[ English ]

Video Poker is a popular game that usually will be gambled on in casinos around the globe, or in your house on your home computer, using an Internet connection. The regulations are very straightforward and consist of the player attempting to achieve the best combination of cards achievable in order to win money. In this respect it’s very similar as a regular game of poker, apart from the line of contact with any other players. Of course, tactics used in a physical game of poker, like tricking, will be irrelevant in Video Poker.

The game of Video Poker begins when the enthusiast puts credits (either tokens, tickets or cash) into the machine and pushes the deal button. A 5 card hand will then be electronically ‘distributed’ on the screen.

The Electronic Poker game also has hold buttons, and bettors will need to now pick which cards to hold and which to throw away. For the cards the bettor wishes to retain, the ‘hold’ buttons need to be pressed so that they illuminate. The player can choose to keep any amount of cards they want, whether it is all or none.

After the bettor has chosen which cards he or she wishes to keep, the player will then press ‘deal’, at which point any fresh cards will be handed out if desired. The game is now completed, with the Electronic Poker machine analyzing the hand to see if it is the same as any of the winning hands shown on the payment schedule.

Generally, the lowest winning 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, moving on to 2 pairs, three of a kinds, straights, flushes, full houses, 4 of a kinds, straight flushes and last but not least royal flushes. It definitely goes without saying that the payout schedule can change from game to game, so that skillful gamblers are agile enough to choose the most profitable machine every instance.

As soon as the initial round has finished, the player can either decide to stay on and try to to increase their winnings, or press the ‘collect’ button to retrieve any credits that they may have won. Further, several versions of the game allow the bettor a chance to increase 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 differing elements to increase playability.