Electronic Poker is a beloved game that can be played in casinos all over the world, or alternatively at home on your personal computer, using a web connection. The rules are very straightforward and involve the player attempting to get the best assemblage of cards possible in order to acquire cash. In this respect it is very similar as a classic game of poker, without the involvement with any other players. Of course, methods employed during a real-life game of poker, such as tricking, will be irrelevant here.
The game of Electronic Poker starts when the enthusiast inserts credits (either tokens, credit slips or cash) into the video poker machine and presses the draw button. A hand of five cards will then be electronically ‘dealt’ on the screen.
The Electronic Poker game also has hold buttons, and enthusiasts will need to now decide which cards to hold and which to throw away. For the cards the player would like to retain, the ‘hold’ buttons need to be pressed so that they light up. The player can choose to keep any amount of cards they want, from all to none.
After the bettor has selected which cards he wishes to retain, they should press ‘draw’, which will mean that any new cards are given out if desired. The round is now completed, with the Video Poker machine scanning the cards to see if it is the same as any of the winning hands shown on the payout schedule.
Normally, the minimum winning hand on an Electronic Poker machine is a pair of jacks with the award money getting larger for each and every better hand. A common list of winning hands starts with jacks or better, and moves on to two pairs, three of a kinds, straights, flushes, full houses, four of a kinds, straight flushes and last but not least royal flushes. It is obvious that the pay out schedule can change from game to game, so that discerning gamblers are agile enough to pick the most money-making machine each instance.
Once the initial round has completed, the player can either choose to stay on and try to to increase their earnings, or they can press the ‘collect’ button to retrieve any money that might have been won. Further, some versions of the game allow the gambler a chance to double their wins, in which situation a further hand is played. There are also variations among specific games, with some virtual decks having wild cards and other varying elements to enhance playability.