Video Poker is a beloved game that can be enjoyed in casinos across the world, or in your house on your PC, through a net connection. The regulations are very simple and consist of the player attempting to get the greatest mixture of cards possible in order to come away with cash. In this respect it is very similar as a regular game of poker, apart from the interaction with competing players. Of course, methods employed during a physical game of poker, such as tricking, will be irrelevant here.
The game of Electronic Poker begins when the player inserts credits (whether it is tokens, credit slips or cash) into the machine and pushes the deal button. A 5 card hand will be "dealt" on the video screen.
The Electronic Poker game also has hold buttons, and enthusiasts should now choose which cards to hold and which to discard. For the cards the player would like to retain, the ‘hold’ buttons need to be pressed so that they light up. The player can choose to keep any number of cards they wish, whether it’s all or none.
After the enthusiast has selected which cards he wishes to retain, they should press ‘draw’, which will mean that any new cards are needed they will be handed out. The hand is now completed, with the Video Poker machine analyzing the cards to see if it matches any of the winning hands printed on the payout schedule.
Typically, the minimum succeeding hand on an Electronic Poker machine is a pair of jacks with the prize money increasing for each better hand. A list of common winning hands starts with jacks or better, and moves 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 pay out schedule can change from game to game, so that skillful gamblers are able to choose the most profitable machine every time.
After the first round has completed, the player can either choose to continue on and try to to increase their winnings, or press the ‘collect’ button to retrieve any credits that they may have won. Further, some versions of the game allow the gambler an opportunity to increase their profits, in which situation a further game is played. There are also variations among specific machines, with some decks of cards having wild cards and other varying elements to increase playability.