No other casino game has gained the popularity that video poker has enjoyed over the past few years. In Las Vegas electronic games-slot machines, video poker, and video keno-now take up more than 70 percent .of the casinos' floor space. Most of those machines are video poker machines. There are several reasons for video poker's popularity. The first is that people can play at their own pace, without pressure from dealers, croupiers, or other players. Second, there's an element of skill in video poker: Unlike slot machines, video poker machines require players to make decisions that determine whether and how much they can win. And, most important, there's always the chance of hitting a
lottery like jackpot. The Play
The game of video poker is basically fivecard draw poker. Machines offer several variations to the game, with more being developed every day, but there are three that you should know: 1) jacks-or-Better draw poker; 2) joker's Wild poker; and 3) Deuces Wild poker. Video poker machines are played with pennies, nickels, quarters, SO-cent pieces, and $1.00 or $5.00 tokens. Most people play either the nickel, quarter, or dollar machines. The play begins after the player inserts coins into the machine. In order to win the highest royal flush jackpot or the progressive jackpot (which continues to grow as coins are played), always play the maidmum number of coins, which is usually five. After the coins are inserted, the machine 'deals" five cards to the player, who must decide which cards, if any, to discard. You play your hand based on the payouts for winning hands, which are listed just above the video screen. Some machines indicate a possible winning hand, such as three of a kind, on the video screen, but don't always rely on the machine to figure your hand for you. After deciding which cards to keep, you press the 'hold" button under each card, then press the
'drav/'button. (Some machines combine the deal and draw buttons into one.) The cards you've discarded will be replaced with new cards, and if you have a winning hand, its payoff will be indicated on the screen. At this point your winnings will drop into the coin bucket, or you will be given credit for the amount of the winning hand. A note about credits: Credits allow |