Video Poker is a popular game that is able to be bet on in casinos all over the globe, or alternatively at your house on your PC, through a web connection. The rules are absolutely straightforward and consist of the player trying to get the greatest combination of cards possible in order to come away with cash. In this respect it’s much the same as a normal game of poker, minus the line of contact with other players. Of course, tactics employed during a real-life game of poker, like bluffing, will be useless in Video Poker.
The game of Electronic Poker begins when the enthusiast inserts credits (whether it is tokens, credit slips or cash) into the video poker machine and pushes the play button. A 5 card hand will then be electronically ‘handed out’ on the screen.
The Electronic Poker game also has hold buttons, and gamblers will need to now choose which cards to keep and which to throw away. For the cards the enthusiast would like to retain, the ‘hold’ buttons should be pressed so that they illuminate. The player can choose to keep any amount of cards they want, from all to none.
After the enthusiast has decided on which cards he or she wishes to keep, the player will then press ‘draw’, which will mean that any fresh cards are needed they will be given out. The hand 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 pay out schedule.
Typically, the lowest succeeding hand on an Electronic Poker machine is a pair of jacks with the award money growing for each and every better hand. A list of common winning hands begins with jacks or better, moving on to 2 pairs, three of a kinds, straights, flushes, full houses, 4 of a kinds, straight flushes and finally royal flushes. It goes without saying that the pay out schedule can vary from game to game, so that discerning players are able to choose the most money-making machine every instance.
Once the first round has finished, the player can either decide to continue on in an attempt to increase their winnings, or press the ‘collect’ button to retrieve any money that might have been won. Further, some versions of the game allow the bettor a chance to double their winnings, in which case a further game is played. There are also variations among individual games, with some virtual decks having wild cards and other differing aspects to enhance playability.