Being around since the early 1990s, Microgaming is the oldest and certainly, among the most recognizable developers of online casino software in the world. Its extensive gaming collection includes hundreds of online slots, classic table games, and exciting progressives that promise six and seven-figure jackpots. It is hardly a surprise that Microgaming’s assortment of video poker titles is just as outstanding – dozens of variations, solid payouts, and the highest returns in the industry.
Currently, the company provides browser-based gaming content and software for download to more than 500 online casinos in regulated jurisdictions, while its mobile platform makes gambling accessible through any iOS or Android device. Versatility, however, is not Microgaming’s only advantage over most of its competitors – the studio is widely known for creating fair, high-quality games and a secure gaming environment on the Internet. It is also one of few companies that pay out even the largest progressive jackpots immediately and in full.
Jacks or Better Video Poker Gameplay
Microgaming’s Video Poker Software and Key Features
The full collection of the studio’s video poker games is available at online casinos powered exclusively by Microgaming. However, many of them can also be played at hundreds of other casino sites that typically feature at least a dozen of these variations. The games can be downloaded on players’ computers or played in-browser, depending on the gaming platform used by casinos. Of course, many Microgaming video poker variations have also been optimized for mobile play.
Regardless of which option you choose, you can play the games in fun mode before accessing them for real money. Many online casinos allow new users to try the games without even registering an account – a practice mode is a wonderful tool for exploring new and interesting games or testing strategies.
Design and Appearance
Bet Sizes
Layout and Buttons
Gamble Feature
Settings and Options
Design and Appearance
Since many of the video poker games by Microgaming were developed 10 or 15 years ago, they feature basic graphics and are a bit outdated in appearance, especially when compared to newer versions released in the past few years. There is nothing surprising about that, however. Besides, the visual quality is not what matters the most when playing video poker – most players prefer games that pay well even if they are not particularly stylish or modern. Overall, the design is classic, while the sound effects are electronic and authentic to the first video poker machines from the 1980s.
Bet Sizes
All video poker variations by Microgaming allow players to adjust the number of coins they wish to bet per round – from 1 to 5. The default coin denominations are $0.25, $0.50, $1.00, $2.00, and $5.00 but they may differ slightly, depending on the particular game and the casino offering it. The maximum bet per round is $25 in most video poker variations.
Layout and Buttons
The layout of nearly all versions of video poker is identical, reminding of the classic casino games from 30 years ago. The paytable can be seen in the top half of the screen and below it, we can see the cards that are being dealt in each round. All main buttons, including Deal, Draw, Collect, and Double are located in the bottom tab bar. Players can adjust the coin size with the “+” and “-” buttons, while the Help button opens the rules of the game.
Gamble Feature
The games have a Gamble feature, which can be opened with the Double button. It is activated after each winning round and when players select it, it replaces the cards in the main game with a second set of 5 cards. The first one is the dealer’s card and it is dealt face-up, while the rest are face-down. Players need to select one of them and if their card is higher than the dealer’s card, they win and double the winnings from the current round.
They can continue until they draw a card of lesser value than the dealer’s card – in this case, they lose the feature and the gambled amount, or until they reach the doubling limit of the casino.
Settings and Options
Most of the video poker games by Microgaming also feature an Auto Hold. Of course, players can choose not to follow these simple in-game tips but they are based on basic strategy so they are theoretically correct. A small Options button opens the settings of the game – here, players can adjust basic settings such as the volume or turn the sound on and off.
Standard Rules in Microgaming’s Video Poker
The video poker versions by the software studio follow the standard rules of the game and there are a few variations that include wild cards or additional payouts for particular hands. What sets them apart from most games by other developers is their good theoretical returns or Return to Player percentages.
Rules and Gameplay
Paytables
RTP Percentages
Rules and Gameplay
The basic games such as Jacks or Better or Deuces Wild by Microgaming are classic variations of video poker that use 1 standard deck of 52 cards, which is shuffled before each deal. The objective is to form the strongest hand possible – the stronger it is, the higher it pays out. Before the game can start, players adjust their stakes – the number of coins they wager and the size of the coins.
Initially, the game deals players 5 cards and they can choose to hold all, some or none of these cards. The Auto Hold feature keeps any winning combinations. The second deal replaces all cards that have been discarded with new ones and at this point, a winning hand is determined based on the paytable displayed in the top half of the screen.
