How to Play Video Poker

Video poker is a popular game in both online and land-based casinos. There are a lot of different variations of the game but since all of them are based on actual poker, the basic card hierarchy remains pretty much the same.

The goal of video poker is to have the highest hand. The main difference, despite the variations, is that players are betting against the machine and not against other individuals.

At land based casinos, before a person starts playing video poker he should insert money into the machine, or for some casinos, insert a card. For online players, they basically just go to the online casino's website and sign up to start. Once the 'deal' button is clicked, the machine would then deal five cards on the screen, much like in real poker of the 'draw poker' variation.

This is where strategy is needed. The player would have to decide if he wants to keep all or some of his cards, this is called drawing. If he wants he could have all five cards replaced. The computer would then simulate dealing the new replacement cards from a deck. The player would win if the hand of cards matches a combination on the machine's pay table, such as a straight or a set.

There are, as mentioned, several variations of video poker. The most common one is probably Deuces Wild, a wild card game. In this game, if you have some two's, which are commonly referred to as deuces, in your hand, you could change them for any card you want. You could choose any suit and rank to make your hand the best one conceivable.

One other common variation is the Pay Schedule Modification. For this kind of video poker, a specific combination of cards is needed for the player to get a bonus. If a specific hand contains four aces and the other remaining card has a low value, either 2, 3, 4, or 5, then the player wins a multiplier. This bonus could get your winnings multiplied by either double or triple, depending on the casino rules.

Multi-Play Poker is also quite popular since players are permitted to handle multiple hands at the same time in a single game. A player could choose, depending on the game, whether to go for triple play, five play, ten, fifty or even a hundred play version.

It is important to note that when playing this variation, the odds of winning are just the same as playing a single hand. Though you increase the chances of winning, all your hands could not possibly win at the time. The win-lose ratio per hand remains essentially the same. This, however, is a good way to play for players who are pressed for time or who loves action.

In general, video poker is very much similar to regular poker with an actual deck of cards except that there is no bluff. Video poker and its variations are played mostly by players who generally avoid the bustle of playing against other people. However, it isn't so different to preclude regular poker players from enjoying the occasional video poker game or two. Hope you enjoyed these video poker tips and rules.

Good luck at your favorite online casino. Play reasonably without developping a gambling addiction.