Video Poker is a beloved game that is able to be bet on in casinos across the world, or in your house on your computer, using a web account. The game rules are very straightforward and involve the player trying to achieve the best combination of cards possible in order to win money. On this account it’s much the same as a regular game of poker, without the interaction with any other players. Of course, tactics employed during a physical game of poker, like tricking, will be irrelevant here.
The game of Electronic Poker begins when the player puts credits (whether it’s tokens, tickets or money) into the video poker machine and presses the draw button. A hand of 5 cards will then be electronically ‘handed out’ on the video screen.
The Video Poker machine also has buttons with ‘hold’ written on them, and players will need to now pick which cards to keep and which to throw away. For the cards the player wishes to retain, the ‘hold’ buttons need to be pressed so that they illuminate. The player can decide to keep any number of cards they want, from all to none.
After the gambler has decided on which cards he or she wishes to retain, the player will then press ‘deal’, at which point any new cards are needed they will be dealt. The round is now completed, with the Video Poker machine analyzing the cards to see if it is the same as any of the winning hands printed on the payment schedule.
Normally, the minimum winning hand on a Video Poker machine is a pair of jacks with the award money getting larger for each 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, 4 of a kinds, straight flushes and last but not least royal flushes. It should be known that the payout schedule can vary from game to game, so that discerning players are agile enough to pick the most money-making game each and every time.
As soon as the first round has played out, the player can either decide to stay on in an attempt to increase their winnings, or they can press the ‘collect’ button to retrieve any money that might have been won. Further, some styles of the game allow the gambler an opportunity to double their winnings, in which instance a further game is played. There are also differences among specific games, with some decks of cards having wild cards and other differing aspects to increase playability.