Electronic Poker is a popular game that is able to be wagered on in casinos all over the world, or in your house on your home computer, through a net connection. The rules are absolutely simple and involve the player trying to get the greatest combination of cards possible in order to win money. In this respect it is very similar as a regular game of poker, without the involvement with any other players. Of course, methods used in a physical game of poker, like tricking, will be useless in Video Poker.
The game of Electronic Poker begins when the enthusiast puts credits (either tokens, credit slips or money) into the machine and pushes the draw button. A hand of 5 cards will then be electronically ‘distributed’ on the video screen.
The Electronic Poker game also has buttons with ‘hold’ written on them, and gamblers should now decide which cards to keep and which to discard. For the cards the gambler would like to retain, the ‘hold’ buttons should be pressed so that they light up. The player can decide to keep any number of cards they want, from all to none.
After the gambler has chosen which cards he wishes to keep, the player will then press ‘draw’, at which point any new cards are needed they will be given out. The round is now finished, with the Electronic Poker machine scanning the hand to see if it is the same as any of the winning hands listed in the payout schedule.
Generally, 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 list of common winning hands begins 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 last but not least royal flushes. It should be known that the pay out schedule can range from game to game, so that discerning gamblers are able to choose the most money-making machine each time.
After the first round has played out, the player can either decide to continue on in an attempt to increase their earnings, or press the ‘collect’ button to retrieve any cash that might have been won. Further, a few styles of the game allow the player an opportunity to double their wins, in which situation a further hand is played. There are also differences between specific machines, with some virtual decks including wild cards and other varying characteristics to enhance playability.