Video Poker is a popular game that usually will be gambled on in casinos all over the globe, or alternatively at your house on your computer, using a web account. The rules are very straightforward and involve the player trying to achieve the greatest combination of cards achievable in order to come away with cash. On this account it is very similar as a classic game of poker, minus the line of contact with any other players. Of course, techniques employed during a real-life game of poker, like tricking, will be irrelevant in Video Poker.
The game of Electronic Poker starts when the player puts credits (whether it is tokens, tickets or cash) into the video poker machine and presses the deal button. A hand of five cards will be electronically ‘distributed’ on the screen.
The Electronic Poker machine also has buttons with ‘hold’ printed on them, and gamblers will need to now decide which cards to keep and which to discard. For the cards the player wishes to retain, the ‘hold’ buttons need to be pressed so that they illuminate. The player can decide to keep any number of cards they wish, whether it is all or none.
After the bettor has decided on which cards she would like to keep, the player will then press ‘draw’, at which point any fresh cards will be needed they will be given out. The game is now finished, 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.
Normally, the minimum winning hand on an Electronic Poker machine is a pair of jacks with the prize money increasing for each better hand. A list of common winning hands begins with jacks or better, and moves on to two pairs, 3 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 range from game to game, so that skillful players are agile enough to select the most profitable machine each and every time.
Once the first round has finished, the player can either choose to remain on and try to to maximize their winnings, or press the ‘collect’ button to cash out any money that they may have won. Further, a few styles of the game allow the player an opportunity to increase their wins, in which instance another round is played. There are also variations between individual machines, with some virtual decks having wild cards and other varying elements to increase playability.