Video
Poker is a simplified poker game played on a
machine. In order to play the game, it
is first necessary to understand basic
poker hands.
Basic
Poker Hands
A
poker hand consists of 5 cards. The ace is
considered the highest card, followed by kings,
queens, jacks, and so on. The lowest card
is a two. The object of the game is to
get the best hand possible. The various
poker hands are described below from lowest
to highest:
No
pair - This is the lowest possible
hand, containing 5 separate cards that do
not match up to create any of the combinations
below. One pair - If two of the
five cards are the same value, it is a one
pair. Example: two jacks. Two pair - Two pairs in
the same hand. Example: two jacks and two
fives. Three of a kind - Three
cards of the same value. Example:
three aces. Straight - Five consecutive
cards, such as 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. They need
not be of the same suit. An ace can
be used in two ways. It can be have
a value of 1, and be placed in an A, 2,
3, 4, 5 sequence, or it can also be placed
above the king in a 10, J, Q, K, A sequence.
Flush - Five cards of the
same suit. They do not have to be in
any order. Full House - 3 cards of
the same value, along with a pair. Example:
Three Kings and two Aces. Four of a Kind - Four cards
of the same value, such as four jacks. Straight Flush - This is
both a straight and a flush in the same hand.
The five cards must be in sequential order,
AND they must be of the same suit. Royal Flush - This is the
best possible hand in poker. It contains
an A, K, Q, J, and a 10, all in the same
suit.
Basic
Video Poker
In
video poker, you do not play against other players,
as in traditional poker. Insatead, you play
against the machine. This means that all
you have to do is get a certain hand or better
in order to get paid.
Video
poker is basic draw poker, as follows:
You wager a certain number of coins/credits,
usually between 1 and 5.
The machine deals you five cards.
You can keep or discard as many cards as
you like. To keep a card, click the
hold button underneath the card.
When you have selected the cards you want
to hold, click on deal/draw.
The
cards not being held are replaced with new
cards. If your new set of cards contains
a winning hand, you get paid.
Jacks
or Better
This
is the most popular version of Video Poker. Basically,
you need to get a pair of jacks or better
in order to get paid.
Let's
assume you bet five coins. If you get
a pair of jacks or better, you get five coins
back. The machine might call you a "winner,"
but don't be fooled. You deposited five
coins to begin with, and you just got your
original five coins back, so you haven't won
anything at this point.
In
order to really win, you must get a two pair
or higher. The amount of coins you win
depends on how good your hand is. A typical
payout schedule in Las Vegas is shown below.
