For those who enjoy poker, real money video poker is a great option. It is also the best way to learn poker and perfect your strategy. There are a number of reasons behind the popularity of real money video poker games. The superior quality video poker software used by real money online casinos provides a highly enjoyable gaming experience. Most video poker machines that you can play to win real money online are some variation of 5-card draw. The player is dealt a hand of five cards and then chooses to keep from zero to five of them. Any discarded cards are replaced with new ones from the deck to build the final five-card hand.

The ability to enjoy poker without the fear of getting bluffed or making a bad laydown is part of what makes video poker so appealing. The perfect mix of relaxation and excitement is now available in the comfortable confines of your own home, thanks to the top real money video poker sites.

These casino sites allow you to get your gamble on in a safe and secure environment without the need to head down to the local casino or gaming bar. To get started now, check out our updated list of the best real money video poker rooms below.

5 Reasons These Are the Top Sites for Online Real Money Video Poker

Want to know why we’re giving these sites the royal flush treatment? It’s not because they paid for better reviews or because they’re the first sites we found through a Google search. These real money video poker sites have undergone rigorous evaluations by our teams of experts to ensure they’re the absolute best. Here are five of the most significant reasons we’ve chosen to put our name behind these options.

1. Extensive Game Selection and Frequent Updates
2. Fast Payouts and Simplified Banking
3. Quality Mobile Video Poker Platform
4. Progressive Video Poker Jackpots
5. Deposit Bonuses, Rewards, and VIP Programs

Extensive Game Selection and Frequent Updates

All of the real money video poker sites we recommend are stocked full of different variations of the popular electronic casino game. Chances are you have one or two favorite variations, and nothing is more annoying than getting somewhere to play and finding out they don’t have it. This won’t be the case at these top video poker casinos.

Some (and certainly not all) of the more popular titles available include:

• Jacks or Better
• Joker Poker
• Double Bonus
• Double Double Bonus Poker
• Deuces Wild
• Pick’em Poker
• Triple Bonus Poker
• Super Draw Poker

Fast Payouts and Simplified Banking

While some action junkies might argue that the best part about a winning session is the rush while playing, most people would agree getting to enjoy the spoils of your victory is the best part. Spending gambling winnings feels like you’ve found a cheat code to the system. But that excitement and elation can quickly vanish with a real money video poker website if there are issues getting your money cashed out.

All of the casinos we recommend have fast payouts, multiple quality banking options to choose from, and overall simplified banking. Playing video poker online should be fun, not headache-inducing.

Quality Mobile Video Poker Platform

One of the main reasons you’re probably looking into online video poker rooms is so that you’re not tied down to having to go to the brick and mortar casino to play. If this is the case, why limit your flexibility? Mobile betting options give you the ability to play video poker from anywhere you are with your smartphone or tablet and an internet connection.

But while most online video poker rooms have some form of mobile betting now, not all of them are of high quality. For us, this is a deal-breaker. All of the top video poker casinos recommended in this guide have exceptional mobile betting platforms. They’re slick, easy to use, and are scaled perfectly for all popular devices.

Progressive Video Poker Jackpots

As you very well may know, many popular video poker options come with progressive jackpots. These are interlinked jackpots that are fueled by the number of connected players playing. In other words, they can get big fast.

Just because you’re not physically in the casino does not mean you shouldn’t be able to have the opportunity to win life-changing money. While not every version of video poker has a progressive, we make sure the sites we recommend have as many as possible available to you.

Deposit Bonuses, Rewards, and VIP Programs

Top real money video poker sites should be taking care of you for trying them out and again if you remain loyal to their casino. Just as players are rewarded in real life, you should be rewarded when gambling online for real money. When crafting our list of the current best real money video poker sites, we look for the biggest and best collection of perks available. Often these include a combination of:

• Deposit bonuses
• Cashback and loss refunds
• Free video poker hands
• VIP rewards
• Freeroll tournaments
• Free swag
• Free play on other casino games

Additionally, we validate that these perks are player-friendly. We ensure they’re easy to clear, devoid of any predatory terms and conditions, and have your wallet’s best interest at heart.

Can You Win Real Money Playing Video Poker Online?

Yes! Just because you’re not physically sitting inside of a casino does not mean you’re not able to win big. When you play video poker online for real money, you’ll have the same opportunities to win real cash and hit major jackpots. The only difference between online and in person is that when you win, you’ll get paid electronically directly into your bank account or e-wallet.

While this is not instant, like in-person, you won’t be waiting for more than a few hours or days at the fastest payout casinos. And we think the other conveniences you get playing online more than make up for having to wait a short while to collect.

