Video Poker
Based on the popular poker game variation the five-card draw came the advent of video poker during the 80’s. No, it’s not a game where you stay at home with a video camera or a web / PC camera and have a conference call poker game with other people who are just as lazy. The word video poker insinuates face to face communication with other people using machines; the more proper term would be digital poker or even machine poker. It’s actually a part of what casinos have to offer. Video poker uses a computerizes gaming console about the same size as a slot machine or a jukebox. During earlier times people wanted to create something that is half a TV monitor and half an unbreakable CPU. The main reason why video poker machines were so well-accepted in casinos is because it was more approachable than the tables with gambling hotshots and snotty dealers. One one hand, it is a machine and there’s no way first-timers can get embarrassed or told off by a machine! It also holds the same appeal as slot machines – far away from people, no nosy people watching, and no complicated rules and tough betting strategies. No people to share tables with, it’s one on one VIP treatment all the way. On the other hand, it has a lower payout than an actual poker game (but hey, who ever realistically goes into a casino and just downright expects to win anyway).
The game play is generally easy to understand. Patterned after five-card draw poker, it also involves being dealt with cards, being given the choice to keep them or scrap them for other cards and then when the drawing and discarding has finished, hands are evaluated by the machine based on its probability of being picked in an actual game. This is how victory is calculated. Nowadays, casinos know the demand that their loyal customers have for video poker. Addressing this demand, they have made sure their video poker machines are always “well oiled” and located at prime placement.