In the beginning software providers introduced variants with different pay tables in order to make their video poker games stand out from the pack. Then Microgaming created different formats of video poker like Level Up Poker and Reel Play Poker. WagerWorks has always been known as an innovative software provider and it has chosen another route in order to differentiate its video poker variants from others. WagerWorks has introduced thematic elements in the environment in which the video poker games are played online.

The Wild West is a popular theme. It is also associated with card play in the saloons of frontier towns. One range of WagerWorks video poker variants is sub titled Lucky Draw and it epitomizes the Wild West theme. A number of graphics are used in the background to create this theme. The game logo is a sheriff’s star shaped badge with Lucky Draw written in it. The cards are displayed on a wooden planked wall common in western towns. The pay table is like a Wanted poster pinned to this wall. The games’ description says, “… born of the wild west when guns were fast, and the stakes were high.” The video poker variants offered by WagerWorks in the Lucky Draw range are Bonus Poker, Joker Poker and Jacks or Better. These are multi hand games with players being able to wager on up to four hands at a time. The games are played in the usual manner.

The second range of WagerWorks video poker variants is subtitled Phantom Belle. The cards are not displayed vertically as is the practice in online video poker games. They are dealt on a card table in a 3-D view and this enables the development of the theme. The table is set in a dimly lit casino. The cards are dealt from a pack by the gloved hands of an otherwise invisible phantom dealer. The same three video poker variants are offered in the Phantom Belle range. Unlike in the Lucky Draw range, the Phantom Belle range offers only single hand video poker games. There is a third range of WagerWorks video poker games, but this one is not thematic in content. The three video poker variants are offered in the ten hand format, and therefore this range has been named Ten Play.

The video poker variants of WagerWorks have some distinctive games features as well, both in omission and commission. One feature that is present in the video poker games of most software providers is Auto Hold. This feature automatically puts on hold the cards in the dealt hand that form a winning combination and result in a payout. This feature prevents players from discarding such cards inadvertently and losing on payouts. New players find comfort in this feature. However, the challenge is to play without this help and many players at online casinos disable such features. The WagerWorks video poker games do not offer Auto Hold.

Following the practice prevalent in video poker games, the WagerWorks variants allow players to wager up to five coins per hand. However, WagerWorks video poker variants do not show five pay tables, but the single pay table automatically adjusts to display the payouts for the number of coins wagered. The WagerWorks video poker variants have a turbo feature. When this feature is activated the card dealing animations are not followed and the cards instantly appear on the screen.

WagerWorks video poker variants can be played at Virgin Casino and other online casinos that access WagerWorks titles from its remote gaming server.