Should I Play Video Poker for Real Money or for Free?

Whether you’re new to video poker online or new to the game altogether, you may be trying to decide if you should play for real money or check out the free play options available. The ultimate decision will rest on your personal goals and situation. But we would like to give you some perks for each option to help make your decision a little easier.

Benefits of Playing Real Money Video Poker

• You can win money
• Access to more video poker variations to play
• Get rewards, bonuses, and VIP perks
• Enjoy the exciting rush that comes with real money play

Benefits of Playing Free Online Video Poker

• Learn the game with no risk
• Practice a new strategy with no risk
• Enjoy the fun of video poker without the potential to lose any money

If you’re considering real money video poker and are on the fence, here’s what we recommend:

Spend a little time at the play money tables to get a feel for the game. If you like it and want to give real money a shot, make a small deposit and start at the lowest limits. Once you’re comfortable, you can move up to the stakes you’re normally used to playing.

Video Poker Bonuses and Rewards

When you play video poker online for real money, you’re going to get treated like a VIP. Because there are so many options for you to choose from online, casinos know they have to do everything they can to make you want to play with them. When we’re working on selecting the top real money video poker sites to add to our list, we take a long look at what bonuses, rewards, and perks are being offered. Here are some of the lucrative perks you’ll get if you choose one of the top casino options from our recommended list.

• Video Poker Deposit Bonuses
• Freeroll Tournaments
• Free Play (Video Poker and Casino)
• Cashback or Loss Return
• VIP Bonus Club Rewards

Real Money Online Video Poker FAQ

What Do I Need to Download to Play Video Poker Online?

There are no special programs, apps, or software you need to download in order to play real money video poker online. All of the casino options we’ve recommended are fully compatible with all smart devices (phones, computers, tablets, etc.) without the need to download anything. Long gone are the days where Flash or a dedicated video poker app is required to get into the action.

Is Real Money Video Poker Online the Same as Playing in Person?

Yes! The game rules, how you play, and your odds of winning are exactly the same regardless of where you’re playing video poker. The differences will be in the atmosphere (home vs. a bar or casino), how you fund your account (putting money in a machine vs. an electronic transfer), and how much you’re rewarded for your play (online casino rewards are much easier to earn).

How Do I Find the Best Online Video Poker Site?

Let us help. We’ve commissioned teams of casino experts, security specialists, and seasoned gamblers to scour the web and find the top real money video poker sites. They’re highly skilled in determining which sites can be trusted and which throw up red flags. If you want to be sure you’re playing at one of the safest online video poker rooms, stick to the recommended sites at the top of this guide.

Is Real Money Video Poker Rigged?

No. This is, unfortunately, a lie that has been perpetuated by people who have lost money and are disgruntled. Remember, the casino will always have a long-run mathematical advantage. If they’re guaranteed to profit over the long run, what’s the incentive for them to risk losing that for a quick buck? Additionally, before we include a real money video poker casino on our list, we thoroughly vet the quality and fairness of their games. Unless we fully trust that they’re offering a fair shake to all players, we’re not interested.

Can I Win Jackpots Playing Video Poker Online?

Yes! For some reason, new players think they don’t have the opportunity to win the life-changing money they can in the casino when they transition to playing online. This is certainly not the case. The video poker sites we’ve recommended here offer massive progressive jackpots, just like the in-person casinos. In fact, their bonuses often climb much higher than land-based casinos because they reach players all over the globe. As progressive jackpots are driven by player input, this drives the dollar amounts through the roof!

Playing Video Poker for real money online is simply a blast. You can be an old school hard-as-nails Texas Hold’em Player, or a more easy-going traditional slots player and still completely enjoy online Video Poker (which is essentially the perfect mix of those two games). CoolCat Online Casino offers the best ways to play real money online video poker you can find on the web today.

CoolCat Brings You Only the Latest Online Video Poker Technology

Our selection of real money online video poker games for USA players is simply fantastic (18 and counting…). Here at CoolCat we offer up the purrfect way to try your hand at video poker, start for free! That’s not an option you’ll ever find at a traditional, brick and mortar casino, is it? All you need to do is register for a free account and you can start playing our amazing assortment of all the best online real video poker games instantly. Remember practice makes purrrfect and video poker is a game of both skill and chance!

Better still, download our full casino to get an ever-greater selection of games. Or try our mobile casino and enjoy the best video poker games online in the USA on the go, on the bus, metro, train, plane, in the doctor’s office, anywhere in this big wide world you like that has an internet connection! Become a video poker pro today at CoolCat and win real money.

