Online Poker and Slots Compared

Poker and slot machines have always been synonymous with casinos, and today online poker and slot games are ruling the world of internet gambling. Especially in their land-based variants, video poker and slot machines might look almost the same to the untrained eye. But we assure you these are quite different games.

Let’s take a more detailed look at the differences and similarities between online poker and slots and try to give you a better idea of exactly what you’re getting into when you decide to play one over the other.

Strategy

The biggest difference between online poker and slots is that when playing poker you constantly have to make decisions that will affect the outcome of the game. You have to decide how many credits to play, and most importantly, what cards to hold during the game. Also, different online poker games have different payouts, so it is very important to choose the most profitable one.

As most poker games will provide you with a royal flush bonus for playing the maximum number of credits, deciding on exactly how many credits to play is of crucial importance. And, if you don’t choose the right cards to hold and the right cards to draw while playing, you’ll potentially lose a lot of money.

Entertainment

On the other hand, when playing slots you really don’t make any decisions. You can choose what game to play, but even that won’t have a significant impact as almost all of them have the same payout percentages. The most consequential decision you have to make is to decide on how many credits/reels to play. This is so because some slots have multiple reels and pay more for jackpots when you’re playing the max number of reels/credits.

And exactly this possibility, to play games without really thinking about it, is what makes slots so entertaining and relaxing for many people. Unlike playing online poker, with slots, you don’t make constant decisions and you can simply relax and enjoy the game without investing any effort in it.

Variety

When playing slots the game is always essentially the same. But different slot games offer a huge variety in terms of atmosphere and entertainment. Today the themes offered by slot games are getting more and more extravagant by the day. They offer all kinds of 4D effects that will help you immerse yourself in their world. At SkyCity Online Casino you can find all these different types of slot games available to punters to try. Still, when it comes to gameplay, the essential elements will always be the same.

Online poker games offer a different kind of variety. While they don’t look very different from each other, the variations they offer will mean that you will try to achieve a completely different goal every time you play a different game. With decision-making processes being involved throughout the game, you will need to implement different strategies across different games to give yourself the best chance of winning.

Profitability

Poker games tend to outperform slots when it comes to payback numbers. If you have the right bonus, you can even have an edge in these games. And online casinos often offer you a decent bonus. So, there is almost no chance you will get rich while playing online poker, but you will have a higher chance of winning and better odds than with slots.

Slots, on the other hand, offer jackpots. Even better, many slot games are “progressive slots”, which means they have a progressive jackpot that can be won by playing that machine. This is the kind of jackpot that grows larger and larger until someone hits it, and then it resets at a lower amount and starts growing again. This means that often these jackpots can reach 5, 6, or even 7 figures!

Random Number Generators

Both slots and poker operate through Random Number Generators (RNG). This involves creating a sequence of numbers that can’t be predicted. Both slots and poker games use RNG to ensure that every round of the game is based on random chance.

Unfortunately, many players don’t understand how an RNG works. This has led to the development of a lot of myths concerning poker and slot games because some players think that there is some pattern to them or a strategy to beat them.

How RNGs are used in slots and poker games differs slightly. While in slot games the symbols are weighted according to their value and based on that it is programmed how much these games will payback, when it comes to poker the game doesn’t pay back a certain percentage. In this case, a 52 card deck is used and the RNG randomly shuffles this deck every time you play a hand.

Choosing what to play, online poker, or slots, should be based on a couple of variables. If you are trying to make money, and are willing to dedicate a lot of time to learning and implementing a perfect strategy, you should try online poker.

But if you want to enjoy yourself without thinking too much, and are excited about the possibility of a huge jackpot, online slots are the right choice for you.