[ English ]

Video Poker is a popular game that can be enjoyed in casinos throughout the globe, or alternatively at home on your personal computer, using a web connection. The rules are very straightforward and involve the player trying to achieve the highest combination of cards as you can in order to win cash. On this account it is much the same as a normal game of poker, without the interaction with any other players. Of course, methods employed during a physical game of poker, such as tricking, will be useless in Video Poker.

The game of Video Poker starts when the enthusiast puts credits (either tokens, tickets or money) into the machine and pushes the deal button. A hand of five cards will then be "handed out" on the video screen.

The Video Poker machine also has hold buttons, and players will need to now pick which cards to keep and which to discard. For the cards the enthusiast wishes to retain, the ‘hold’ buttons must be pressed so that they illuminate. The player can choose to keep any number of cards they wish, whether it’s all or none.

After the gambler has selected which cards he wishes to keep, the player will then press ‘draw’, which will mean that any fresh cards are dealt if desired. The hand is now finished, with the Electronic Poker machine scanning the cards to see if it matches any of the winning hands printed on the payment schedule.

Generally, the lowest winning hand on a Video Poker machine is a pair of jacks with the prize money growing for each 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 definitely goes without saying that the pay out schedule can vary from machine to machine, so that skillful enthusiasts are agile enough to pick the most money-making game each time.

After the first round has played out, the player can either choose to continue on in an attempt to maximize their winnings, or they can press the ‘collect’ button to retrieve any money that has been won. Further, some styles of the game allow the gambler an opportunity to double their wins, in which case another game is played. There are also variations between individual machines, with some virtual decks having wild cards and other varying characteristics to increase playability.