When it comes to the game of poker, there are many differences between games, such as 5 card draw poker, vs jacks or better, or deuces wild. However, the fundamentals of the game are all the same – and that’s to have a hand that beats the others or meets the minimum payout requirements.

The hands to win in video poker and table poker are the same, with the best hands being: A royal flush, a straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair and a high card.

In table poker, your aim is to beat the other players or dealers hand – and this is the main requirement. You not only have to beat their hands, but you also have to be able to read the players bluffs, to decide if you want to raise the bet or fold, and you’ll also have to decide if you want to call – in order to ‘see’ the other players cards, and based on their hands make your next move.

In video poker however, your main aim is to meet the minimum payout requirement stated on the website in the payout table – and check what the terms and conditions are around this. Another key difference is that most video poker iterations are based on 5-card draw poker, which is very rarely found anywhere in land based casinos, as it is used almost exclusively online or on video poker machines.

Odds of Card Hands

In live poker, the odds of a player getting the chance to draw a rare hand, like a royal flush, is incredibly low due to the statistical odds of getting the cards required. If you played at the table for several hours, the odds would increase but not by much, as the game speed is far slower for live poker players – with most  tables only see around 30 hands per hour at the table.

For video poker players, however, as the game is played at a far faster pace, the odds of reaching a rare card combination like a royal flush are far more likely. It is said that for video poker online, a pretty fast player could see well over 700 hands could played in an hour period, which leads to a far greater chance of the player getting lucky.

Betting Options

For table poker, the bet varies depending on the table game you play – with buy ins for some games starting at only $1, while for other poker variations, the buy in could be a blind bet of up to $10 – and in high stake games, the buy in is definitely far greater, with a minimum being $100 in some instances. In video poker, however, you choose the maximum amount you’re happy to use based on online casino credit – which will state the minimum amount required to bet (usually $1 but sometimes $5).

Payouts

When it comes to payouts for live poker, the payout is easily done depending on whether or not you’ve won the pot you’re playing for. With video poker online, however, the buy in is usually done with the option to bet from a minimum of 1  credit, up to a maximum of 5 credits – and the incremental differences from 1 – 5 will affect the players payout depending on the winning hand the player has used. The payout table of the various online casinos will show how much you could win in credits per hand, per bet.

Social vs Social Distancing

While both poker styles have pros and cons, the main question is whether you wish to play in person and enjoy the social aspect of poker, or if you’d prefer to play at your leisure, and at a time convenient to you, at home.