Every single day thousands of people enjoy playing video poker be it online or in a brick-and-mortar casino. But did you know there are several variations and versions of video poker that they enjoy? Well, believe it or not, there is a rich selection of fun video poker games to be enjoyed and today I will talk you through some of the most unusual and dare we say amazing versions of video poker you will ever read about…
George of the Jungle – String Poker
I’m going to start with a crazy one and that is a “George of the Jungle” themed video poker game. The game is basically a scene from the 2005 Disney film George of the Jungle 2. In the scene, George is playing poker with a group of animals, including Ape, Ursula, Lyle and a monkey. The game is played with string instead of cards, and the animals use their various animal abilities to cheat. For example, Ape uses his strength to pull the strings to his advantage and Ursula uses her beauty to distract the other players. At the end of the scene, George wins the game and the animals learn that it is not always about cheating to win. But of course, in this game version, you don’t win all the time.
Deuces Wild Video Poker
Deuces Wild is a variation of video poker in which the 2s (deuces) are wild cards. This means that they can be used to represent any other card in the deck. This makes it a more challenging and potentially rewarding game, as it gives players more opportunities to make winning hands.
The basic rules of Deuces Wild are the same as those of other video poker games. Players are dealt five cards and must decide which ones to keep and which ones to discard. The discarded cards are replaced with new ones, and the player’s hand is evaluated. If the player’s hand is a winning hand, they are paid according to the pay table. The pay table for Deuces Wild varies from machine to machine, but it typically pays more for high-ranking hands than other video poker games. This is because the wild cards make it more likely that players will be able to make winning hands.
100-Hand Video Poker
You might be thinking that this is some sort of joke, or a play on words, but no. It really is a version of video poker that allows you to play up to 100 hands at a time! The pay table for 100-hand video poker is the same as the pay table for regular video poker. The only difference is that you will be paid for each winning hand on each of the 100 hands. This means that you have the potential to win a lot of money with just a small investment. Using the strategy chart at the side of the screen will help you make the best possible decisions when it comes to which cards to keep and which cards to discard.
Harrahs Jackpot Poker
It sounds like the start of a joke more than a question, but when is video poker not played on a video screen? This is where Harrahs Jackpot Poker machine comes into it. The cards you gen “on screen” is not a screen or display at all, in fact, it is 10 real slot reels, 5 with the 4 suits on and 5 with the name or number cards on! Its a rare and unusual machine for sure, but is often described as the world’s first video poker machine!
Spin Poker
This slot machine is pretty much what you might expect it to be, but what is so unusual was that you could win on any of the 20 lines! Although you had 3 lines of 5 cards you could pick and choose which line the win was on as long as that said win was in a straight line reading from left to right.
Ultimate X Poker
Ultimate X Poker is a variation of video poker that was first released in 1999 by IGT. It is a five-card draw game that uses a standard 52-card deck and the game was played the same way as regular video poker, with the exception that players can choose to bet an additional 5 coins per hand to activate the Ultimate X feature. When the Ultimate X feature is activated, a multiplier is added to the next hand. The multiplier is randomly selected from a range of 2x to 12x. If the player wins the next hand, the multiplier is applied to their winnings. The Ultimate X feature increases the potential payout of the game, but it also increases the house edge which was typically around 2.5%, which is higher than the house edge for regular video poker.
Loose Deuces
Loose Deuces Video Poker is a variation of the popular video poker game Jacks or Better. The 2s (deuces) are wild cards which means that they can be used to represent any other card in the deck. This makes it a more challenging and potentially rewarding game, as it gives players more opportunities to make winning hands.
The basic rules of Loose Deuces are the same as those of Jacks or Better in which the players are dealt five cards and must decide which ones to keep and which ones to discard. The discarded cards are replaced with new ones and the player’s hand is evaluated. If the player’s hand is a winning hand, they are paid according to the pay table.
Where’s Waldo Trade ‘N’ Place Poker
For those who don’t know Where’s Waldo? is a book series created by Martin Handford. The books feature detailed drawings of busy scenes with Waldo hidden somewhere in each one. The reader’s challenge is to find Waldo as quickly as possible and it was first published in 1987. Just about any theme can be a powerful tool for attracting and retaining video poker players. A well-chosen theme can make a game more engaging and immersive, and it can also help to create a sense of community among players.
King Poker
This casino version of video slots has a special feature in which it had a special progressive jackpot for a straight flush hand. Of course, this also meant that the chances of getting that jackpot winning hand were slim indeed and the overall odds of winning via any hand were much smaller than in any other video poker game. But there are reports of some massive slot wins on this very machine.
Poker Roulette
And we finish this article with what is probably the most unusual form of 2 classic casino games you will ever see. Yes its poker, only played with a Roulette wheel! In fact, it is the other way around as the game is played in the same style of classic Roulette, only with poker hands that you can bet across 5 spins of the wheel.
Have you played any of these video poker games? Do you know of any other unusual versions of poker? If you do why not leave a comment below and let us know your thoughts and feedback.