We offer up some of the best ways to win at real money video poker around, so rest assured our assortment of the best video poker games online today means you can experience all the fun, thrills and excitement of real video poker, whether for practice or real money, anytime, anywhere you like.

We make sure that all our casino games (video poker and non-video poker alike) offer up only the best, state-of-the-art graphics, digital surround sound and all immersive experience. Our games are easy to play, easy to win and most importantly – easy to LOVE!

Choose from Bonus Poker, Deuces Wild video poker, Jacks or Better, Aces and Eights, and many more. We have it all at CoolCat Online Casino!

Why settle for just one or two video poker varieties when you can choose from one of our 18 real money video poker games with a simple click of your mouse? As a matter of fact, there are so many ways to win you might want to check out our easy to use guides, tips and tricks, to take full advantage of all the thrills and excitement that await you. You can play all your old favourites and try out some of the best new real money video poker games with ease!

Today's Winning Tip - Video Poker

To many, the idea is ludicrous, but results and experiences show that betting max coins in video poker, is a key way to increasing your chances of winning. It gives you the full value of a Royal Flush, equating to about 800 for 1. Playing with less coins naturally gives you less of a hand, typically 250 for 1.

Today’s winning video poker tip – always bet max coins!

Although Royal Flushes are extremely rare, you never know when it might be you who gets one! The last thing you want to happen is to achieve such a hand and get back a measly reward, simply because you didn’t put down enough coins!

At CoolCat Online Casino we go to great lengths to make sure you have access to only the latest and greatest real money video poker games available. Play online video poker in the USA for free to get your game up to par, then switch to real money video poker to up the ante, increase your thrills, fun and cash in big.

What We Offer

When it comes to game selection, CoolCat is the best real money video poker casino online today. There’s just so much to love. Here are just a few of the most popular variants that we offer:

• Jacks or Better: Perhaps the most well-known online video poker game in the USA, Jacks or Better is the basis of many other versions of video poker. The lowest winning hand is a pair of Jacks.

• Aces and Eights: This is a variant of Jacks or Better that includes higher pay-outs for four of a kind hands with Aces and eights.

• Bonus Poker: This is also a variant of Jacks or Better with higher pay-outs for four of a kind with Aces as well as twos, threes, and fours.

• Deuces Wild: In this version of video poker, the number two cards count as wilds, standing in for any other cards. The lowest winning hand is a three of a kind.

Download Our Real Money Video Poker Games and Play Now!

Poker Win Real Money Free

Want to start playing all our great real money video poker games already? We can’t blame you! To start playing, all you have to do is to sign up and download our games. This process takes a few short minutes and then you’ll have our entire online casino available for you to play whenever you want, from the comfort and privacy of your own home or office, on your PC, laptop, tablet, or Android, iOS or Windows powered smartphone.

Sign up today, download CoolCat Casino real money video poker games and enjoy endless hours of fun and endless winnings to boot! You can be playing all our great poker games within just a few minutes so while you read this, click to download so that once you’re done browsing our site you’ll be ready to step straight onto the casino floor. If you’re looking for the best online video poker game to play, getting started is just a click away.

Explore the many video poker options on our site to find your favorite one today!

Everything You’ll Ever Need to Know about Video Poker

The history of video poker – a brief timeline

1891: Sittman and Pitt invent a 5-reel poker machine with 10 playing cards per “drum” (or reel). The mechanism begins to spin once the lever is pulled, then the final 5-card hand is revealed. The machine is installed at bars around New York City, with prizes like free beers and cigars instead of monetary payouts.

Circa 1898: Charles Fey, “The Father of the Slot Machine,” perfects the most popular model of his invention: The Liberty Bell Slot Machine. His version simplifies the machine, decreasing the reels from 5 to 3 and including a mechanism that gives players cash payouts for winning combinations. The slot machine is installed throughout San Francisco and is soon followed by many imitators.

1901: Fey creates a poker machine that now includes a hold feature, allowing players to select cards to keep from the initial hand. The player then spins again in an attempt to improve his final hand. This Skill Draw machine is considered to be the first five-card draw poker machine.

1970: Dale Electronics releases the first electronic video poker machine. These machines are installed at many Vegas casinos, but the general reception is lukewarm.

1975-1981: Si Redd begins to push for a marketing strategy to popularize video poker machines, eventually creating his own company (SIRCOMA, now known as International Game Technology) to do so. Thanks to his efforts, video poker machines become highly popular and remain essential to any land-based and most online casinos today.

1994: The first online casinos are opened, with video poker as one of the first games to be offered online.

2000-present: The online casino industry grows at an exponential rate. With increased ownership of smartphones, mobile casinos are introduced and continue to grow in popularity, driven by its most well-loved game offerings – including video poker in the USA.

