Video Poker is a popular game that can be bet on in casinos around the globe, or in your house on your computer, using an Internet connection. The game rules are very straightforward and involve the player trying to get the best combination of cards possible in order to come away with cash. In this respect it is very similar as a classic game of poker, minus the interaction with competing players. Of course, techniques used in a real-life game of poker, such as bluffing, will be useless here.
The game of Video Poker begins when the gambler inserts credits (whether it’s tokens, tickets or cash) into the video poker machine and presses the play button. A five card hand will be electronically ‘distributed’ on the video screen.
The Electronic Poker game also has buttons with ‘hold’ written on them, and enthusiasts should now decide which cards to keep and which to discard. For the cards the bettor wishes to keep, the ‘hold’ buttons must be pressed so that they light up. The player can choose to keep any amount of cards they want, whether it is all or none.
After the bettor has chosen which cards he wishes to retain, the player will then press ‘deal’, at which point any new cards will be dealt if desired. The round is now finished, with the Video Poker machine analyzing the cards to see if it is the same as any of the winning hands listed in the payout schedule.
Generally, the minimum winning hand on an Electronic Poker machine is a pair of jacks with the prize money growing for each better hand. A common list of winning hands begins with jacks or better, moving 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 definitely goes without saying that the payment schedule can range from game to game, so that skillful enthusiasts are agile enough to pick the most money-making game each time.
As soon as the first round has finished, the player can either choose to remain on and try to to maximize their winnings, or press the ‘collect’ button to retrieve any cash that they may have won. Further, a few versions of the game give the bettor an opportunity to increase their profits, in which case a further hand is played. There are also differences between individual games, with some decks of cards having wild cards and other differing elements to enhance playability.