What is Video Poker?

It is easy to understand the great appeal of video poker at land based and online casinos. Its inventors took two of the best games in the entire industry – poker and slots - and combined them to create video poker. The game thus blends the luck required in slots with the skill required in poker into one harmonious gambling pastime. Over the years, many different variants of video poker have been developed, although the basic premise of the game remains the same.

Where did Video Poker Originate?

As video poker is based on the history of both slots and poker, we would need to go back further than 1975 when the first video poker game was developed, in order to understand where all the elements of this exciting game originated. When the video bell slot machine was introduced to the industry by the Fortune Coin Company, it was the beginning of one of the greatest booms every seen in the gambling world. When Draw Poker was created by SIRCOMA IN 1979, the game’s popularity surged and it has become one of the most sought-after games both online and off.

What is Online Video Poker?

Thanks to the vision and creativity of online software companies, who will go to any length to attract players to their games, there are many variants of video poker out there for the taking. Ranging from the classic video poker to multi hand versions, there is almost certainly something for everyone at most online casinos when it comes to online video poker. Players can also enjoy exciting video poker tournaments and can stand in line to win significant prizes at these regular events.

What is the Objective of Video Poker?

After picking a video poker variant and inserting the required coins, players are dealt five cards out of a standard deck of 52 cards. The basic object of the game is to decide which out of the five to keep (from all to none) and which to discard in order create the best possible five-card hand using the same rankings as a typical poker game. Once the player chooses which cards (if any) to discard, he or she is dealt the same number of cards and any winning combinations are paid out.

What are the Different Video Poker Variants Available?

The last decade has seen a boom in the number of video poker variants being created by software companies. Deuces Wild, for example, introduced the idea of a wild card in the game and all the Deuces (twos) replace any other card in the pack to create a winning combination. Other popular variants include the progressive video poker game that links different machines to one giant network. Every time a player places money into a machine that is part of the network, the jackpot prize increases until one lucky player wins the jackpot. Payouts for video poker jackpots have been known to reach into the millions of dollars and attract many players from around the world.