Video Poker is a popular game that is able to be enjoyed in casinos all over the globe, or alternatively at home on your home computer, using an Internet connection. The regulations are very simple and consist of the player trying to achieve the greatest mixture of cards as you can in order to win cash. In this respect it is very similar as a classic game of poker, apart from the interaction with any other players. Of course, methods used in a physical game of poker, like tricking, will be irrelevant here.
The game of Electronic Poker starts when the bettor inserts credits (either tokens, tickets or cash) into the video poker machine and presses the draw button. A five card hand will then be electronically ‘distributed’ on the video screen.
The Video Poker game also has hold buttons, and bettors should now decide which cards to hold and which to discard. For the cards the enthusiast would like to keep, the ‘hold’ buttons need to be pressed so that they illuminate. The player can choose to keep any amount of cards they wish, from all to none.
After the bettor has chosen which cards he wishes to retain, the player will then press ‘draw’, at which point any fresh cards will be given out if desired. The round is now finished, with the Video Poker machine scanning the hand to see if it matches any of the winning hands shown on the payment schedule.
Typically, the lowest winning hand on a Video Poker machine is a pair of jacks with the prize money getting larger for each and every better hand. A common list of winning hands begins with jacks or better, moving on to 2 pairs, three of a kinds, straights, flushes, full houses, four of a kinds, straight flushes and last but not least royal flushes. It is obvious that the payment schedule can range from game to game, so that discerning bettors are able to choose the most profitable machine each and every instance.
As soon as the initial round has completed, the player can either decide to stay on in an attempt to maximize their winnings, or press the ‘collect’ button to cash out any money that they may have won. Further, several versions of the game give the player an opportunity to increase their winnings, in which instance another round is played. There are also variations among specific games, with some decks of cards including wild cards and other differing aspects to increase playability.