[ English ]

Video Poker is a favored game that can be played in casinos across the globe, or alternatively at home on your personal computer, using an Internet account. The game rules are very straightforward and involve the player attempting to achieve the greatest mixture of cards possible in order to come away with cash. On this account it is much the same as a regular game of poker, without the involvement with other players. Of course, methods used in a real-life game of poker, like tricking, will be useless here.

The game of Video Poker begins when the player inserts credits (whether it is tokens, credit slips or cash) into the machine and pushes the deal button. A five card hand will then be "handed out" on the screen.

The Video Poker game also has hold buttons, and enthusiasts should now decide which cards to hold and which to throw away. For the cards the player wishes to retain, the ‘hold’ buttons should be pressed so that they light up. The player can decide to keep any number of cards they wish, from all to none.

After the gambler has decided on which cards he or she would like to retain, they should press ‘deal’, which will mean that any fresh cards will be handed out if desired. The round is now finished, with the Electronic Poker machine analyzing the hand to see if it matches any of the winning hands listed in the pay out schedule.

Generally, the minimum winning hand on a Video Poker machine is a pair of jacks with the prize 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, 3 of a kinds, straights, flushes, full houses, four of a kinds, straight flushes and last but not least royal flushes. It goes without saying that the pay out schedule can change from game to game, so that knowledgeable bettors are agile enough to select the most profitable ones every time.

Once the first round has finished, the player can either decide to continue on in an attempt to increase their earnings, or press the ‘collect’ button to retrieve any money that they may have won. Further, a few versions of the game give the bettor a chance to double their wins, in which instance another hand is played. There are also variations among specific machines, with some virtual decks including wild cards and other varying characteristics to enhance playability.