Video Poker is a beloved game that usually will be enjoyed in casinos all over the world, or alternatively at home on your computer, through a web account. The rules are very straightforward and consist of the player attempting to achieve the highest combination of cards achievable in order to come away with cash. In this respect it is much the same as a regular game of poker, minus the involvement with any other players. Of course, methods used in a real-life game of poker, like tricking, will be irrelevant in Video Poker.
The game of Electronic Poker starts when the gambler inserts credits (whether it’s tokens, tickets or money) into the machine and pushes the play button. A five card hand will be "handed out" on the video screen.
The Video Poker machine also has buttons with ‘hold’ printed on them, and gamblers should now decide which cards to hold and which to discard. For the cards the gambler wishes to keep, the ‘hold’ buttons need to be pressed so that they light up. The player can choose to keep any number of cards they want, from all to none.
After the bettor has selected which cards he or she wishes to keep, they should press ‘draw’, at which point any new cards are needed they will be given out. The round is now completed, with the Electronic Poker machine analyzing the cards to see if it is the same as any of the winning hands printed on the payout schedule.
Normally, the lowest succeeding hand on an Electronic Poker machine is a pair of jacks with the award money getting larger for each and every 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, 4 of a kinds, straight flushes and last but not least royal flushes. It goes without saying that the payment schedule can range from game to game, so that knowledgeable enthusiasts are able to select the most profitable machine each time.
After the initial round has played out, the player can either choose to remain on and try to to maximize their earnings, or press the ‘collect’ button to cash out any money that might have been won. Additionally, some versions of the game give the enthusiast an opportunity to double their wins, in which case a further round is played. There are also differences among specific machines, with some virtual decks having wild cards and other differing aspects to enhance playability.