Online Casino Game Guide: Video Poker

What is Video Poker?
Video poker is a hybrid game that has spawned from a combination of draw poker and slot machines. It offers a lower house edge than most slot machines and gives you a better advantage like that of draw poker, and you can play it without the added stress of playing against a multitude of players.

How to play Video Poker
Video Poker is played between you and the Dealer. A player is dealt five cards in the first round. When you receive your first hand, you need to choose the cards which you think will benefit your score and you then have to make a decision on whether to hold or discard the cards. To select the cards you want to hold, simply push the 'hold' button that reflects over the card you choose on the screen. Once you have finished selecting your cards, you then click on the 'deal' button, which will redistribute cards if you have chosen to receive new cards, and the 'draw' button determines your payout. The cards that you discard are then replaced with new ones from the 52-card deck. The aim of Video Poker is to complete the game with the strongest hand. Payouts are dependent on the value of the hand you're holding and most games have the payout values for all the winning combinations of cards described in the Payout Schedule. If you win your hand, you can increase your winnings by participating in a Doubling phase. The objective in the Doubling phase is to try and draw a card with a higher value than the Dealer's card. If a player selects a card with a higher value, the player wins and their winnings are doubled. The Doubling phase is great because you can choose to try your luck again and again, or you can opt to collect your winnings. One may continue Doubling until you draw a card that's less than the Dealer's card value, and you will therefore lose the hand, or until you reach the Doubling limit. Be warned you stand a chance of losing all your winnings if you lose at the Doubling phase.

Tips
The Payout Schedule can be found in a little message box in the lobby area of an online casino or within the game's homepage. Just remember that a player who picks a machine at random and plays using common sense is going to lose in the long run. That's why most Video Poker experts advise players to research and try out what they think will work for them.

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