Video Poker is a beloved game that usually will be enjoyed in casinos across the globe, or alternatively at your house on your computer, using a web connection. The rules are very straightforward and involve the player attempting to get the greatest mixture of cards possible in order to come away with cash. In this respect it’s very similar as a classic game of poker, minus the interaction with other players. Of course, methods employed during a physical game of poker, such as tricking, will be useless here.
The game of Video Poker starts when the gambler puts credits (whether it is tokens, tickets or money) into the video poker machine and presses the draw button. A 5 card hand will be electronically ‘distributed’ on the video screen.
The Video Poker game also has buttons with ‘hold’ written on them, and enthusiasts will need to now choose which cards to hold and which to throw away. For the cards the enthusiast wishes to retain, the ‘hold’ buttons need to be pressed so that they illuminate. The player can decide to keep any amount of cards they want, whether it is all or none.
After the gambler has chosen which cards he would like to keep, they should press ‘draw’, which will mean that any new cards are needed they will be handed out. The game is now finished, with the Electronic Poker machine scanning the cards to see if it matches any of the winning hands printed on the payment schedule.
Generally, the minimum winning hand on a Video Poker machine is a pair of jacks with the award money growing for each better hand. A list of common winning hands starts with jacks or better, and moves on to 2 pairs, 3 of a kinds, straights, flushes, full houses, four of a kinds, straight flushes and finally royal flushes. It definitely goes without saying that the payout schedule can change from machine to machine, so that experienced bettors are able to select the most profitable ones each time.
As soon as the first round has played out, the player can either choose to remain on in an attempt to increase their winnings, or they can press the ‘collect’ button to retrieve any cash that has been won. Further, a few styles of the game give the gambler a chance to increase their profits, in which instance another hand is played. There are also variations between individual machines, with some virtual decks having wild cards and other differing elements to enhance playability.