Video Poker games have proved to be a firm favourite among gamblers since they were first introduced and this appears to be equally true whether they are enjoyed online or in a land-based casino. Microgaming has proved to be very much the leader in the development of this popular gambling entertainment which began as a simple video version of the popular card game and has progressively evolved, first, into a multi-hand game offering punters the chance to play four or perhaps ten simultaneous hands and later expanding further to accommodate as many as 50 or even 100 hands played in concert with the introduction of Power Play Video Pokers.  In addition, recently launched versions of some video poker favourites offer “level up” games in which players must win hands in order to progress to the next level where the rewards are correspondingly larger.

Whether you have the head to handle a ton of hands at a glance or find that a single hand of cards is quite enough, the playing procedure remains very much the same. Video Poker is a game designed to be played by a single player against a virtual dealer in the form of random number generating software package. The game is based essentially upon the classic five-card draw version of poker.

In the most basic form of video poker, the first hand of five cards is dealt randomly from a standard deck of 52 and displayed on the screen. Players may then use the controls provided to indicate any of the cards that they wish to discard. The act of discarding them results in their automatic replacement with new ones by the virtual dealer. Any payout that then becomes due is determined according to a payout table associated with the particular game and rewards hands according to the universally accepted poker hand rankings. Thus all ranked hands will entail a payout without the need to beat any competing hands as in the table game.

Video Pokers now offer a unique opportunity for players to double their win by drawing a single card against the dealer. If the player’s card proves to be better than that of the dealer, his or her win will be doubled and the doubling phase may then be repeated or the winnings collected.

There are a few guidelines that, overall, may serve to improve a player’s performance in video poker games. To begin with, there is no time limit governing decisions so they may alternatives may be studied in depth before committing to a draw. It pays to become familiar with the paytable so as to maximise winning potential as well as learning which card combinations offer the highest number of possible “outs”. In this respect Jacks tend to be a far better bet than Aces and Jacks or better should preferably be retained. Finally, holding on to a ten when proposing a four card draw is unlikely to bring much joy, and a whole new hand may contain better prospects.