Simply stated, video poker is
playing the game of poker on a computerized console that's about as
big as a slot machine. It usually involves five-card draw poker, and
the most popular games are Texas Hold 'Em and Omaha Hold 'Em
Video poker has actually been
around since the mid-1970s, around the same time the first personal
computers were made. The first video poker machines were simple contraptions
that combined the monitor of a TV set with a central processing unit.
Draw poker made its debut in 1979, and the popularity of video poker
games spread quickly in casino during the eighties. The reason they
were so popular? Unlike actual live table games, video poker seemed
less intimidating to players. After all, you're competing against a
machine, not other people.
Today, video poker is a popular
fixture in many of the world's major casinos, particularly in Las Vegas
where players can now play the game for as little as 25 cents. There
are also many online casinos that now offer video poker to their clientele.
To play video poker, a player
needs credits. He can get these either by inserting money or a barcoded
paper he purchases from a casino counter into the video poker machine.
Once done, the player hits the Deal button and is dealt his cards. Upon
receiving the cards, he has the opportunity to keep them, discard them
or exchange one or more of them for new ones from the same deck. Next
is the draw. After that, if a player has a winning hand (a hand listed
in a posted pay schedule), he receives a payout based on the strength
of his hand. The stronger the hand, the bigger the payout. The player
can then begin the next game.
The weakest hand to receive a payout is
usually a pair of jacks. For that hand, a player is usually paid on
a ratio of 1:1. The succeeding pay ratios are 2:1 for two pair, 3:1
for three of a kind, 4:1 for a straight, 6:1 for a flush, 9:1 for a
full house, 25:1 for a four of a kind, 50:1 for a straight flush and
250:1 for a royal flush. Progressive jackpots are sometimes paid for
the royal flush and other rare hands to entice players to keep on playing.
Today, there are new versions of video
poker available in casinos and over the Internet. For instance, players
can now play Deuces Wild, a game where the two is a wild card and jackpots
are given if you have four deuces or a royal flush.
The odds are greatly against a player getting a four or a kind and especially
a royal flush. One study conducted recently estimates that, if a player
plays between five to six hundred hands in an hour, he will probably
get a four of a kind once in that time. On the other hand, a player
may keep on playing for several days before he is ever dealt a royal
flush..
