How To Play Video Poker
Video Poker is a popular game that can be played in casinos
across the world, or alternatively at home on your PC, through
an Internet connection. The rules are very straightforward and
involve the player attempting to get the highest combination of
cards possible in order to win money. In this respect it is much
the same as a normal game of poker, minus the interaction with
other players. Of course, techniques used in a physical game of
poker, such as bluffing, will be irrelevant here.
The game of Video Poker begins when the player inserts credit
(either tokens, tickets or money) into the machine and presses
the 'play', 'deal' or 'draw' button. A hand of five cards will
then be electronically 'dealt' on the video screen.
The Video Poker machine also has buttons with 'hold' written on
them, and players should now choose which cards to hold and
which to discard. For the cards the player wishes to keep, the
'hold' buttons should be pressed so that they light up. The
player can choose to keep any amount of cards they wish, from
all to none.
After the player has chosen which cards he or she wishes to
keep, they should press 'deal' or 'draw', at which point any new
cards are dealt if desired. The game is now completed, with the
Video Poker machine scanning the hand to see if it matches any
of the winning hands listed in the payment schedule.
Typically, the minimum winning hand on a Video Poker machine is
a pair of jacks with the prize money increasing for each better
hand. A common list of winning hands begins with jacks or
better, moving on to two pairs, three of a kinds, straights,
flushes, full houses, four of a kinds, straight flushes and
finally royal flushes. It goes without saying that the payment
schedule can vary from machine to machine, so that experienced
players are able to choose the most profitable ones every time.
Once the initial round has finished, the player can either
choose to stay on in an attempt to increase their earnings, or
press the 'collect' button to retrieve any credits that have
been won. Further, some versions of the game allow the player a
chance to double their winnings, in which case a further game is
played. There are also variations between individual machines,
with some virtual decks including wild cards and other varying
elements to increase playability.