RealTime Gaming was established more than 20 years ago as a small casino software company in Atlanta, Georgia, and today, it is considered as one of the pioneers in this industry. It does not have the largest collection of games, nor is it the most popular supplier of slots and table games for online casinos. At the same time, RealTime Gaming, abbreviated as RTG, offers entertaining, varied content that is preferred by many online players for being authentic and user-friendly.
Currently, RTG has a wide assortment of games – more than 130 video slots, different variations of blackjack, poker, and roulette, as well as bingo games and scratch cards. It also offers a great selection of single and multi-hand video poker variations that could be played for as little as $0.01 per round.
RealTime Gaming History and Overview
1Founding and Acquision by Hastings International
RealTime Gaming was founded in 1998, which makes them one of the first firms to create casino games and complete software solutions for the online gambling industry. Originally an American company from Atlanta, Georgia, RTG relocated to Heredia in Costa Rica in 2007.
That same year, it was acquired by Hastings International, a company based in Curacao, an island nation in the Dutch Caribbean region, around 40 miles north of the Venezuelan coast. Since then, RTG has signed with a large number of online casino operators, and today, hundreds of gaming sites are powered by its software.
2Welcoming US Players
In 2006 and 2007, many poker companies and online gambling operators exited the US market in the wake of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, which introduced multiple restrictions and tough regulations on the market. The piece of legislation, which later became widely known as the US anti-gambling law, however, did not affect RTG licensees – these operators were authorized to offer gambling products and services under the jurisdiction of Curacao.
The local regulator was much more liberal in its approach, which meant that many fraudulent companies were allowed to offer games to US players. At the same time, this meant that the only choice for online casino fans from the country was to play at RTG casinos. Today, the vast majority of casinos with a Curacao license comply with much stricter rules and standards for security and fairness.
RTG has remained the only software provider who supplies content to US-friendly casinos and for each game, it uses RNG software, which is audited by independent testing agencies. The use of an RNG or Random Number Generator guarantees that the games are fair and their outcome cannot be manipulated or predicted in any way.
3Gaming Portfolio
Similarly to most developers of online casino software, RTG focuses primarily on slots, constantly releasing new and exciting classic 3-reelers, modern video slots, and slots with progressive jackpots. While some of these games come with only basic features and average graphics quality, others are really entertaining and visually appealing with their crisp graphics, vivid animations, and fantastic bonus rounds.
Along with the slots, the gaming portfolio of RealTime Gaming contains a nice range of card and table games. The studio has digital versions of many casino classics such as blackjack, baccarat, roulette, poker, and craps. It has created even more games under the video poker category and players who visit an RTG-powered casino can choose from more than twenty single and multi-hand games.
RTG Video Poker Software and Features
RealTime Gaming provides Flash Casino, which allows the games to be opened instantly in-browser but its complete gaming collection is available via the downloadable Casino Client. Players will find the RTG video poker titles integrated into some existing platforms of larger operators. However, its games are more often offered by casinos fully powered by RTG. In the past few years, the studio is also focusing on its mobile offering, optimizing many of its slots and table games for iOS and Android devices.
Interestingly, many of the games by RTG have certain features that can be configured by the casino operator. For example, casinos can customize the number of decks and the Surrender feature in blackjack. In RTG video poker variations, casinos are free to change the paytables, which has a direct impact on the expected returns of the games.
Design and Layout
In terms of design and visual appearance, RTG does not offer the best graphics and the latest styles or looks. This is particularly true for its video poker variations. Compared to the games by other developers, RTG’s releases are quite vintage-looking and outdated. The classic design, however, is really neat and user-friendly.
The paytable is displayed in full on the top side of the screen. In the center, we can see the cards being dealt while below them, the main buttons of the game are located. Depending on the video poker variation, the Balance, Coins Played, Coin Denomination, and Credits Won may be located either in the right bottom corner or at the bottom of the screen. Overall, the layout of the games is clear and convenient, displaying the most important information on the main game screen.
