Video Poker is a popular game that is able to be played in casinos around the world, or alternatively at home on your home computer, using a net connection. The regulations are absolutely simple and involve the player attempting to get the best mixture of cards achievable in order to acquire money. In this respect it is very similar as a regular game of poker, minus the line of contact with any other players. Of course, tactics employed during a physical game of poker, like tricking, will be useless in Video Poker.
The game of Electronic Poker begins when the bettor puts credits (whether it’s tokens, credit slips or money) into the machine and pushes the deal button. A five card hand will be "given 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 discard. For the cards the bettor wishes to retain, the ‘hold’ buttons must be pressed so that they illuminate. The player can decide to keep any number of cards they want, whether it’s all or none.
After the gambler has selected which cards she wishes to keep, the player will then press ‘draw’, which will mean that any fresh cards will be needed they will be handed out. The round is now completed, with the Electronic Poker machine scanning the cards to see if it matches any of the winning hands printed on the payment schedule.
Typically, the lowest winning hand on a Video Poker machine is a pair of jacks with the prize money increasing for each better hand. A common list of winning hands starts with jacks or better, and moves on to 2 pairs, three of a kinds, straights, flushes, full houses, 4 of a kinds, straight flushes and last but not least royal flushes. It is obvious that the payment schedule can change from machine to machine, so that experienced gamblers are agile enough to select the most profitable ones each instance.
Once the first round has completed, the player can either choose to continue on and try to to increase their earnings, or they can press the ‘collect’ button to retrieve any money that has been won. Further, a few styles of the game allow the bettor a chance to increase their winnings, in which instance a further round is played. There are also variations between specific machines, with some decks of cards including wild cards and other differing elements to enhance playability.