Video Poker Live

Video Poker Live By Evolution Review

The Game in Short

Video Poker Live plays just like normal Video Poker where the goal is to make the best 5-card poker hand in order to get paid more. From a deck of 52 cards, you are dealt five and then have the option to exchange some or all these cards once in order to improve your hand ranking.  

The game features the following five variations of Video Poker which you can switch between yourself at any time:

• Jacks or Better
• Tens or Better
• Deuces Wild
• Bonus Poker
• Double Double Bonus

Except for Deuces Wild, the only difference between these variations is a slight change in the paytable (the hands you get paid for and how much), as well as the payout percentage (RTP).

With Deuces Wild, all deuces (the 2 of spades, 2 of hearts, 2 of clubs, and 2 of diamonds) will act as wild cards, which means that they can represent any card in the deck. For instance, if your final hand ends up being King, King, 10, 10, 2, the 2 would act as a King and give you a full house instead of a two-pair.

Payouts 

The payouts in Video Poker live range from 1x to 800x. In other words, the least you can get paid for a winning hand is the same amount that you bet, while the maximum is 800 times your chosen stake.

Each of the game’s five Video Poker variations has its own paytable as follows:

Jacks or Better

Tens or Better

Deuces Wild

Bonus Poker

Bonus Bonus Poker

RTP (Payout Percentage)

The RTP in Video Poker Live ranges from 97.96% – 99.54% and varies depending on the type of Video Poker you decide to play. Here’s a full breakdown of the RTP of the five different variations:

• Jacks or Better: 99.54%
• Bonus Poker: 99.17%
• Double Double Bonus: 98.98%
• Deuces Wild: 98.91%
• Tens or Better: 97.96%

Video Poker in general is known for its very high RTP and Video Poker Live is no exception to the rule. While most casino games offer an RTP of around 96%, this live game shines with a payout percentage of up to 99.54%. This is about as good as it gets and is only beaten by a few games, such as All Aces Poker, which is a virtual Video Poker Game with an RTP of 99.91%.

With that said, you must know that the RTP in Video Poker Live is not fixed but varies depending on the decisions you make in the game, similar to Blackjack. In order to always play with the maximum RTP, you would have to use a strategy that tells you the right decisions to make (I have listed this here).

Fun Factor 

In terms of entertainment, I find Video Poker Live to be an extremely boring game. In my opinion, it adds nothing to the traditional Video Poker experience but to me, it’s a downgrade in every regard. I would much rather play any of the virtual variations that are commonly offered by online gambling sites.

With a game round taking a full minute, it is much slower than virtual Video Poker where you can play a hand in a matter of seconds. Video Poker is known for its fast action, but in Video Poker Live it’s a drag.

Sure, you can chat with other players (if anyone bothers to write) and you will get more of a real casino experience since you’re playing with a real dealer. But all the dealers I’ve experienced have rarely said a word so I’m not sure what value this adds. To me, nothing.

On top of this, the maximum bet in Video Poker Live is capped at R10 per hand, whereas virtual variations allow you to bet R500 or even more.

Having played the game for a while, I am not sure why it exists. I certainly like the idea of a live Video Poker game but I do find this to be a missed opportunity from Evolution Gaming who normally creates top live dealer games.

They could have added some interesting bonus features or anything to make the game pop, but no. They just took the traditional game and made it slower with lower bet limits and added a live dealer.

Strategies

For the best chances to make the most money in the game, there are two strategies to keep in mind when playing Video Poker Live. The first one is to only play Jacks or Better and disregard the other versions. This is because Jacks or Better offers the highest possible RTP of 99.54%.

If we compare this to Tens or Better with an RTP of 97.96%, you would be expected to win R1.6 more for every R20 staked when playing Jacks or Better. While this might seem like a small amount, it adds up in the long run.

Now, in order to play with the highest possible RTP of 99.54%, you would have to make the right decisions in every hand. In other words, hold and exchange the right cards. The game itself will automatically highlight certain cards to be swapped if you don’t make a choice. However, this will not always be the optimal strategy.

The optimal strategy for Video Poker Live’s Jacks or Better is to follow the below table. The higher up in the table your starting hand is, this is what you want to keep while the rest of the cards should be discarded.

For instance, if your starting hand is a straight, but this is one card off from a Royal Flush, the best strategy is to take a shot at the Royal Flush even though you already have guaranteed payment from the Straight.