The land based video poker machine became established during the mid 1980s with ITG’s (International Game Technology) Draw Poker, today known as Jacks or Better. The game caught on quickly and is immensely popular on gaming floors as well as at online casinos.
After drawing five cards, the machine pays out according to the pay table which is displayed on the game screen. Payouts for hands and are based on how seldom they appear.
A Jacks or Better pay table starts with returning your bet if the hand contains a pair of jacks. Other winning hand rankings are the same as in table poker, with the highest payout being a Royal Flush, consisting of a Ten, a Jack, a Queen, a King and an Ace of the same suit.
Video poker games are regulated by state or jurisdiction licensing agencies. These organizations require that machines deal cards randomly, so the public can be assured of fair play.
There are many variations of video poker machines and games. In games where there are no wild cards involved a player can expect to see a four-of-a-kind hand on average approximately once every 400 or 500 hands, while one can hope a Royal Flush might appear every 40,000 to 50,000 hands.
Knowledgeable video poker players avoid spending their money on short-pay machines. Click here for more on this subject.
Looking at the payout table of a video poker machine, you'll see it lists the hands from highest to lowest possible win - Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair and finally a single pair of Jacks, should you happen to be looking at a Jacks or Better pay table.
The payout increases according to the number of coins bet. One can wager from 1 to 5 coins per hand. With five coins at stake, the payout for a Royal Flush jumps to 4,000 coins, which makes an important difference in calculating the overall payout percentage. One should not play a progressive slot machine unless maximum coins are inserted. For the same reason, one should not bet less than five coins per hand on a video poker machine.
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