Online Gambling

Jacks or Better (JoB) video poker is the game that started the video poker craze. Every online gambling software vendor that deals any form of video poker deals Jacks or Better. The best odds on JoB are found at what is called a “9/6″ machine — 9 for a Full House, 6 for a Flush — and has a 0.46% house edge at optimal play. Compare this to “8/6″, “8/5″, and even “6/5″ machines that offer increasingly worse odds for the player.

Online “9/6″ Jacks or Better is easy to find, so where you decide to play is mainly about customer service, bonuses, and speed of payout. The top-rated site that offers “9/6″ Jacks or Better and that accepts players from most regions in the world — including all US states — is the download version of BetUs.com Casino. Another good choice is BoDog, where you can practice for free without having to download or register.

For a complete analysis of all forms of online video poker, see my online video poker page.

Four online casino software providers deal Double Double Bonus Jacks or Better online video poker: Microgaming Casino (MGS), Realtime Gaming (RTG), Grand Virtual (GV), and Bodog Casino (Bodog). Here are the paytables and house edge offered by each.

Unfortunately, Grand Virtual online casinos do not accept US-based real money players. And Microgaming has stopped accepted new US-based real money players (although players that had an account prior to approximately October 2006 can still play). The best option for US-based real-money players that want the best return on this variety of video poker should go with Bodog. All players are welcome to practice for free with no download and no registration needed.

I recently completed an analysis of 14 popular varieties of online video poker, inlcuding Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, Joker Poker, and more. The analysis covers over 200 online gambling sites that run 16 popular versions of online gambling software from vendors like Microgaming, Realtime Gaming, Rival, Bodog, and others.

I’ve published the paytables and house edge (calculated using this excellent analyzer at Wizard of Odds) for each variety of online video poker. You can use this information to determine the best online gambling site to play your favorite variety of online video poker.Some interesting tidbits that I discovered in conducting this analysis:

• Of all the online video poker games analyzed, Bodog had the lowest house edge of any game from any vendor — they deal Joker Poker with a 0.03 house edge.
• Aces and Faces video poker appears to be the same no matter where you play it — the paytables from all 6 vendors that deal Aces and Faces video poker are identical.
• For some games, there is a huge difference in the house edge. For example, there is a more than 7% difference between the best and worst Deuces Wild video poker games that you can find at online gambling sites. (For the record, Rival Gaming casinos like BetUS offers the best Deuces Wild video poker with a 0.63 house edge.)

I’m just travelling home from a trip to Tahoe, and found it difficult to find any full-pay Jacks or Better (JoB) video poker machines. I know that there is a website that lists full-pay machines for various video pokers in various cities, but I got to thinking that there is really no reason to play JoB at a casino when you can play it online so easily — and get full-pay to boot!

Microgaming casinos offer full-pay JoB video poker. Unfortunately, they do not accept US players from IL, IN, LA, MI, NJ, NV, NY, OR, SD, WA, WI, but they do accept players from all other states. Take a look at this list of over 100 Microgaming casinos and good luck!

(Be aware that video poker play usually counts only between 1/10th and 1/50th slots play in terms of meeting initial deposit bonus play through requirements.)

This really is a good deal — America Bingo offers $30 FREE to play bingo, keno, blackjack, slots, pull tabs, and more! What more could you ask for? Since America Bingo accepts players from around the world — including the United States — everyone is welcome to take advantage of this offer. Credit card deposits are fast, safe, and secure, and what’s more is that everyone gets a 100% bonus on their initial deposit PLUS a 10% bonus on subsequent deposits made in their first 90 days.

America Bingo is offering $30 free to try out their site. In addition to traditional bingo, America Bingo has a game called “Fair ‘N Square” bingo in which all players have the same number of cards, so that each player has an equal chance to win.

You can also try your luck at games other than bingo, like slots, video poker, blackjack, and keno.

Players are accepted worldwide, and you can deposit using Visa, MasterCard, FirePay, NETeller, and Citadel; initial deposits of at least $20 are awarded a 250% match. Cash outs are processed daily. There is no charge for processing a cash out ($75 minimum), excepting wire transfers ($35 fee).