Video Poker is a popular game that usually will be bet on in casinos across the world, or in your house on your computer, through a net connection. The rules are absolutely straightforward and consist of the player trying to achieve the best combination of cards achievable in order to acquire cash. In this respect it’s very similar as a classic game of poker, apart from the interaction with any other players. Of course, methods used in a real-life game of poker, like tricking, will be useless in Video Poker.
The game of Electronic Poker starts when the enthusiast inserts credits (either tokens, tickets or cash) into the machine and pushes the play button. A 5 card hand will then be "given out" on the video screen.
The Video Poker machine also has hold buttons, and enthusiasts will need to now choose which cards to hold and which to discard. For the cards the bettor wishes to keep, the ‘hold’ buttons should be pressed so that they illuminate. The player can choose to keep any amount of cards they want, whether it’s all or none.
After the enthusiast has decided on which cards he or she wishes to retain, the player will then press ‘draw’, which will mean that any fresh cards will be dealt if desired. The game is now completed, 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 getting larger for each and every better hand. A list of common winning hands starts with jacks or better, moving on to two pairs, 3 of a kinds, straights, flushes, full houses, four of a kinds, straight flushes and finally royal flushes. It goes without saying that the pay out schedule can vary from machine to machine, so that experienced enthusiasts are able to select the most money-making ones every instance.
After the first round has completed, the player can either decide to continue on in an attempt to increase their earnings, or they can press the ‘collect’ button to cash out any cash that they may have won. Additionally, some versions of the game allow the enthusiast an opportunity to double their wins, in which case a further game is played. There are also variations between specific machines, with some virtual decks having wild cards and other varying characteristics to increase playability.