The Specifics of Video Poker

It’s easy to get confused about what online real money video poker online actually entails, particularly when it sounds like regular poker and looks like slots. Here are some of the similarities and differences between video poker and regular poker as well as video poker and slot machine games.

Video poker vs. regular poker

Video poker and normal poker share two fundamental traits. First, they’re both based on 5-card hands that are ranked. Some winning hands in both games include royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, and full house. However, online variants of video poker also include other hands that result in pay-outs, for example a pair of Jacks in Jacks or Better.

Second, they both require some knowledge of strategy when it comes to the probability of different hands. In both games, the player is dealt an initial hand. When it comes to predicting possible cards that can complete a hand, understanding the odds of different outcomes is necessary for both.

Free Video Poker Win Real Money

A defining trait of normal poker is that you have to win the round against other players.

In video poker, it’s just you and the “dealer.” You don’t need to beat anyone; you just need to end up with a winning hand to receive a pay-out after each round. In that sense, video poker offers the chance to focus on your own hand instead of having to wonder and worry about what your opponents are up to. It involves the perfect amount of strategy – just enough to stay engaged and motivated, and not too much to discourage or overwhelm you.

Play Video Poker Online Win Real Money

Texas Hold´em Poker Guides

Texas Hold’em Poker Guide

While a lot of people are intimidated when it comes to games like Texas Hold’em Poker, learning the game is actually remarkably simple, easy and fun. Based on classic 5-card poker, Texas Hold’em is a game that has been keeping video poker fans enthralled for decades.

Texas Hold’em Tips

Once you’ve mastered the basics of Texas Hold’em, it’s time to get down to business and learn tips and tricks from the experts. Video poker is as much a game of skill as chance. It’s about good decision making. These tips and tricks will help give you the winning edge.

Texas Hold’em Bonus

Now that you know how to play and have picked up the best tips and tricks from the experts, it’s time to put your money where your mouth is and get down to some serious play. The best way to play online casino games has always been by taking advantage of casino bonuses to extend your bankroll.

Real money video poker vs. real money slots

Video poker and slots are often lumped together because they’re the two main electronic gaming machines that you’ll find at your average land-based casino. The technology is similar: both depend on random number generator software – when it comes to slot machines, it’s used to determine the symbols that line up on each spin, and for video poker, the RNG ensures random “shuffling” and dealing of the playing cards.

Both types of electronic gaming machines are fun, flashy, and easy to pick up. They also don’t involve opponents, so you can play them at your own convenience and in your own space. Here’s where real video poker and slots are different. All slot machines are random. Don’t believe what you read about detecting patterns or other strategies to beating the system. While some slot games have better odds than others, there isn’t much in the way of complicated strategy that can go into improving your slots skills over time. Sure, there are general guidelines to follow when choosing the game, the pay table, the bet amount, and other factors, but there are no step by step methods for guaranteed wins. Most real money slots fans enjoy the randomness of each spin – there’s the stress relief that comes with every spin, and a certain amount of satisfaction that comes with lucky wins.

On the other hand, video poker does allow for improvement. In fact, it’s a well-known fact that video poker is one of the rare casino games that, if played well, can actually allow players to beat the house edge.

Strategies how to win at real money video poker

Video poker strikes a balance – a happy medium that takes the best advantages from normal poker and slots games. Take a look at some basic strategies for getting started with video poker online today:

1. Learn to analyze pay tables. Research payback percentages so that you’re able to choose optimal pay tables to maximize your winnings. The highest paying variant of a game is referred to as “full-pay.”

2. Internalize the rules. Once you’ve identified the full-pay games, you need to fully understand what makes those variants different from others. The basic rules aren’t hard to pick up, but if you want to master the game, you need to take it a step further and really internalize the specifics.

3. Place maximum bets to increase potential winnings – that also means managing your bankroll to accommodate max bets.

4. Study video poker strategy. There are specific strategy tables and guides with highly detailed methods, posted online and published in books. Do your homework, check out a great article here, and your hard work is guaranteed to pay off.

CoolCat Winners

Before starting her day yesterday, Amy decided to play a little Cash Bandits 2. Turns out, it was the best decision she could’ve made.

She started playing at 7:56AM less than a minute later she won $16,000 on a single spin.

Encouraged, she decided to continue playing Cash Bandits 2. Her big moment came when she triggered the Feature at 8:07. Her correct guesses in the Vault Feature got her 75 Free Games.

Without making additional bets, she won $88,110 in the Feature. Amy then had to head to work, but she was a lot happier than when she woke up.

That’s a morning well spent.