the version. Strategy also changes: the right hold in Deuces Wild is often wrong in Jacks or Better.

Video poker controls on iPhone and Android

Most video poker games open in landscape on a tablet and portrait on a phone, with five cards across the middle and the paytable above them. The paytable highlights the column for your current bet, so you can see payouts change as you adjust coins.

• Tap a card (or the Hold button below it) to keep it. Tap again to release it.
• Deal / Draw is the same button: Deal starts the hand, Draw replaces the cards you didn’t hold.
• Coin value and Bet set your stake. Bet Max sets five coins and, in many games, deals straight away.
• Multi-hand versions show 3, 10 or more hands stacked above your main hand, each drawn separately from the same holds. Your stake is multiplied by the number of hands.
• Auto-hold suggestions, where offered, highlight cards but still need your Draw tap.

Multi-hand games shrink each card on a small phone. If you find them hard to read, try a single-hand version or a larger screen; our small screen phones page has layout tips.

How to play a hand of video poker in an app

1. Open the casino app, tap Search and type ‘video poker’ or a game name such as ‘Jacks or Better’.
2. Open the paytable and help screen; note the full house and flush payouts and the RTP.
3. Set your coin value and number of coins. Check the total stake shown on screen.
4. Tap Deal. Five cards appear.
5. Tap Hold on each card you want to keep. Check the holds before going on.
6. Tap Draw. Unheld cards are replaced and the final hand is paid from the paytable.
7. Look at your balance and net position before dealing the next hand.

Hold decisions: getting closer to the published RTP

The published RTP assumes you always make the best hold. Mistakes don’t remove the house edge; they add to it. Full strategy charts for Jacks or Better run to dozens of lines, but a few priorities cover most hands:

1. Keep any paying hand of a straight or better, unless you hold four cards to a royal flush.
2. Keep four to a royal flush over almost anything else.
3. Keep three of a kind or two pair and draw to them.
4. Keep a high pair (jacks or better) over four to a straight or flush.
5. Keep four to a flush over a low pair.
6. With nothing, keep high cards (J, Q, K, A), preferring suited ones.

These are simplified, and they apply to Jacks or Better only. Some games show a hint highlight on the cards; it helps you learn, but it doesn’t change your odds beyond the best-play figure. Video poker still costs money over time at almost every paytable you’ll find.

UK rules for video poker on mobile

Video poker in a UK casino app is an online casino game. Since 17 January 2025 that means at least five seconds per hand, no autoplay (no ‘auto-deal’ or ‘auto-hold and draw’ loops) and no turbo features. The game must show your net position and session time, and it can’t celebrate a return that equals your stake, such as being paid 5 coins back on a 5-coin bet for a pair of jacks.

• Age verification comes first, even for demo play.
• No credit card funding, including through e-wallets.
• The £5 and £2 per-spin limits apply to slots; video poker sets its own stake range.
• Multi-hand games multiply your stake, so check the total before each Deal.

Our UK slot design rules guide shows how these rules began with slots and spread to other casino games.

Practical tips for video poker on your phone

• Pick the version with the best paytable you can find, and check it each time you play.
• Learn one variant properly rather than switching between several.
• Use a lower coin value rather than fewer coins if you want a smaller stake.
• Be careful with multi-hand games: ten hands at 50p is £5 a deal.
• Set a session limit so long runs of quick hands don’t surprise you.

Where to look for video poker in a UK app

Search PlayOJO, Casumo or 10bet for video poker, as game ranges change. Their welcome offers are for slots (18+, new customers, terms apply): PlayOJO gives 80 free spins on Big Bass Bonanza at 10p each for a £10 first deposit, with no wagering; Casumo matches 50% of a first deposit of £20 or more up to £100, with 10x wagering within 7 days and a £5 max bet; 10bet matches 100% up to £25, wagered 10x on slots within 3 days.

18+. Gambling should be entertainment that costs money, not a way to make it. Set a deposit limit before you play: how to set limits. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.