Video Poker is a beloved game that is able to be played in casinos around the world, or alternatively at home on your home computer, through a web connection. The game rules are very simple and consist of the player attempting to achieve the best assemblage of cards achievable in order to acquire money. On this account it’s very similar as a normal game of poker, apart from the interaction with other players. Of course, methods used in a physical game of poker, like bluffing, will be irrelevant in Video Poker.
The game of Video Poker starts when the bettor inserts credits (either tokens, tickets or cash) into the video poker machine and pushes the draw button. A hand of five cards will then be electronically ‘dealt’ on the screen.
The Electronic Poker machine also has hold buttons, and players should now decide which cards to hold and which to discard. For the cards the gambler wishes to retain, the ‘hold’ buttons must 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 player has decided on which cards he or she wishes to keep, the player will then press ‘deal’, which will mean that any new cards are given out if desired. The round is now completed, with the Video Poker machine scanning the cards to see if it is the same as any of the winning hands printed on the payout schedule.
Normally, the lowest winning hand on an Electronic Poker machine is a pair of jacks with the award money increasing for each better hand. A common list of winning hands starts with jacks or better, and moves on to 2 pairs, 3 of a kinds, straights, flushes, full houses, four of a kinds, straight flushes and last but not least royal flushes. It should be known that the payment schedule can change from machine to machine, so that knowledgeable players are agile enough to pick the most profitable machine every instance.
After the initial round has finished, the player can either decide to continue on and try to to increase their winnings, or they can 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 wins, in which situation another game is played. There are also variations among specific machines, with some decks of cards having wild cards and other differing aspects to increase playability.