Electronic Poker is a beloved game that is able to be wagered on in casinos across the world, or alternatively at your house on your computer, through an Internet connection. The rules are absolutely simple and involve the player trying to get the best combination of cards possible in order to acquire money. In this respect it is much the same as a classic game of poker, apart from the involvement with competing players. Of course, techniques employed during a real-life game of poker, like bluffing, will be irrelevant in Video Poker.
The game of Video Poker starts when the bettor inserts credits (whether it’s tokens, credit slips or cash) into the machine and presses the deal button. A hand of five cards will be "distributed" on the video screen.
The Video Poker machine also has hold buttons, and players should now choose which cards to keep and which to throw away. For the cards the bettor wishes to keep, the ‘hold’ buttons need to be pressed so that they light up. The player can choose to keep any number of cards they want, whether it is all or none.
After the player has decided on which cards he wishes to keep, they should press ‘deal’, which will mean that any fresh cards will be handed out if desired. The round is now completed, with the Video Poker machine scanning the cards to see if it matches any of the winning hands shown on the payment schedule.
Generally, the lowest succeeding hand on a Video Poker machine is a pair of jacks with the prize money increasing for each better hand. A list of common winning hands begins with jacks or better, and moves on to two pairs, 3 of a kinds, straights, flushes, full houses, 4 of a kinds, straight flushes and finally royal flushes. It definitely goes without saying that the pay out schedule can vary from game to game, so that skillful enthusiasts are able to pick the most money-making machine each instance.
As soon as the first round has completed, the player can either decide to continue on in an attempt to increase their winnings, or they can press the ‘collect’ button to retrieve any money that they may have won. Additionally, a few styles of the game give the gambler an opportunity to double their winnings, in which situation a further hand is played. There are also variations between individual games, with some virtual decks including wild cards and other varying characteristics to increase playability.