Video Poker is a popular game that is able to be bet on in casinos across the world, or alternatively at home on your home computer, using a web connection. The rules are very straightforward and consist of the player trying to get the best mixture of cards possible in order to win money. On this account it’s much the same as a normal game of poker, minus the interaction with other players. Of course, methods used in a real-life game of poker, such as tricking, will be useless here.
The game of Video Poker begins when the enthusiast puts credits (either tokens, credit slips or cash) into the machine and presses the draw button. A 5 card hand will then be electronically ‘given out’ on the screen.
The Electronic Poker machine also has hold buttons, and enthusiasts should now choose which cards to hold and which to throw away. For the cards the enthusiast would like to keep, the ‘hold’ buttons need to be pressed so that they light up. The player can choose to keep any amount of cards they wish, from all to none.
After the bettor has decided on which cards he or she would like to keep, the player will then press ‘deal’, at which point any new cards are needed they will be handed out. The round is now completed, with the Video Poker machine analyzing the cards to see if it matches any of the winning hands printed on the pay out schedule.
Normally, the minimum winning hand on an Electronic Poker machine is a pair of jacks with the prize money getting larger for each better hand. A list of common winning hands begins with jacks or better, and moves on to 2 pairs, three of a kinds, straights, flushes, full houses, 4 of a kinds, straight flushes and last but not least royal flushes. It should be known that the payment schedule can change from game to game, so that experienced enthusiasts are agile enough to choose the most profitable machine each and every instance.
As soon as the initial round has finished, the player can either choose to remain on and try to to increase their winnings, or press the ‘collect’ button to cash out any money that they may have won. Additionally, some versions of the game give the gambler an opportunity to increase their wins, in which instance another game is played. There are also differences among individual games, with some decks of cards including wild cards and other differing aspects to enhance playability.