Main Buttons
RTG’s video poker games are not equipped with many functions and features, which is why there is only a handful of buttons and menus visible. The main three buttons, namely Deal/Draw, Bet One, and Bet Max appear below the 5 cards we receive in each round. With Bet One, players can adjust the number of coins in play, while the Bet Max button bets the maximum 5 coins and automatically triggers a deal. It does not increase the coin denomination, however, which makes it a great tool for those who want to play more quickly.
Bet Size
In each variation of video poker by RTG, players are allowed to bet anything from 1 to 5 coins per hand. This applies to the multi-hand variations, as well. This is why adjusting the bet according to your individual bankroll is essential before starting to play for real money. In multi-hand video poker, the number of coins is multiplied by the number of active hands.
A good idea is to also carefully choose the coin size – most versions of video poker by RTG can be played in denominations from $0.01 to $5.00 but sometimes, the coins are available in higher denominations of up to $10 or even $100.
Double Up Feature
The single-play video poker by RTG has a Double Up feature, which is automatically triggered after each winning round. If players choose to Double Up, they gamble the amount they have just won in a simple card comparing game. It opens in a new screen and players are presented with four face-down cards, as well as one fae-up card, which is the dealer’s card. They must pick one of the four cards and if it is higher the dealer’s, they win and their winnings from the current round are doubled. If they lose, they lose the amount they have gambled.
Multi-Hand Play
Multi-hand video poker is preferred by many players and RTG offers several options here. Players can choose from 1, 3, 10, and 52-hand variations of most games, including Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, All American, etc. In these games, they can bet on more than 1 hand at the same time. This makes the gameplay much faster but players should consider the cost of each round.
The multi-hand variations feature interactive paytables – after each round, they show which and how many winning combinations have been formed. Of course, they also display the payout for each hand based on the number of coins that have been wagered.
Standard Rules in RTG Video Poker
Basic Rules
Paytables
Return Percentages
Video poker is an interesting and quite unique type of game – it comes in dozens of different variations but all of them are played under more or less the same rules. The video poker games by RealTime Gaming are no exception – they are almost identical in terms of rules and gameplay and the only major differences can be found in the paytables. Each game uses a single deck of 52 cards, which is shuffled after each round. The only exception is the addition of a Joker in a handful of games.
To win and receive a payout, players need to form a winning poker hand as shown in the paytable. This happens in two phases or two draws of cards – initially, they get 5 cards, which they can choose to keep or discard. When they click the Deal/Draw button, the second set of cards is dealt, replacing all discarded cards, and the winning combinations are determined.
In the most basic versions of video poker, the lowest-paying card is called Jacks or Better – it is a pair of Jacks or higher cards and it pays evenly 1:1. The top-paying combination is Royal Flush and for it, players can receive from 250 to 4,000 times their bet, depending on the number of coins they play with.
View more...The first thing to look at when you open a video poker variation is the paytable – it shows how the poker hands are ranked and how much they pay when players bet 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 coins. The strongest hand, Royal Flush, pays 250:1 on a 1-coin play and should offer 2,500:1 when 5 coins are wagered. However, in the standard Jacks or Better, this particular payout is 4,000:1, which is much higher.
Players should also pay attention to the payouts for Full House and Flush – typically, they pay 9 and 6 to 1 respectively but in some games, the payout that is offered is much poorer. Even the slightest change in the paytable affects the theoretical return of the game, so it is important to be able to determine which paytable is profitable and which one is not.
This is particularly important when it comes to RTG video poker since the paytables are configurable. For instance, you can find a wonderful 9/6 Jacks or Better but some casinos would offer only the low-pay, 8/5 version of the game.