The standard poker hands are used and, usually, the lowest-paying combination is a pair of Jacks, a hand known as Jacks or Better. The top payout is received when the player holds a Royal Flush – Ten, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of the same suit. This hand typically pays 250 coins or 4,000 coins when we bet 5 coins.
Paytables
The other important thing players should pay attention to when opening a video poker game is its paytable. It lists all winning hands and the number of coins they pay out. Of course, each variation of the game has a slightly different paytable – even small changes in the payouts, however, have a direct impact on the expected returns. For instance, the lowest-paying hand in Microgaming’s Tens or Better is a pair of Tens or higher – it pays evenly, allowing players to break even in the round.
However, the payouts for Full House and Flush are lower than in standard Jacks or Better – they are 6:1 and 5:1 rather than 9:1 and 6:1. Even the double payout for holding a Royal Flush (500:1) cannot compensate for the poorly paying Full House and Flush, and as a result, the game has a return of 99.14%, compared to the standard 99.54% for Jacks or Better.
RTP Percentages
As we have just demonstrated above, even the slightest deviation from the standard video poker paytable affects the expected return of the game. The Return to Player (RTP) is a theoretical percentage of the total bet players can expect to receive back as winnings. For instance, if we play a game with 99.54% RTP, we can expect that over many trials, we will keep $99.54 out of a $100 bet made in this game.
However, video poker games have an element of chance and are more or less volatile, which means that this theoretical percentage will never be fully achieved in real-life game sessions. Still, the RTP displayed in every Microgaming video poker variation, in combination with the paytable, shows how the game will perform over time – whether it is profitable, whether the risk is too high, and whether the game is worth playing at all.
Power Poker Series by Microgaming
Microgaming has introduced a nice range of multi-hand video poker games, called Power Pokers. The full series of variations can be accessed from the Microgaming Casino Client but many instant-play online casinos also offer some of these games. They are played basically the same way as regular video poker but with one major difference – players can bet on more than one poker hand at the same time.
At the beginning of each round, they receive 5 cards and once they decide which ones to hold, they click the Draw button. Along with the main 5-card hand they play with, the game deals them more hands – the exact number of hands they have chosen to bet on. Each of these hands uses a separate 52-card deck, so the odds for them remain the same as in regular video poker. The cards they wish to keep, however, are held in all available hands.
Players should consider the cost of playing multi-hand video poker. If they decide to bet the maximum 5 coins in regular, single-play Jacks or Better and go for a coin denomination of $0.25, they will be wagering $1.25 per round. If they play a 25-hand variation, however, a 5-coin bet ($0.25 coin size) will cost them $31.25. That’s why it is important to carefully adjust the size of your bet before starting to play Microgaming’s Power Poker games.
Video Poker Variations by Microgaming
Jacks or Better
All American
Louisiana Double
Double Double Bonus
Jackpot Deuces
SupaJax Progressive Jacks or Better
Jacks or Better
This is the most popular video poker variation in the world – it is the simplest and most basic form of the game, and it offers a great return of 99.54%. Microgaming’stake on this classic is exceptionally good – it is played with a standard deck of 52 cards and there are no wild cards such as Jokers in play. The payouts are also regular from 1:1 to 250:1 for the different winning combinations. This is a full-pay version of Jacks or Better and the excellent paytable contributes to this amazing RTP percentage (which is quite rare, especially in land-based casinos).
All American
This is an interesting variation of Jacks or Better, meaning it has no wild cards or bonus payout for any particular winning combination. However, its paytable differs from the standard one in a significant way, which results in a slightly different return percentage, as well. The theoretical RTP of the game is 99.38% and the reason for this is the following set of payouts:
- Royal Flush – 250:1
- Straight Flush – 200:1
- Four of a Kind – 34:1
- Full House – 8:1
- Flush – 8:1
- Straight – 8:1
- Three of a Kind – 3:1
- Two Pair – 1:1
- Jacks or Better – 1:1
Louisiana Double
This is a video poker version that is quite unique and requires a different strategy to be applied. Microgaming’s Louisiana Double is played with 53 cards – the standard deck of 52 cards plus the Double card. It is not a wild card, i.e. it cannot substitute for other cards in winning combinations. However, when it appears with a winning poker hand, it doubles the payout for it. The game comes with a Gamble feature and its paytable is very different from what we usually see in other versions of video poker. Due to the changed payouts and the Double card, the RTP stands at 94.00%. Note that when we play with 5 coins, the top payout is 2,500 coins.
