Video Poker is a beloved game that usually will be bet on in casinos across the world, or alternatively at your house on your PC, through a net connection. The game rules are absolutely simple and consist of the player trying to achieve the highest combination of cards achievable in order to acquire cash. In this respect it’s much the same as a regular game of poker, without the involvement with competing players. Of course, techniques employed during a physical game of poker, such as bluffing, will be useless here.
The game of Electronic Poker starts when the bettor inserts credits (whether it’s tokens, tickets or cash) into the machine and pushes the play button. A five card hand will then be electronically ‘handed out’ on the screen.
The Video Poker machine also has hold buttons, and players will need to now choose which cards to keep 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 wish, from all to none.
After the player has selected which cards he wishes to keep, they should press ‘deal’, at which point any fresh cards will be needed they will be given out. The round is now completed, with the Video Poker machine analyzing the hand to see if it matches any of the winning hands printed on the pay out schedule.
Typically, the minimum winning hand on a Video Poker machine is a pair of jacks with the award money getting larger for each and every 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 finally royal flushes. It goes without saying that the payment schedule can range from game to game, so that discerning bettors are agile enough to select the most money-making game every time.
As soon as the first round has finished, the player can either decide to remain on in an attempt to increase their winnings, or press the ‘collect’ button to retrieve any cash that might have been won. Additionally, several versions of the game allow the gambler a chance to double their profits, in which case another hand is played. There are also variations between specific games, with some decks of cards including wild cards and other differing elements to increase playability.