Video Poker is a popular game that usually will be bet on in casinos around the world, or alternatively at your house on your personal computer, using an Internet connection. The game rules are very simple and involve the player trying to get the best combination of cards as you can in order to acquire money. On this account it’s very similar as a regular game of poker, apart from the involvement with other players. Of course, techniques employed during a real-life game of poker, such as tricking, will be irrelevant here.
The game of Video Poker starts when the player inserts credits (whether it’s tokens, credit slips or cash) into the machine and pushes the play button. A hand of five cards will then be electronically ‘distributed’ on the screen.
The Video Poker machine also has hold buttons, and gamblers should now decide which cards to keep and which to throw away. For the cards the bettor wishes to retain, the ‘hold’ buttons must be pressed so that they illuminate. The player can choose to keep any number of cards they wish, whether it is all or none.
After the player has selected which cards he or she would like to keep, they should press ‘draw’, which will mean that any new cards will be needed they will be handed out. The game is now completed, with the Video Poker machine scanning the cards 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 award money increasing for each and every better hand. A common list of winning hands starts with jacks or better, and moves on to 2 pairs, 3 of a kinds, straights, flushes, full houses, 4 of a kinds, straight flushes and finally royal flushes. It is obvious that the payment schedule can vary from game to game, so that discerning gamblers are able to choose the most profitable ones every time.
After the first round has played out, the player can either decide to stay on in an attempt to maximize their earnings, or they can press the ‘collect’ button to cash out any credits that have been won. Additionally, several versions of the game allow the gambler an opportunity to increase their winnings, in which case another round is played. There are also variations between specific games, with some decks of cards including wild cards and other varying aspects to enhance playability.