[ English ]

Video Poker is a popular game that usually will be played in casinos around the globe, or alternatively at your house on your PC, using an Internet connection. The rules are absolutely simple and consist of the player trying to achieve the highest combination of cards as you can in order to win money. In this respect it’s very similar as a regular game of poker, minus the line of contact with competing players. Of course, techniques used in a real-life game of poker, such as bluffing, will be irrelevant here.

The game of Video Poker starts when the bettor puts credits (either tokens, tickets or cash) into the machine and pushes the draw button. A hand of five cards will then be "dealt" on the screen.

The Video Poker machine also has buttons with ‘hold’ written on them, and enthusiasts will need to now pick which cards to hold and which to discard. For the cards the gambler would like to keep, the ‘hold’ buttons need to be pressed so that they illuminate. The player can choose to keep any number of cards they want, from all to none.

After the bettor has chosen which cards she would like to keep, the player will then press ‘draw’, which will mean that any new cards will be needed they will be handed out. The hand is now finished, with the Video Poker machine scanning the cards to see if it matches any of the winning hands printed on the payout schedule.

Typically, the minimum winning hand on an Electronic Poker machine is a pair of jacks with the award money increasing for each and every better hand. A list of common winning hands begins 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 last but not least royal flushes. It is obvious that the payout schedule can range from machine to machine, so that skillful enthusiasts are able to select the most profitable ones every instance.

Once the first round has finished, the player can either decide to remain on in an attempt to maximize their earnings, or press the ‘collect’ button to cash out any cash that they may have won. Additionally, several versions of the game allow the gambler a chance to double their winnings, in which situation a further round is played. There are also differences between individual games, with some virtual decks including wild cards and other varying aspects to increase playability.