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Video Poker History
The birth of Video Poker stems in large part from, of course, the game of Poker itself but also the invention of slot machines. Appealing to people familiar with the game of Poker as well as those fond of the ease-of-use inherent in slots, Video Poker has evolved over the years into one of the most popular non-table games in casinos, both on land and online.
Beginning in the mid-1970s, around the same time actually as personal computers were being developed and enhanced, Video Poker became a reality when technology became advanced and economical enough to combine a CPU with a television-like monitor. As you can imagine, the first Video Poker games at this time were pretty primitive.
As technology improved and industry leaders saw the potential of this technology, everyone started getting in on the action. 'Solid State' (referring to the combination of the central processing unit and television-like monitor) Roulette, Horse Racing, and Poker were all available at this time and it was Dale Electronic's 'Poker-Matic' that experienced the greatest level of notoriety and success.
When the Fortune Coin Company built a video bell slot machine in 1975, the apparatus was soon transformed into a Draw Poker machine and soared in popularity. After the video chip was invented later in the mid-70s, and after SIRCOMA (which you know today as International Game Technology - STILL a leader in the field!) introduced its 'Draw Poker' in 1979, there was really no looking back.
Video Poker soon became, and remains to this day, a popular fixture in nearly every casino. Less intimidating than regular Poker, yet still involving a certain level of decision-making while maintaining the ease-of-use of a slot machine, Video Poker appeals to a wide range of casino patrons.
VIDEO POKER RULES
Video Poker Rules
Video Poker is what you get if you cross Stud Poker with a slot machine and throw in a few wild cards. It's fast, almost like playing Stud, and you've got a huge range of options. You can choose Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, All American, Joker Poker or a number of other variations. Each game has its own personality and rewards a particular kind of play.
Also, the machines let you play anything from 1 through 5 coins, with the payoffs improving at the high end of the scale. So if you know your Poker hands and take the time to learn your game, Video Poker can be fast, fun, and rewarding.
Each game has its own strategy. All American, for example, pays better than the others on straights and flushes, so that will effect your approach to card selection. The games do indeed have their own individual winning strategies, and taking the time to learn your game means better payoffs.
Objective
The player aims to get the best hand possible. The payoffs are marked right on the face of the Video Poker machine so it's a fast lesson in what the hand ranks are. All Video Poker variations rank hands the same, though a given variation may add an extra rank or two.
Betting
As you would expect from a slots version of Poker, betting is pretty straightforward in Video Poker. On any given machine you can typically choose $0.25, $0.50, $1, or $5 games. And the bets are 1x, 2x, 3x, 4x, or 5x (Max Bet) whichever game you're playing. So if you're playing a $1 game, you can place bets of $1, $2, $3, $4, or $5.
Payoffs
The first thing to note is that the game face shows you the payoff for each betting level. Invariably playing Max Bet pays off better, overall, than any of the lower multiples. Smart players pick the betting level they are comfortable with and choose their game accordingly.
In other words, if you're comfortable with a $5 bet, then pick a $1 machine and play at Max Bet for $5. If $25 bets are more your speed, pick a $5 game because Max Bet (5x) puts you at the $25 level. In either case, you're getting the best payoff odds you can for that game. This is similar to Slots strategy.
Also of key importance is the fact that the payoff ratios vary from game to game. Where Jacks or Better may pay 25:1 for Four Of A Kind, All American typically pays 30:1 and Joker Poker only pays 20:1. These ratios do not necessarily reflect the true odds, so again, knowing your game helps you play smarter.
Pay Schedules
In a grouping of video poker machines, known as banks or carousels, all of which may look exactly the same, casinos will often 'mix-in' several VP machines with inferior pay programs (short/partial pay). Most often in such a bank of regular non-progressive, non-bonus VP machines, only 1 or 2 may be the Jacks or better 9/6 (nine coins for a full house, and 6 coins for a flush), while the rest are 8/5, 7/5, or even worse, 6/5.
This means that one player, on the 9/6 machine, will be winning more for the same hands than the other players. A 9/6 VP will generally hit the royal flush each 40,000 hands played, or every 80-100 hours of play, while the 8/5 each 45,000 hands, on average; the 7/5's each 50,000 hands; and the 6/5's only once about each 70,000 hands played.
If you bet 5 coins, all winning hands are paid out multiplied by a factor of 5, except for the royal flush. This is a bonus amount designed as an incentive to play five coins. All those players who play less than maximum coins are setting up the best payoffs for those who do.
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