Video Poker is a popular game that can be gambled on in casinos throughout the world, or alternatively at your house on your personal computer, using a net account. The game rules are absolutely straightforward and consist of the player trying to get the best mixture of cards achievable in order to win cash. In this respect it is very similar as a normal game of poker, apart from the interaction with competing players. Of course, methods employed during a physical game of poker, like tricking, will be irrelevant in Video Poker.
The game of Video Poker begins when the bettor inserts credits (whether it’s tokens, tickets or cash) into the video poker machine and pushes the deal button. A hand of 5 cards will then be electronically ‘handed out’ on the screen.
The Video Poker machine also has hold buttons, and gamblers will need to now pick which cards to hold and which to discard. For the cards the bettor 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, whether it is all or none.
After the bettor has decided on which cards she would like to retain, the player will then press ‘draw’, at which point any new cards will be given out if desired. The hand is now finished, with the Video Poker machine scanning the hand to see if it is the same as any of the winning hands shown on the pay out schedule.
Generally, the lowest succeeding hand on an Electronic Poker machine is a pair of jacks with the prize money getting larger for each and every better hand. A list of common winning hands starts 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 goes without saying that the pay out schedule can vary from game to game, so that knowledgeable enthusiasts are agile enough to select the most beneficial machine each time.
After the first round has completed, the player can either decide to stay on and try to to maximize their winnings, or press the ‘collect’ button to cash out any credits that they may have won. Further, several styles of the game give the gambler an opportunity to double their winnings, in which instance a further game is played. There are also variations between individual games, with some virtual decks including wild cards and other differing aspects to increase playability.