Everybody has a different theory as to the origin of the Poker game. Some
speculate it comes from China or India, others believe it came from Persia or
Egipt and then across the Mediterranean to Europe. The range of speculations is
broad. Regardless of its ancestral journey, there is a strong piece of evidence
that it came to America with the French settlers in New Orleans, who called this
game poque and it involved bluffing and betting. The poque deck was the first to
use suits of spades, hearts, clubs, and diamonds.
Poque game migrated further on up the Mississippi and Ohio rivers by boat,
where it was discovered by Englidh railroad workers, who may have changed its
name to Poker and and carried it back to the eastern cities during the Civil
War. In the late 60's and early 70's veterans of the Civil War brought the game
westward until it became a permament entertainment fixture in every hotel and
saloon in America's Wild West.
As a widely popularized game, poker has developed many variations. Nowadays,
the game is one of the most popular card games in the world. It is classified as
one of the top sporting events.
With the appearance of computer chips in the 1970's, Video Poker came onto
the scene. The game combines the elements of draw poker with the look of slot
machines. A key difference between the two is that players aren't playing
against one another (there is no need for bluffing). Instead, player are trying
to build the best hand to get the highest payout. Because it's a fast-paced game
which requires skills and luck, Video Poker has millions of enthusiasts around
the world.
The play
To play this game, players should insert chips into the machine in the slot
marked INSERT COINS and then click DEAL. The machine will deal out
a hand of five cards that are face up. Since it is draw poker, the player may
hold his hand or discard any or all cards. The objective of the game is to make
the best possible hand. Every Deuce is so called "wild", therefere it can
substitude any card to help the player make a better hand.
To keep a card, the player must click the HOLD button, which is placed
under each card, or to click on the card. A pin will appear to indicate that the
card is to be held and the Hold button is chnaged to RELEASE. If for any
reason the player changes his mind, he can click the Release button(or the card)
and the card can be discarded then. After selecting cards that are subject to
replacement, the player clicks on the DRAW button to get new cards.
The newly drawn cards and those held from the initial hand constitute the
player's final hand (always five cards in the end) and the game pays the player
his winnings according to the chart that is visible at the top of the machine.
Winnings are paid directly to the player's balance, which is marked as CREDIT.
The player can insert as many chips into the machine as he desires. By
putting chips into the slot, the player increases the amount of the credit based
on the setting for the machine and the dollar value of the chips. The machine
machine can be set to play $0.25 coins, $1 coins or $5 coins. If the player
inserts into the machine a $10 chip, and the machine is set to play $1 coins,
the player will recieve 10 credits in his balance. If the player changes the
coin setting to $0.25, the amount of credit in his balance will be 40 (for a $10
chip).
The bet can range from $1 to $5 in value. The setting for the bet amount is
shown in the COINS BET. The machine is preset to play 1 coin at a time.
(If the player clicks on BET ONE, the amount of bet will increase with
each click by one coin. When the 5 coin bet has been reach, the next click will
cause the bet to start from the begining (1 coin) and repeat the process).
The player can use BET MAX button to play the maxinum number of coins
(5). After the player's setting the amount of bet, the machine will use it each
time automatically until a new amount is entered.
When the player has finished playing, he can cash out his winning by clicking
the COINS OUT button to exchange his coin credits for chips. As the coins
come out of the machine, the number of credits will be multiplied by the coin
value setting ($0.25, $1 or $5) and the resulting amount will be added to the
player's casino account balance.
Payout
Payouts are shown in the chart at the top of the machine. The payout table
has rows that contain the amount of payout for various rankings of poker hands.
Each rank has 5 possible payout amounts, depending on the number of coins bet
(the value of the wager). As the player changes the amount of his bet, the
appropriate the vertical column of payout amounts for that bet will be
highlighted.
Royal flush
The highest ranking hand possible. Starting with an Ace, through a King, Queen,
Jack, and Ten in a common suit.
Example: A
, K,
Q, J,
10
Straight flush
Five cards in sequence and common suit, but not starting with an Ace.
Example: 10
, 9,
8, 7,
6
Four of a kind
Four cards of the same rank.
Example: 5
, 5,
5
, 5,
2
Full house
Three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank (three of a kind and a
pair).
Example: K, K,
K, 4,
4
Flush
Five cards in the same suit.
Example: K, J,
9, 6,
3
Straight
Five cards in sequence (Aces may be used as starting or final cards).
Example: 5, 4,
3, 2,
A
Three of a kind
Three cards of same rank.
Example: 9, 9,
9, A,
8
Two pairs
Two pairs of two cards of same rank.
Example: 4, 4,
J, J,
A
One pair
Two cards of the same rank.
Example: 8, 4,
J, J,
A
High card
The rank of a hand that contains less than one pair is determined by the highest
ranking card.
Example: A , K
, 9
, 6
, 3
