Video Poker is a beloved game that can be gambled on in casinos across the globe, or alternatively at home on your home computer, through a web connection. The game rules are very simple and involve the player trying to get the highest assemblage of cards achievable in order to acquire cash. In this respect it’s much the same as a regular game of poker, apart from the interaction with any other players. Of course, tactics used in a physical game of poker, like bluffing, will be useless in Video Poker.
The game of Video Poker begins when the bettor puts credits (whether it is tokens, tickets or cash) into the video poker machine and pushes the draw button. A hand of 5 cards will be electronically ‘handed out’ on the video screen.
The Electronic Poker machine also has buttons with ‘hold’ printed on them, and enthusiasts will need to now pick which cards to hold and which to discard. For the cards the bettor wishes to retain, the ‘hold’ buttons must be pressed so that they light up. The player can decide to keep any number of cards they wish, from all to none.
After the bettor has decided on which cards he or she wishes to retain, the player will then press ‘draw’, which will mean that any fresh 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 shown on the payout schedule.
Typically, the lowest winning hand on an Electronic Poker machine is a pair of jacks with the prize money growing for each and every better hand. A common list of winning hands starts with jacks or better, moving 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 change from game to game, so that experienced enthusiasts are able to select the most profitable machine every time.
After the initial round has played out, the player can either choose to continue on in an attempt to increase their winnings, or they can press the ‘collect’ button to cash out any credits that might been won. Additionally, a few versions of the game give the bettor a chance to double their wins, in which instance a further game is played. There are also variations between specific machines, with some decks of cards having wild cards and other varying elements to increase playability.