Multi hand card games at online casinos increase the speed of the game play and therefore are preferred by expert players who usually want to get in more wagers in a given time. Table games like blackjack go up to five hands at a time. But online video poker variants are available up to 100 hands at a time. The exact number offered depends on the software provider and the online video poker variant. There are two broad ways of accessing multi hand video poker games, again depending on the software provider. Some software providers offer video poker games with different number of hands as separate titles. Others allow you to select the number of hands from within the game.
Once the number of hands has been selected, the basic game play is similar. You place the bet by selecting the number of coins and the coin size. This is the bet for one hand. It will be multiplied by the number of hands that you are playing and deducted from your account balance. There is a large playing area on the screen where five cards will be dealt face up. You select the cards that you want to hold in the usual manner. These cards are then replicated face up to the corresponding positions in all the hands. The remaining cards in the other hands remain hidden.
The next step is to click on the Draw button. The remaining cards in the main hand are replaced and simultaneously the face-down cards in the other hands are revealed. Keep in mind that each hand is played with a separate full deck of cards. Then each hand is independently compared with the payout table and the amounts won are credited to your account.
Multi hand online video poker variants also have an optional double feature. It is applied collectively to the total amount won across all the hands. If you play and win then the payout is doubled. If you lose then the payout is lost. As in single hand online video poker games the double feature is played with zero house edge. The following strategy is often employed by expert players with respect to the double feature. If the total winning is more than the total bet then skip the double feature, otherwise go for it. Multi hand online video poker games offer speed settings. Since the objective of this format is to play at high speed you should go for the fastest option.