Video Poker is a beloved game that is able to be bet on in casinos around the world, or alternatively at home on your computer, through a web connection. The game rules are very straightforward and consist of the player trying to achieve the best assemblage of cards possible in order to win money. In this respect it is much the same as a normal game of poker, without the line of contact with any other players. Of course, tactics used in a real-life game of poker, like bluffing, will be useless here.
The game of Video Poker begins when the gambler puts credits (either tokens, tickets or money) into the video poker machine and presses the draw button. A hand of 5 cards will then be "dealt" on the screen.
The Electronic Poker game also has buttons with ‘hold’ written on them, and enthusiasts should now pick which cards to keep and which to throw away. For the cards the player would like to retain, the ‘hold’ buttons must be pressed so that they light up. The player can choose to keep any amount of cards they want, whether it is all or none.
After the player has chosen which cards he wishes to keep, the player will then press ‘draw’, at which point any fresh cards are handed out if desired. The game is now completed, with the Video Poker machine analyzing the cards to see if it matches any of the winning hands listed in the payment schedule.
Typically, the minimum winning hand on an Electronic Poker machine is a pair of jacks with the prize money getting larger for each better hand. A common list of winning hands begins 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 finally royal flushes. It goes without saying that the payout schedule can range from game to game, so that discerning bettors are agile enough to pick the most money-making ones every instance.
Once the first round has finished, the player can either choose to stay on and try to to increase their winnings, or press the ‘collect’ button to cash out any cash that they may have won. Additionally, several styles of the game allow the gambler an opportunity to double their winnings, in which case a further hand is played. There are also variations among specific machines, with some virtual decks having wild cards and other differing characteristics to enhance playability.