Video Poker Basics

You'll know when you see one. In terms of physical shape and form, there are basically three types of Video Poker machines. All look the same in one respect... all look like small televisions encased in fancy metal boxes. The most common form is the upright model, and they are usually about 24 inches wide and 48 inches high. Most are propped atop a platform which is about two feet high. To play this variety you will need a chair or stool and you will be looking directly ahead. Sorta like setting in front of that 13" television you have in the kitchen. The next type is the slant-top version. Usually wider and deeper than the stand-ups. You can sit in a chair and rest your elbows on the front of the machine. You look down at the screen. And the last is the bar-top variety. These are built right into the top of the bar. You sit on a bar stool and look down at the top of the bar.Whichever you decide to play, here are the common elements.

All Video poker games have a screen. Call it a television or a computer monitor. It displays the cards and confirms your decisions.

There will be, usually on the right side of the machine, a handy slot where you deposit your coins or currency.

A pay schedule will be printed somewhere on the front of the machine, or one will be displayed on the screen.

There will be several buttons directly beneath the screen. Normally, the furthest over on the left and the one immediately adjacent to it .

Cash Out is the button you push when you're ready to quit playing. If, that is, you still have any money in the machine. Bet One Credit means exactly what it says. But it could also mean bet two credits, three, four or five. In other words, you may utilize the Bet One Credit button to play from a minimum of one all the way up to the maximum coins. The buttons are usually plastic and lighted from the back so that you can continue to play should all the other lights in the casino go off. Just kidding. They are lighted so that you can see them clearly.The next five buttons to the right of Bet One Credit are the ones you will use to execute your playing decisions.

These buttons correspond to the cards which will flash on the screen above them. If the button over on the left has the Ace of Diamonds stationed above it, and you want to keep it on the screen when you draw, simply hit the Hold/Discard button. If you don't want to retain a card, simply ignore its button. So "Hold" should make sense. But what about "Discard"? Well, go back to the Ace of Diamonds. You want it in your hand. You hit the Hold button. Then you realize that retaining the Ace of Diamonds is not the best way to play the hand. So to let the machine know you've changed your mind, you hit the "Discard" button. That tells the machine you want to trash the Ace of Diamonds and replace it with another card. Yes, Hold and Discard are the same button. One holds, one allows you to change your mind.The last two buttons are usually found over on the right side of the row.:

If you are playing a machine which allows you to wager up to five coins per hand (the standard), striking the Play Max Coins button will play five coins immediately, so long as your credit with the machine is good. More on that, later. If the maximum allowable wager is seventeen coins (never heard of it), hitting the Play Max Coins button would prompt the machine to play seventeen coins immediately. The Deal/Draw button is used in a couple of different ways. When you play maximum coins, the computer deals the hand as soon as the last coin registers. However, if you play less than maximum coins the computer does not know when you want the hand to be dealt, so you must tell it. If your desire is to play three coins, then insert them and then hit the Deal/Draw button. That's the "Deal" part of Deal/Draw. The "Draw" function of this button is used on nearly every hand. Once your initial cards are dealt, and you've touched the Hold/Discard button under the cards you want to keep, the machine must be told that you are ready to finish the round. You inform it by pushing the Deal/Draw button. And that's the "Draw" portion of the Deal/Draw button. The screen serves many functions. In a manner of speaking, it communicates with you. When you hit the Hold/Discard button, the word Hold appears at the top or bottom of the card you have selected. That's the machine's way of communicating with you. You give it commands, it verifies and then acts out your wishes.The machine is a prompter. It will tell notify you whenever you have cards worthy of pay-offs by flashing a message onto the screen. Got two pair? Two Pair will be exhibited across the screen in script too bold to miss.The machine will inform you when the hand is over by posting "Game Over" some where on the screen. The machine is an inducer. Hand over? The machine will immediately display a sign suggesting you play maximum coins.The machine will tell you if it needs help. Perhaps a coin is jammed, perhaps there is a malfunction, perhaps it has a circuit which is overheating, etc.