View more...As we have explained above, the paytables are extremely important since they affect the returns of each video poker game. If we choose RTG’s 9/6 Jacks or Better, for instance, we will be playing the full-pay version of the game. It has a Return to Player of 99.54%, which is practically among the best RTP percentages for any type of casino game. In other words, the house edge for this variation is only 0.46%. The 8/5 Jacks or Better, however, is offered in many online casinos and its RTP is much lower at 97.29%.
View more...Intersting Video Poker Variations by RTG
Aces and Eights
Aces and Eights is a wonderful variation of video poker, which has higher payouts for four Aces and four 8s, hence the name of the game. RTG has created its own version of the game and it can be played in both single and multi-hand mode.
Along with the bonus payouts for these two types of Four of a Kind hands, this game also pays more for four 7s, while the payouts for Full House and Flush are lower at 8:1 and 5:1. Still, the expected return is very high at 99.78%. Instead of the 8/5 Aces and Eights, some casinos offer a 7/5 version, which has an RTP of only 98.63%. Here is the payout for the full-pay variation of Aces and Eights by RTG:
- Royal Flush – 250:1
- Straight Flush – 50:1
- 4 Aces or Eights – 80:1
- 4 Sevens – 50:1
- Other Four of a Kind – 25:1
- Full House – 8:1
- Flush – 5:1
- Straight – 4:1
- Three of a Kind – 3:1
- Two Pair – 2:1
- Jacks or Better – 1:1
Double Jackpot Poker
When opening an RTG casino, players should look for double Jackpot Poker. This game can be played as single-hand video poker or in multi-hand mode and both options offer an incredibly high RTP percentage – 99.63%. The game is a variation of the classic Aces and Faces video poker and it has no wild cards or Jokers. Instead, it offers bonus payouts for several specific hands, which requires applying a different strategy than the strategy for regular Jacks or Better game, for instance.
- Royal Flush – 250:1
- Straight Flush – 50:1
- 4 Aces with K/Q/J – 160:1
- 4 Aces – 80:1
- 4 K/Q/J with A/K/Q/J – 80:1
- 4 K/Q/J – 40:1
- 4 2-10 – 20:1
- Full House – 8:1
- Flush – 5:1
- Straight – 4:1
- Three of a Kind – 3:1
- Two Pair – 2:1
- Jacks or Better – 1:1
Loose Deuces
Loose Deuces is an interesting variation of the popular game Deuces Wild. Here, all Deuces (the 4 Twos) in the deck act as wild substitutes, which means they can substitute for any other card in winning combinations. Since forming a poker hand is easier due to the four wild cards in this variation of video poker, RTG balances out the paytable by not giving payouts for Jacks or Better and Two Pair.
The lowest-paying hand is Three of a Kind and it pays evenly. The top payout of 500:1 is received if players get 4 Deuces, followed by Royal Flush which offers 300:1. As a result of these changes in the paytable and the different odds, of course, the RTP is 99.07%.