- Royal Flush – 400:1
- Straight Flush – 75:1
- Four of a Kind – 35:1
- Full House – 9:1
- Flush – 6:1
- Straight – 4:1
- Three of a Kind – 2:1
- Two Pair – 2:1
- Jacks or Better – 1:1
Double Double Bonus
This version comes with no wilds or any other special cards. However, it offers higher payouts for 5 winning combinations, hence the name Double Double Bonus. All other payouts have been changed, however, so it is better to just post the entire paytable (for a 1-coin bet) here. The theoretical return is 98.98%.
- Royal Flush – 250:1
- Straight Flush – 50:1
- 4 Aces with any 2, 3, or 4 – 400:1
- 4 2s/3s/4s with any Ace, 2,3 or 4 -160:1
- 4 of a Kind (Aces) – 160:1
- 4 of a Kind (2s/3s/4s) – 80:1
- 4 of a Kind (5s through Kings) – 50:1
- Full House – 9:1
- Flush – 6:1
- Straight – 4:1
- Three of a Kind – 3:1
- Two Pair – 1:1
- Jacks or Better – 1:1
Jackpot Deuces
This is one of Microgaming’s progressive video poker games and as its name suggests, it has wild cards. All Deuces (the four 2s) in the game function as wild substitutes, except in two combinations, namely Natural Royal Flush and Diamond Royal Flush. So, overall, this is a progressive version of Deuces Wild.
To win the progressive jackpot, players need to bet 5 coins and hold a Diamond Royal Flush – this is simply a Natural Royal Flush in diamonds. The RTP of the game is 93.89% but it increases as the jackpot rises.
SupaJax Progressive Jacks or Better
The other progressive version of video poker by the company is called SupaJax and it is a progressive variation of the standard Jacks or Better game. Rather than using a 52-card, however, it is played with 53 cards – the usual set of 52 cards from 2s through Aces plus the SupaJax card. It is not a wild, however.
To qualify for the progressive jackpot, players need to bet all 5 coins and to win it, they need to get 4 Jacks plus the SupaJax card. This is the only way the progressive jackpot can be triggered. Once again, the RTP is quite low at 90.427% but it quickly grows as the jackpot increases with each bet placed in the game.
Jacks or Better Summary
| Jacks or Better |
| Wild Cards |
No |
| Bet Limits |
€0.25 – €25.00 per hand |
| Number of Hands |
1 |
| Max Payout |
4,000 coins |
| Gamble Feature |
Yes |
| House Edge |
0.46% |
All American Summary
| All American |
| Wild Cards |
No |
| Bet Limits |
€0.25 – €25.00 per hand |
| Number of Hands |
1 |
| Max Payout |
4,000 coins |
| Gamble Feature |
Yes |
| House Edge |
0.62% |
Louisiana Double Summary
| Louisiana Double |
| Wild Cards |
Lousisiana Double card |
| Bet Limits |
€0.25 – €25.00 per hand |
| Number of Hands |
1 |
| Max Payout |
2,500 coins |
| Gamble Feature |
Yes |
| House Edge |
6% |
Double Double Bonus Summary
| Double Double Bonus |
| Wild Cards |
No |
| Bet Limits |
€0.25 – €25.00 per hand |
| Number of Hands |
1 |
| Max Payout |
4,000 coins |
| Gamble Feature |
Yes |
| House Edge |
1.02% |
Jackpot Deuces Summary
| Jackpot Deuces |
| Wild Cards |
All deuces in the deck |
| Bet Limits |
€0.25 – €25.00 per hand |
| Number of Hands |
1 |
| Max Payout |
4,000 coins awarding a progressive jackpot |
| Gamble Feature |
Yes |
| House Edge |
6.11% at its highest |
SupaJax Progressive Jacks or Better Summary
| SupaJax Progressive Jacks or Better |
| Wild Cards |
SupaJAx card |
| Bet Limits |
€0.25 – €25.00 per hand |
| Number of Hands |
1 |
| Max Payout |
Progressive jackpot |
| Gamble Feature |
Yes |
| House Edge |
9.57% at its highest |
