There are a couple of big question that most video poker players have when considering taking their game online. Since video poker players are usually detail oriented, paying attention to every obstacle standing between them and a good session, playing online is certainly approached with caution.

So what variables change between the real and virtual worlds? Casino video poker is an experience much like slots playing in the casino, with lots of distractions thrown at you. Many feel they are quite immune to the mind tricks of the casino, but there are some subtleties that are often overlooked.

The air in a casino is replenished with pure oxygen, which has the subtle effect of keeping us awake all night, and inducing a slight sense of euphoria, which in turn leads us to play longer, and take more risks. Your casino video poker game is affected by this variable the same way many other subtle manipulations affect it. If the casino can keep each player at the machine longer, and awake longer, the player is less likely to walk away when up. If the player were to lose track of time entirely, it would be even more beneficial to the casino.

The next time you’re playing casino video poker, pop your head up for a minute and take a look around. Can you see any windows, or any natural light at all? The reason you can’t is so that you can’t see how much time has passed, and if night has turned to day or day has turned to night. Can you see a clear path to the exit or the cashier box? Chances are what you see around you is very similar in every direction, aided by the help of large well placed mirrors. If you were able to glance up and see outside, or see the cashier, you might decide it’s a good time to walk away, or change your chips to cash.

All of these things aside, the one thing you’ll find in land-based casinos and not in online casinos, are video poker games that offer a return percentage of over 100%. Some would jump to say that this is cause to label online video poker as inferior, but there’s more to it. You can play positive expectation casino video poker because the casino knows you cannot automate your play, and you can’t sit at the same machine for as long as you wish. With online video poker you could program a computer to play for you with perfect strategy, and slowly break the casino bank by playing positive expectation video poker machines. Obviously no online casino could afford that, so they don’t offer anything over 100%. This doesn’t mean they don’t offer a decent game or two. It’s easy to find great full pay Jacks or Better machines, or other popular full-pay machines at online casinos, and taking into account the disadvantages of real casinos outlined above, you may find that the lack of distraction in your home allows you to play a much more focused, and technically correct game.

Winning video poker, casino or online, is more about taking advantage of short term fluctuations. So technically, your chances of winning at an online casino are no worse than at a land based casino video poker online machine, but it’s still only a chance, otherwise, it wouldn’t be a casino game.