Video poker and slots are the two most popular types of gambling machines in the industry. They are both fun and more similar to each other than to any other game you’ll come across in a casino.
Because of this, they are often compared across many key aspects. In the context of a slot machine vs. video poker comparison, we find that the latter type of game is better. Here are four major reasons why video poker is better than regular slots.
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It’s Not All Luck
Slots are entirely luck-based. You can’t make any decisions, so you’re completely left to random chance to determine how successful you’ll be. In comparison, in video poker, your decisions matter. While luck is still an important factor, you need a thought-out video poker strategy if you want to play the game optimally.
Video poker plays like a simplified version of poker. You get five cards, and you need to decide which cards you want to keep or discard. Additionally, the skill element also means that you can improve over time and become a better video poker player.
This isn’t possible in slots. A beginner and a seasoned slot machine player have the same winning chances. While this sounds good at first when you’re a beginner, it’s undoubtedly a drawback if you’re in it for the long run. In video poker, you can rely on the fact that if you improve, success will follow.
Potential For Steady Profits
In addition to involving skill elements, what makes video poker a better game than regular slots is that it actually offers the opportunity to obtain stable profits over time.
On the one hand, slots are a better pick if you want to make the most out of your casino bonus, as they typically offer a 100% bonus wagering contribution. On the other hand, they have lower RTP than video poker.
To better understand this, let’s go over some numbers. An average slot machine in land-based casinos will offer payouts of around 90%, perhaps a couple of percent higher or lower, depending on the specific game you pick. Online slots are better and offer an average RTP of 95% to 96%.
However, none of these percentages can come close to the RTP you can get with video poker. More precisely, you can find a handful of video poker variations that have an RTP of 99.5% or better.
What’s more, some video poker games actually come with an RTP of slightly over 100%. This means that, with a proper strategy, you can play video poker long-term professionally and see solid profits from it.
It Makes for More Engaging Sessions
The second reason directly ties into the first one, as the strategic aspect of the game makes video poker much more engaging than any regular slot machine. As slot machines don’t require any active input apart from pressing the button to spin the reels, they aren’t very engaging.
The action can get pretty repetitive during a longer session. The existence of the autoplay button speaks to this argument. You can set a slot to spin several hundred times automatically, and you don’t even need to look at the game.
In contrast, in video poker, you have direct control and are engaged for every hand. Moreover, because of this, the wins feel much more rewarding. You’re not just randomly awarded a payout. You earned it by making the right decision.
You Can Calculate Your Payouts More Easily
Lastly, the fourth major reason why video poker is better than slot machines is that you can always quickly calculate how much money you’re due. In all fairness, modern video poker and slot machines both include detailed pay tables where you can find helpful information on how much each combination pays.
Nevertheless, video poker games are much more organized in this regard. With time, you can easily memorize how much you win for each specific hand depending on the size of your bet.
In slot games, this is often more complex and vague, especially if the game has tons of paylines. When playing a slot, you might get prompted with payout messages when you’re actually losing money. This often happens when you win the lowest-paying combination on a bet valued more than the payout.
