Electronic Poker is a popular game that can be played in casinos all over the globe, or alternatively at home on your computer, using a web account. The rules are absolutely simple and involve the player trying to achieve the highest mixture of cards possible in order to come away with cash. In this respect it is very similar as a normal game of poker, apart from the line of contact with competing players. Of course, methods used in a real-life game of poker, such as tricking, will be irrelevant here.
The game of Video Poker starts when the player inserts credits (whether it is tokens, tickets or money) into the video poker machine and presses the deal button. A five card hand will then be electronically ‘dealt’ on the screen.
The Electronic Poker machine also has hold buttons, and bettors will need to now decide which cards to keep and which to discard. For the cards the player would like to retain, 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’s all or none.
After the bettor has selected which cards she wishes to keep, the player will then press ‘deal’, at which point any new cards will be given out if desired. The hand is now finished, with the Electronic Poker machine scanning the cards to see if it is the same as any of the winning hands printed on the payout schedule.
Normally, the lowest winning hand on a Video Poker machine is a pair of jacks with the prize money getting larger for each better hand. A list of common winning hands begins with jacks or better, moving on to two pairs, 3 of a kinds, straights, flushes, full houses, four of a kinds, straight flushes and last but not least royal flushes. It is obvious that the payout schedule can range from machine to machine, so that knowledgeable players are able to select the most profitable ones each and every instance.
Once the first round has completed, the player can either decide to stay on in an attempt to maximize their winnings, or they can press the ‘collect’ button to retrieve any cash that might have been won. Further, several versions of the game allow the player a chance to double their winnings, in which case a further hand is played. There are also variations among specific games, with some virtual decks including wild cards and other varying elements to enhance playability.