Video Poker
Video poker follows many of the same basic rules as traditional poker games. In video poker, as in traditional five card draw forms of poker, the player must assemble the best possible hand by drawing and discarding individual cards. The difference between video poker and traditional poker lies, of course, in the video aspects of video poker. Unlike traditional poker games, video poker is played on a computer screen. There are no physical cards involved, only the images of cards displayed on a screen.
Unlike traditional poker where a human dealer deals a player cards, video poker features an electronic dealer. Typically, a video poker machine is about the size of a slot machine with five buttons along the bottom of the screen. After the player places their wager, five cards appear on the screen, one card above each button. The player then has the choice to keep each card or discard it back to the electronic deck. The button located under each card controls holding and discarding for that specific card.
On the right hand side of the screen there is normally a slot where a player deposits their bet. Modern casinos are gradually shifting away from coins in favor of electronic debit card systems that store a player’s money in electronic form. While this system works well for many other casino games, it can lead to over betting in video poker. Without the need to physically place a wager, many video poker players can get swept up in the excitement and bet too much on a poor hand of cards. The temptation is strong to over bet on video poker because every machine features a button labeled max bet. If a player presses this button, it automatically debits their account the maximum bet for the machine. Most machines have a maximum bet of five coins, but this can vary between casinos.
In video poker, players attempt to assemble a collection of cards with the highest possible value. The value for a hand of cards is based on the probability of that particular assemblage of cards appearing together. Hands that are proportionally more difficult to receive carry a higher value. For example, a royal flush is considered the most valuable hand because it is highly improbable that a player would be able to collect an Ace through ten of the same suite. Following the royal flush in descending order of value, the video poker hands are: straight flush, four of a kind, full house, straight, flush, three of a kind, two pair, one pair. These hand rankings are the same as traditional poker.
One of the unique benefits of video poker over traditional poker is the computer’s ability to randomize the cards. By utilizing a random number generator, video poker machines can shuffle the cards much more accurately than human hands. Video poker players can be assured that they will receive a mathematically accurate hand of cards. Some versions of video poker use more than one deck in their shuffles, further preventing the possibility of deck corruption. If more than one deck is in use, the machine compensates for the changes in the odds of probability. The use of multiple decks also offers new hands that can pay out to the player.
The use of computerized dealing mechanisms and random number generators in video poker games has given rise to a host of variations on the game. While all video poker games share the same basic hand rankings, with allowances made for multiple decks, individual machines can vary wildly regarding bonus payouts or wild cards. Wild cards and bonus payouts help to individualize different software programs and keep each version distinct. Furthermore, individual variations in video poker help to keep the video poker games used in casinos distinct from online video poker games.