- Royal Flush – 300:1
- 4 Deuces – 500:1
- Wild Royal Flush – 25:1
- 5 of a Kind – 15:1
- Straight Flush – 5:1
- Four of a Kind -4:1
- Full House – 3:1
- Flush – 2:1
- Straight – 2:1
- Three of a Kind – 1:1
Double Double Jackpot Poker
This variation of video poker by RTG is very similar to the Double Jackpot Poker but this game offers double payouts (160 to 1) for three different types of hands. Players should carefully consider all these special hands with Aces and face cards before developing a strategy. The theoretical RTP of this game is 99.36% if the casinos offer the full-pay version. The low-pay Double Double Jackpot Poker has a return of 98.95%, which is still quite high compared to the RTP in most casino games. Let’s see the full-pay paytable for this variation of video poker:
- Royal Flush – 250:1
- Straight Flush – 50:1
- 4 Aces with K/Q/J – 160:1
- 4 Aces – 160:1
- 4 K/Q/J with A/K/Q/J – 160:1
- 4 K/Q/J – 80:1
- 4 2-10 – 50:1
- Full House – 9:1
- Flush – 6:1
- Straight – 5:1
- Three of a Kind – 3:1
- Two Pair – 1:1
- Jacks or Better – 1:1
All American
Another wonderful video poker game by RealTime Gaming is All American. Players can open the single-hand version or bet on up 52 hands at a time. In both instances, the game is played under the standard rules of video poker and the lowest-paying combination is a pair of Jacks. However, players receive more than they would in a regular Jacks or Better for Straight Flush, Flush and Straight. Players who find the full-pay version of this game will be offered an RTP of 99.60%, while the low-pay All American by RTG has a return of 99.49%. The only difference is the Four of a Kind hand, which may pay 30:1 in some casinos:
- Royal Flush – 250:1
- Straight Flush – 200:1
- Four of a Kind – 35:1
- Full House – 8:1
- Flush – 8:1
- Straight – 8:1
- Three of a Kind – 3:1
- Two Pair – 1:1
- Jacks or Better – 1:1
Bonus Deuces Wild
RealTime Gaming has been quite creative with its collection of video poker games. Although most of them are based on the same rules and payouts, they are, indeed, quite different when we compare their returns and the strategies we need to apply to each of them. Bonus Deuces Wild is a great example – it is a variation of the classic Deuces Wild and it features wild Twos.
It pays more for several poker hands, however. Of course, these are nearly all possible combinations with Deuces. The RTP of the full-pay version of Bonus Deuces Wild is 99.45% but most casinos offer a slightly different variation – rather than paying 9 to 1 for Straight Flush, it offers 8 to 1. A s a result, the expected return is 99.06%. The full-pay version is always preferred, of course:
- Royal Flush – 800:1
- 4 Deuces with A – 400:1
- 4 Deuces – 200:1
- Wild Royal Flush – 25:1
- 5 Aces – 80:1
- 5 3/4/5 – 40:1
- 5 6-K – 20:1
- Straight Flush – 8:1
- 4 of a Kind – 4:1
- Full House 4:1
- Flush – 3:1
- Straight – 1:1
- Three of a Kind – 1:1
Aces & Eights Summary
Aces & Eights | |
---|---|
Wild Cards | No |
Bet Limits | €0.05 – €5 per hand |
Number of Hands | 1 |
Max Payout | 4,000 coins |
Gamble Feature | No |
House Edge | 0.22% (8/5 version) |
Double Jackpot Poker Summary
Double Jackpot Poker | |
---|---|
Wild Cards | No |
Bet Limits | €0.05 – €5 per hand |
Number of Hands | 1 |
Max Payout | 4,000 coins |
Gamble Feature | No |
House Edge | 0.37% |
Loose Deuces Summary
Loose Deuces | |
---|---|
Wild Cards | All deuces in deck |
Bet Limits | €0.05 – €5 per hand |
Number of Hands | 1 |
Max Payout | 4,000 coins |
Gamble Feature | No |
House Edge | 0.93% |
Double Double Jackpot Poker Summary
Double Double Jackpot Poker | |
---|---|
Wild Cards | No |
Bet Limits | €0.05 – €5 per hand |
Number of Hands | 1 |
Max Payout | 4,000 coins |
Gamble Feature | Yes |
House Edge | 0.64% (for full-pay version) |
All American Summary
All American | |
---|---|
Wild Cards | No |
Bet Limits | €0.05 – €5 per hand |
Number of Hands | 1 |
Max Payout | 4,000 coins |
Gamble Feature | Yes |
House Edge | 0.4% (for full-pay version) |
Bonus Deuces Wild Summary
Bonus Deuces Wild | |
---|---|
Wild Cards | All deuces in deck |
Bet Limits | €0.05 – €5 per hand |
Number of Hands | 1 |
Max Payout | 4,000 coins |
Gamble Feature | No |
House Edge | 0.55% (for full-pay version) |