Online Video Poker – Strategy of the Video Poker Game

History of Video Poker

Video poker first became commercially viable when it became economical to combine a television-like monitor with a solid state central processing unit. The earliest models appeared at the same time as the first personal computers produced, in the mid-1970s, although they were primitive by today’s standards.

Video poker became more firmly established when SIRCOMA, which stood for Si Redd’s Coin Machines, and which evolved over time to become International Game Technology, introduced Draw Poker in 1979. Throughout the 1980s, video poker became increasingly popular in casinos, as people found the devices less intimidating than playing table games.

Today video poker enjoys a prominent place on the gaming floors of many casinos. The game is especially popular with Las Vegas locals, who tend to patronize locals casinos off the Las Vegas Strip. These local casinos often offer lower denomination machines or better odds.

The Game

To begin the game, money has to be inserted either in cash or a bar coded paper ticket with credit into the machine. Then after the deal button is pressed. The player is then given 5 cards just like the five card draw although the player has the privilege of exchanging one of the cards for a new one. The machine checks for the cards matching the winning combination which will have been placed on the table. However unlike the table version, the virtual platform allows the player to discard all his original cards and collect new ones.

The pay tables for video poker disburse payouts for hands based on how rare they are, the variation of the games and the game operator’s decision. Ordinarily the pay table has a minimum hand of a pair of jacks to begin with and pays even money. Subsequent hand combination in the game of video poker are just the same as table poker including two pair, three of a kind, straight which loosely means a sequence of 5 cards with values in consecutive other, flush which means 5 cards in the same suit, full house which means a pair and three of a kind, four cards of the same value otherwise known as four of a kind, straight flush (5 consecutive cards of the same suit and then the royal flush which comprises of a Ten, a Jack, a Queen, a King and an Ace all of the same suit.

In some video poker machines, progressive jackpots are offered including other unique bonuses thereby influencing players to play more games in fact one of San Diego’s former mayor, Muareen O’ Connor lost about $13 million to video poker.

Video Poker Regulation

The video poker machines in casinos across the United States follow strict regulations from the state or Indian gaming agencies. A very important rule is the one that stipulates that the machines must be able to deal random card sequences using a virtual deck of cards.

This rule is borne out of the reputable Nevada Gaming Commission regulations and has been adopted in several states as well. More so, before video poker machines are used in public the casino offers it for compliance test.

 

Kinds of Video Poker

Video poker has several variations including Deuces Wild in which a two serve as a wild card, Joker’s Wild, where a joker is the wild card. Pay schedule modification where there are four aces with a five or smaller kicker pays more money usually referred to as any of bonus, double or triple.

There is also the multi-player poker where the player starts with a base hand and subsequent hands dealt draws from a different set of cards with the base hand. The Multi-play is offered in Triple Play, Five Play, Ten Play, Fifty Play and the One Hundred Play versions.

Play video poker games at the following online casinos