If any person tells you that video poker is not a slot game, then after reading this, you will have good authority the right to call that person an idiot and you can educate them thereafter. Here we share with you why video poker is the slot machine game you never knew you loved. If you thought you were playing a card game, then, unfortunately, we must pop that gaming bubble and tell you that you were, in fact, playing a casino slot machine all along.
The world of casino game programming
Not many players know about programming, why would they, their interests are playing and making money. Well, by knowing a thing or two about how online casino games are made, players can actually benefit when it comes to gaming choices.
Programming is essential information, like buying a car, knowing about the mechanics is beneficial to understanding the performance. The same can be said of games online, don’t believe us? Let’s just present two random examples.
Example One – Blackjack: Blackjack is a card game that comes with a house edge of 1.48%. Roulette has an edge of 5.26%, the edge being the advantage the casino has over the game. Which is the game you are going to play? The answer is, of course, blackjack, it is a near 50/50 game, giving you a far greater chance of winning. The odds are indicative of the game’s development and how it is programmed.
Example Two – Algorithms: The casino world is built on two algorithms. Both online casino games and land-based games are built the same. The RTP or Return to Player algorithm is based on a cost percentage, the casino will take x-amount of the funds put into a game and will payout x-amount. The RNG or Random Number Generator produces winners and losers based on random generation of change through a 30 billion numerical code. In short, RTP game performances are based on the expenditure of the casino members. And RNG game performances are based on computerized chance.
These are just two examples of how performance can affect the outcome. There are over 5,000 different online slot machines alone, and video poker is just one of them being influenced by slot programming. Once you become aware, you really don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure it all out.
Slots are the blueprint to every digitalized game
Video poker is one of the most popular games online, in fact, players in Poland rank it as number one in the top 5 list of polish online casino games. Professional comparison site kasynopolskaonline.com in fact records more hits for video poker than slot machines at 3x the interest. But it might surprise these players from Poland to learn their favourite game is actually a slot machine.
Here’s Alex Nowak, a programmer at kasynopolskaonline.com: “In Poland, card games are the most popular form of gambling, it’s social and it’s exciting to play. When we introduced video poker to our list of free demo games, the interest was immediately noticeable and nearly had more internet traffic than our popular online slots games page.”
Slots are the benchmark of all gaming online, slot machines are the most popular game, the most diverse. The gaming is pretty much self-automated, all you need do is press the spin button and that’s about it, other than set the cost levels per-spin.
The model is ideal because the programming means you can dictate how frequently it pays out, yet regardless of this, such is the appeal, players will return time and time again.
Video poker has inherited this very same model. You have a popular card feature, with this comes many variants like Jacks or Better, Joker Poker, and Deuces Wild. Your gameplay approach is like that of slots, you only need to press the deal button unless you hold cards that you wish to keep in order to help build your card hand. And, of course, the internal programming is the same.
Video Poker is your favorite slot
Every card of the video poker game is a reel, every deal is a spin, every outcome a calculation of the programming. The performance of all video poker games online is the same, whether they are built by Spin Games or Microgaming, the rules are exact, the game’s design style is the only factor that helps to separate them.
When you press deal button, the cards of the game will go through the spin cycle as a slot does, if you align the right symbols or in this case suits, you will gain a better return. The method is like for like in every sense. The value of the suits themselves and the worth of a hand is exactly like that of a slot paytable, a royal flush is exactly that of 5 matching high-priced slot symbols.
The option to hold and swap cards is just like a bonus feature, to a degree. A slot bonus round doesn’t guarantee a win but is sold under the idea that it can reward a better return. It’s the same with the holding of cards, the idea that you can get better cards in return for the swapped one. It’s the same concept of play.
What can be said in favor of video poker is that the odds of a return are more improved than the online slot machine. The video poker games, most noticeably have a greater return in odds at almost 100%, whereas slot machines peak at about 97% on average.
Now, we don’t expect this to change how video poker players play the game, but you can now be more aware of the programming in games and how they really affect the performance. And remember, it is always best to test-drive them first while they are in their free demo format before playing for real money.