Video Poker is a beloved game that can be enjoyed in casinos all over the world, or alternatively at your house on your PC, through a web connection. The game rules are very simple and involve the player attempting to achieve the best combination of cards possible in order to win cash. In this respect it is very similar as a normal game of poker, apart from the line of contact with any other players. Of course, methods employed during a physical game of poker, such as tricking, will be irrelevant here.
The game of Video Poker starts when the gambler inserts credits (either tokens, credit slips or money) into the machine and pushes the draw button. A hand of five cards will be electronically ‘distributed’ on the video screen.
The Electronic Poker machine also has hold buttons, and gamblers will need to now pick which cards to hold and which to throw away. For the cards the bettor would like to keep, the ‘hold’ buttons should be pressed so that they illuminate. The player can choose to keep any number of cards they wish, from all to none.
After the player has selected which cards he or she wishes to retain, the player will then press ‘deal’, which will mean that any fresh cards will be needed they will be handed out. The hand is now completed, with the Electronic Poker machine scanning the cards to see if it matches any of the winning hands listed in the payout schedule.
Typically, the minimum succeeding hand on a Video Poker machine is a pair of jacks with the award money growing for each and every better hand. A list of common winning hands begins with jacks or better, and moves on to two pairs, three of a kinds, straights, flushes, full houses, four of a kinds, straight flushes and finally royal flushes. It definitely goes without saying that the pay out schedule can vary from game to game, so that skillful enthusiasts are able to select the most profitable game each time.
After the first round has played out, the player can either choose to stay on and try to to maximize their earnings, or they can press the ‘collect’ button to retrieve any credits that they may have won. Additionally, several versions of the game allow the player a chance to increase their winnings, in which situation another round is played. There are also differences among individual games, with some decks of cards including wild cards and other differing characteristics to increase playability.