Video Poker is a popular game that can be bet on in casinos around the globe, or alternatively at home on your home computer, through an Internet connection. The rules are very simple and consist of the player trying to get the best combination of cards possible in order to acquire money. On this account it is very similar as a classic game of poker, minus the interaction with competing players. Of course, methods employed during a physical game of poker, like bluffing, will be irrelevant here.
The game of Electronic Poker begins when the gambler puts credits (either tokens, tickets or money) into the video poker machine and pushes the play button. A hand of 5 cards will then be "dealt" on the video screen.
The Electronic Poker machine also has buttons with ‘hold’ printed on them, and enthusiasts will need to now decide which cards to keep and which to discard. For the cards the enthusiast would like to retain, the ‘hold’ buttons should be pressed so that they light up. The player can decide to keep any amount of cards they want, from all to none.
After the enthusiast has selected which cards she wishes to keep, the player will then press ‘draw’, at which point any new cards are given out if desired. The hand is now finished, with the Video Poker machine analyzing the hand to see if it is the same as any of the winning hands shown on the payment schedule.
Normally, the minimum succeeding hand on an Electronic Poker machine is a pair of jacks with the prize money increasing for each and every better hand. A list of common winning hands begins 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 goes without saying that the payout schedule can vary from game to game, so that knowledgeable players are able to choose the most money-making machine every instance.
After the initial round has played out, the player can either decide to remain on in an attempt to increase their winnings, or they can press the ‘collect’ button to cash out any credits that they may have won. Additionally, several versions of the game give the gambler a chance to double their profits, in which situation a further game is played. There are also variations among specific games, with some decks of cards including wild cards and other varying aspects to enhance playability.