Video Poker is a popular game that is able to be enjoyed in casinos around the world, or in your house on your personal computer, through an Internet connection. The regulations are absolutely simple and involve the player trying to achieve the highest combination of cards achievable in order to come away with cash. In this respect it’s very similar as a classic game of poker, without the involvement with other players. Of course, methods used in a real-life game of poker, such as bluffing, will be irrelevant here.
The game of Video Poker starts when the player puts credits (either tokens, tickets or money) into the machine and pushes the draw button. A five card hand will then be "given out" on the video screen.
The Electronic Poker machine also has buttons with ‘hold’ written on them, and gamblers will need to now decide which cards to keep and which to discard. For the cards the bettor would like to keep, the ‘hold’ buttons must be pressed so that they light up. The player can decide to keep any amount of cards they wish, from all to none.
After the bettor has chosen which cards he would like to keep, they should press ‘deal’, which will mean that any new cards are needed they will be given out. The round is now finished, with the Video Poker machine scanning the cards to see if it matches any of the winning hands shown on the payout schedule.
Typically, the minimum winning hand on a Video 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 begins with jacks or better, and moves on to 2 pairs, three 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 machine to machine, so that discerning bettors are able to select the most profitable game every time.
After the initial round has played out, the player can either choose to remain on in an attempt to maximize their earnings, or press the ‘collect’ button to retrieve any credits that might been won. Further, some styles of the game allow the gambler an opportunity to double their wins, in which case another hand is played. There are also variations between individual games, with some virtual decks including wild cards and other differing elements to enhance playability.