Video Poker is a beloved game that can be played in casinos across the globe, or in your house on your personal computer, through an Internet connection. The game rules are very simple and consist of the player attempting to achieve the greatest mixture of cards as you can in order to come away with cash. In this respect it is much the same as a regular game of poker, minus the interaction with any other players. Of course, tactics employed during a physical game of poker, such as tricking, will be irrelevant in Video Poker.
The game of Video Poker starts when the player inserts credits (whether it’s tokens, tickets or cash) into the machine and pushes the play button. A 5 card hand will then be electronically ‘handed out’ on the video screen.
The Electronic Poker machine also has buttons with ‘hold’ printed on them, and bettors should now choose which cards to hold and which to throw away. For the cards the gambler wishes to retain, the ‘hold’ buttons must be pressed so that they illuminate. The player can decide to keep any amount of cards they wish, from all to none.
After the player has selected which cards he would like to keep, the player will then press ‘draw’, at which point any new cards are dealt if desired. The round is now finished, with the Electronic Poker machine analyzing the cards to see if it is the same as any of the winning hands shown on the payment schedule.
Normally, the lowest winning hand on an Electronic Poker machine is a pair of jacks with the award money growing for each better hand. A list of common winning hands starts with jacks or better, moving on to two 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 payout schedule can change from game to game, so that experienced bettors are agile enough to pick the most profitable ones each and every time.
After the first round has played out, the player can either decide to remain on in an attempt to increase their winnings, or press the ‘collect’ button to retrieve any credits that they may have won. Further, some versions of the game allow the gambler a chance to increase their profits, in which instance another round is played. There are also variations among individual machines, with some virtual decks including wild cards and other differing characteristics to increase playability.