The Best Video Poker Games in Louisiana

Louisiana is home to some 13,000 video poker machines available in 1,800 different retail and casino sites all over the state. About half (6,000) of the state’s video poker games are sprinkled a few at a time across the state’s many truck stops, gas stations, bars, and race tracks.

While I’ve definitely played my fair share of video poker on the side of the highway in the middle of nowhere, the best video poker play in all of Louisiana is at the state’s many casinos.

The most popular place to play video poker in Louisiana is L’Auberge Casino Lake Charles. Harrah’s New Orleans has the best variety and largest number of video poker games in the state.

If you’re an advantage gambler looking for the best odds and loyalty program, you should check out The Golden Nugget Lake Charles. The best video poker games in Louisiana are Hot Roll Poker, Louisiana Tree Shaker, and Ultimate X Video Poker.

This post is dedicated to the best video poker games and places to play them in the state of Louisiana.

Louisiana’s Best Places to Play Video Poker

I grew up close enough to Louisiana to be really familiar with gambling in the state. I’ve played at every big casino and many of the slot and video poker parlors in Louisiana.

With that experience at my back, I’m confident recommending the three casinos below as by far the best places to play Louisiana video poker.

Playing Video Poker at L’Auberge Casino Lake Charles

L’Auberge Lake Charles is, in my opinion, the nicest, most luxurious, fanciest, and most impressive casino in the whole state.

I used a lot of adjectives there, but the place deserves it. When fancy Texans want to pig out, gamble, and relax by a gorgeous pool for the weekend, they head to L’Auberge Lake Charles. You could probably have a decent time just hanging out and enjoying the indoor and outdoor amenities on this casino’s massive campus, ignoring gambling altogether.

But what fun would that be? Let’s talk about video poker at L’Auberge Lake Charles.

L’Auberge Lake Charles has 43 video poker games. As of my most recent visit, they hosted the following video poker variants:

The most popular game at L’Auberge is probably a tie between the casino’s ten Ultimate X machines and their dozen or so All Star Poker II games.

The same goes for the games at The Golden Nugget just up the highway in Lake Charles – plenty of decent video poker, but no amazing grounds, no sparkling pool, nothing to live up to the amenities at L’Auberge Lake Charles.

Playing Video Poker at Harrah’s New Orleans Casino

It’s always jarring to me to walk around downtown New Orleans and come across a truly massive casino complex right up against the Mississippi River. Apparently, New Orleans’ city planners were perplexed by it as well – getting around is a headache, with parking famously difficult and far away from the gaming floor.

Still, I call Harrah’s New Orleans one of the best places to gamble in Louisiana because it’s just tacky enough to sub in for an Atlantic City boardwalk gambling hall. When I’m in the mood for a more affordable experience than L’Auberge, but in a more cosmopolitan setting like New Orleans, Harrah’s calls my name.

How’s the video poker at Harrah’s? They have more machines here than anywhere else in Louisiana, and probably among the biggest video poker library in the American South. At my last visit, just a few weeks ago, they had 57 video poker machines running, in the following game varieties:

By far, the most popular game at Harrah’s is Ultimate X, though they only had five machines running the last time I was there. I couldn’t get a seat, which is typical at this busy urban casino on a weekend night.

If you don’t mind a little bit of a walk from the massive parking complex downtown to your favorite video poker machine, Harrah’s is easily accessible and has the most video poker games of any Louisiana casino.

Playing Video Poker at The Golden Nugget Lake Charles Casino

The Golden Nugget is on the opposite end of the luxury spectrum from its main competitor in the Lake Charles area, L’Auberge.

That doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy playing video poker there.

Yes, it’s a little low rent, but the food costs less, the parking is closer and easier to access, and your spending will look big relative to the pittance you’d be offering to the bigger Louisiana casino resorts.

I counted 39 video poker machines running at my last visit to the Golden Nugget Lake Charles. At that time, games available were:

Louisiana’s Best Video Poker Games

Below are my three picks for the best video poker games available in The Bayou State. These games are among the most profitable, most popular, and most commonly found video poker variants in the state.

Hot Roll Poker Video Poker

You’ll find this video poker variant in Vegas and Atlantic City, but I don’t think I’ve seen it anywhere besides those two cities and south Louisiana.

This is a video poker game with a couple of gimmicks. For starters, you’re forced to play either three, five, or ten hands at a time. The other big gimmick – an optional side bet offering win multipliers in exchange for a doubled bet.

The multipliers are big – worth 2x the amount rolled on two virtual dice, so anywhere from 2x to 12x your win. The game’s biggest payout is 800 credits. With a 12x multiplier, and assuming you’re betting $1 per credit, you’ve just won $9,600.

IGT (International Game Technology) produces this game in three different RTP layouts: 99.17%, 98.01%, and 96.87%. You’ll know you’re playing the best odds version if the payout for a Full House is 8 credits. I’ve seen all three versions in Louisiana casinos, so you may have to do a little searching if you’re dead set on finding the 99.17% return Hot Roll Poker game.

Louisiana Tree Shaker Video Poker

I love writing about a hyperlocal casino game. How much more Louisiana could a video poker game get than Louisiana Tree Shaker, with its theme of gator hunts, airboats, and swamp landscapes?

This is close to a standard Jacks or Better video poker game, but with an added bonus that rewards jackpot multipliers between 2x and 18x. It’s a 52-card draw poker game with a joker – without the bonus, which is triggered by any 4 or 5 of a kind, it would be a typical video poker variant.

The bonus here is a lot of fun, more like a slot machine bonus than most video poker games I’ve played. The first time I triggered it, I was surprised by all the action on the screen. I drew a four of a kind, and the game almost immediately began.

The bonus round is built around a “catch a gator” mechanic. First, you have to pick a boat to take you through the swamp. The boat determines how many bonus spins you get, usually between 5 and 8. Once you’ve picked your total number of spins, you have to pick which tree to look behind for a gator. Each tree has a different multiplier amount.

During your bonus rounds, you can’t lose. You won’t always win, but every game is, at minimum, a push result. The top payout on the game is 750 credits.

Ultimate X Video Poker

I’m not sure why, but Ultimate X shows up in big numbers at all the Louisiana casinos. Harrah’s has like 12 of these machines all set up together in three rows right by the smoker’s porch. For some reason, Louisiana gamblers love this game.

In Ultimate X, a bonus multiplier is awarded to each hand that ends in a win. The multiplier you win is determined by the game’s paytable. The catch here is that your multiplier is applied to your next hand, not to the one that won the bonus.

I’m not sure of the odds associated with multiplying wins on later hands, but I know that the game designers are smart for handing out multipliers for wins that may not occur. Still, if you’re into video poker variants, this is a popular choice, mostly because it adds a new element to familiar games.

In Summary

Video poker players in Louisiana should check out the best the state has to offer – currently available at Golden Nugget Lake Charles, L’Auberge Lake Charles, and Harrah’s New Orleans. While you’re there, check out the best video poker games available statewide – Hot Roll Poker, Louisiana Tree Shaker, and Ultimate X Video Poker.

Did I miss an awesome Louisiana video poker game or casino? Let me know in the comments, and I’ll be happy to expand my coverage to include new information.