Video Poker is a popular game that is able to be wagered on in casinos across the globe, or alternatively at your house on your computer, using an Internet account. The regulations are very straightforward and consist of the player attempting to achieve the greatest mixture of cards achievable in order to acquire money. On this account 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 here.
The game of Video Poker starts when the bettor puts credits (either tokens, tickets or cash) into the machine and pushes the play button. A hand of five cards will then be electronically ‘distributed’ on the video screen.
The Electronic Poker game also has buttons with ‘hold’ written on them, and bettors should now choose which cards to keep and which to throw away. For the cards the enthusiast wishes to retain, the ‘hold’ buttons need to be pressed so that they light up. The player can decide to keep any amount of cards they wish, whether it is all or none.
After the bettor has selected which cards he or she wishes to retain, the player will then press ‘draw’, which will mean that any fresh cards are needed they will be given out. The round is now completed, with the Video Poker machine analyzing the hand to see if it matches any of the winning hands listed in the payout schedule.
Typically, the lowest succeeding hand on a Video Poker machine is a pair of jacks with the award money getting larger for each better hand. A list of common winning hands starts with jacks or better, and moves on to 2 pairs, three of a kinds, straights, flushes, full houses, 4 of a kinds, straight flushes and finally royal flushes. It should be known that the payout schedule can vary from game to game, so that discerning gamblers are agile enough to pick the most profitable ones each time.
As soon as the initial round has finished, the player can either decide to remain on in an attempt to increase their earnings, or they can press the ‘collect’ button to retrieve any money that has been won. Further, a few versions of the game allow the bettor an opportunity to double their winnings, in which situation a further hand is played. There are also variations between individual machines, with some virtual decks having wild cards and other differing characteristics to enhance playability.