Online Video Poker vs. Land-Based | What Are The Differences?

Players Club Benefits

Both online and offline casinos reward their video poker players. They usually receive the following while playing online:

• Bonus offers
• Promotions
• Coupons
• Complimentary points

Furthermore, most online casinos provide extra rewards through loyalty clubs. Some of these online platforms have comp programs, but they are less common than at brick-and-mortar venues.

On the other hand, players are offered points at land-based casinos through the players club. Its primary benefit is that once a player joins the players club, the casino starts tracking down their play — how much time they spend playing video poker and how big their bets are.

Once you receive your card, you just have to insert it into your favorite video poker machine and start earning points and credits you can redeem for:

• Meals
• Accommodation
• Free drinks
• Free play

Atmosphere, Convenience, and Entertainment

The main advantage of playing video poker at a land-based casino is the atmosphere. Casinos are bustling with people, sounds, smells, and lights, which is why they are an attractive option for many video poker enthusiasts. They provide a complete gaming experience and authentic ambiance. Although many online casinos offer live games to recreate that exciting atmosphere, they aren’t as good as the real thing.

Brick-and-mortar venues are also a great way to socialize and network and often offer other forms of entertainment, such as concerts and shows.

Playing at online casinos is convenient, as you don’t have to spend time driving to and from the casino. In fact, you don’t even have to leave your living room to play your favorite video poker games. This is also suitable for people who perceive privacy as an essential factor. Some prefer playing their favorite game alone without talking to other players or employees, while others simply want to play video poker anonymously.

As opposed to most land-based casinos, they are open round the clock, so you can log in anytime and from anywhere as long as you have a stable internet connection.

Withdrawal Time

An advantage of playing video poker at brick-and-mortar casinos is that you can withdraw your winnings immediately.

Most players use credit, debit cards, prepaid cards, and other standard payment methods. When you have a winning hand, you can head to the cashier and collect the pot.

This is not the case when playing online, where players often must wait days or weeks before withdrawing their winnings, depending on the casino’s practices.

Nevertheless, with the appearance of fast payout casinos and cryptocurrencies, it has become possible for video poker players to receive payouts at online casinos much quicker.

Game Selection

Since online casinos have no limits regarding the size of their gaming floors, they can also offer more games. For instance, Real Time Gaming alone has over two dozen video poker variations available, not to mention others, each with its own video poker menu such as:

• Microgaming
• Playtech
• Betsoft

Online casinos also facilitate shopping for full pay variations since players can easily hop from one site to another.

Land-based casinos try to follow suit but can’t come close to online casinos in this regard. The furthest they can go is to offer a few different video poker variations on the same machine. Some variants may not be as profitable as others, and casinos typically only offer those that make them the most money.

Seat Availability

There has probably been at least one occasion when you walked into a casino only to find that all the video poker machines were occupied. When you play at land-based casinos, expect to wait occasionally.

On the contrary, you can always find a seat at an online casino when you log in.

Software used by online casinos is designed to make it as easy as possible for you to start playing right away. And even if the game you want isn’t available, you can easily switch to another online platform.