Video Poker is a favored game that usually will be gambled on in casinos around the world, or alternatively at your house on your PC, through a web account. The game rules are very straightforward and involve the player trying to get the greatest combination of cards possible in order to come away with cash. In this respect it’s much the same as a normal game of poker, minus the interaction with other players. Of course, techniques used in a real-life game of poker, like bluffing, will be irrelevant here.
The game of Video Poker starts when the gambler inserts credits (whether it’s tokens, tickets or cash) into the machine and pushes the deal button. A hand of 5 cards will then be "handed out" on the video screen.
The Electronic Poker machine also has hold buttons, and enthusiasts should now choose which cards to keep and which to discard. For the cards the player would like to keep, the ‘hold’ buttons need to be pressed so that they light up. The player can choose to keep any number of cards they wish, whether it is all or none.
After the enthusiast has chosen which cards she would like to retain, the player will then press ‘draw’, which will mean that any new cards are handed out if desired. The round is now completed, with the Electronic Poker machine scanning the cards to see if it is the same as any of the winning hands printed on the payment schedule.
Normally, the lowest succeeding hand on a Video Poker machine is a pair of jacks with the prize money increasing for each and every better hand. A common list of winning hands begins with jacks or better, and moves on to 2 pairs, 3 of a kinds, straights, flushes, full houses, four of a kinds, straight flushes and last but not least royal flushes. It is obvious that the payment schedule can change from game to game, so that experienced players are able to select the most profitable machine every time.
After 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 retrieve any credits that they may have won. Additionally, a few styles of the game give the enthusiast a chance to double their wins, in which instance another hand is played. There are also differences between specific machines, with some decks of cards having wild cards and other varying characteristics to enhance playability.