Electronic Poker is a beloved game that is able to be played in casinos throughout the globe, or alternatively at home on your personal computer, using an Internet connection. The rules are very simple and involve the player attempting to get the greatest mixture of cards possible in order to acquire cash. In this respect it is much the same as a normal game of poker, apart from the line of contact with competing players. Of course, techniques employed during a physical game of poker, like tricking, will be irrelevant in Video Poker.
The game of Video Poker begins when the player inserts credits (whether it’s tokens, tickets or money) into the video poker machine and presses the play button. A 5 card hand will then be "given out" on the video screen.
The Video Poker machine also has hold buttons, and players will need to now pick which cards to hold and which to discard. For the cards the player would like to keep, the ‘hold’ buttons need to be pressed so that they illuminate. The player can choose to keep any amount of cards they wish, whether it’s all or none.
After the gambler has decided on which cards he or she wishes to retain, the player will then press ‘deal’, at which point any fresh cards are dealt if desired. The hand is now finished, with the Video Poker machine analyzing the hand to see if it is the same as any of the winning hands printed on the payout schedule.
Generally, the minimum succeeding hand on an Electronic Poker machine is a pair of jacks with the award money growing for each 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 last but not least royal flushes. It is obvious that the pay out schedule can range from machine to machine, so that experienced players are agile enough to choose the most profitable machine every time.
Once the first round has played out, the player can either decide to remain on in an attempt to maximize their winnings, or press the ‘collect’ button to retrieve any money that they may have won. Additionally, several versions of the game give the enthusiast an opportunity to increase their wins, in which situation a further hand is played. There are also differences among specific machines, with some decks of cards including wild cards and other differing elements to increase playability.