Video Poker is a popular game that is able to be enjoyed in casinos throughout the globe, or in your house on your home computer, through a web connection. The rules are absolutely straightforward and involve the player trying to achieve the greatest assemblage of cards achievable in order to acquire money. In this respect it’s much the same as a regular game of poker, apart from the interaction with other players. Of course, techniques employed during a real-life game of poker, such as bluffing, will be irrelevant here.
The game of Video Poker starts when the gambler puts credits (either tokens, tickets or cash) into the video poker machine and pushes the deal button. A five card hand will then be "distributed" on the screen.
The Video Poker machine also has hold buttons, and bettors will need to now pick which cards to hold and which to throw away. For the cards the player would like to retain, the ‘hold’ buttons need to be pressed so that they illuminate. The player can decide to keep any number of cards they want, from all to none.
After the gambler has chosen which cards he or she would like to retain, the player will then press ‘draw’, at which point any fresh cards are needed they will be dealt. The hand is now completed, with the Video Poker machine scanning the hand to see if it matches any of the winning hands printed on the payment schedule.
Typically, the minimum winning hand on a Video Poker machine is a pair of jacks with the award money increasing for each better hand. A list of common winning hands starts with jacks or better, moving on to two pairs, 3 of a kinds, straights, flushes, full houses, four of a kinds, straight flushes and last but not least royal flushes. It goes without saying that the payment schedule can change from machine to machine, so that experienced enthusiasts are agile enough to pick the most profitable ones every instance.
Once the first round has finished, the player can either choose to stay on in an attempt to maximize their winnings, or press the ‘collect’ button to cash out any cash that has been won. Additionally, several styles of the game allow the bettor a chance to double their wins, in which situation another hand is played. There are also variations between specific games, with some decks of cards having wild cards and other differing elements to increase playability.