Video Poker is a favored game that can be enjoyed in casinos around the world, or in your house on your computer, using a web connection. The game rules are absolutely simple and consist of the player attempting to get the best combination of cards possible in order to come away with money. In this respect it is very similar as a classic game of poker, without the line of contact with competing players. Of course, methods employed during a real-life game of poker, such as tricking, will be useless here.
The game of Video Poker begins when the gambler puts credits (whether it’s tokens, tickets or money) into the machine and presses the draw button. A five card hand will then be "given out" on the screen.
The Video Poker game also has buttons with ‘hold’ printed on them, and enthusiasts will need to now pick which cards to keep and which to throw away. For the cards the gambler would like to retain, the ‘hold’ buttons need to be pressed so that they illuminate. The player can choose to keep any number of cards they want, from all to none.
After the bettor has decided on which cards he wishes to keep, they should press ‘draw’, which will mean that any fresh cards are needed they will be given out. The game is now completed, with the Electronic Poker machine analyzing the hand to see if it matches any of the winning hands printed on the payment schedule.
Normally, the minimum succeeding hand on a Video Poker machine is a pair of jacks with the prize money increasing for each better hand. A list of common winning hands begins with jacks or better, moving on to two pairs, 3 of a kinds, straights, flushes, full houses, four of a kinds, straight flushes and finally royal flushes. It goes without saying that the payout schedule can vary from game to game, so that experienced enthusiasts are able to select the most profitable machine each instance.
As soon as the initial round has played out, the player can either decide to remain on and try to to maximize their winnings, or press the ‘collect’ button to retrieve any cash that they may have won. Further, several styles of the game give the bettor a chance to double their profits, in which case another round is played. There are also differences between individual games, with some virtual decks including wild cards and other varying elements to increase playability.