Before the turn of the 20th century, early slot machines used playing cards as symbols.  Card icons were replaced with fruits, bells, bars, and horseshoes beginning in 1899, eliminating the use of playing cards for the first two-thirds of the 1900’s.   When video slot machines became prominent in the 1980’s, many games used (and still use) ‘Royals’ (10, J, Q, K, A) as symbols; a vestige of the first slot machines. 

The first video poker machine was introduced in 1970 although the game took most of the decade to begin developing a popular following.  Over time, video poker has become a favourite of casino players worldwide, with an increasing number of variants to choose from as well as the option to play up to 100 hands based on one initial five-card starting hand.

Game rules and descriptions of the features are provided below to make the game easier and more enjoyable to play.

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• Select a coin value from the available choices on the machine
• Play 1, 3, 5, 10, 25, 50 or 100 hands per game round
• Play 1 to 5 coins per hand and select ‘Deal’
• 5 cards are dealt from a standard 52 card deck (Exception: Games that include a Joker as a wild card have more than 52 cards)
• Use the 'Hold' buttons to decide which cards to keep
• The auto-hold feature, when enabled will provide suggestions as to which cards to keep
• Note that there is a difference between basic and perfect strategy in video poker.  This feature is based on the basic strategies for each game.
• All 5 cards may be discarded if desired
• Select 'Draw' when satisfied with the choice(s)
• For each hand played, a unique deck of cards minus the held cards and discards are used to draw replacements for discards
• Each hand is dealt randomly from a different virtual deck of cards in multi-hand variants
• Hand values corresponding to paytable values will be paid at the end of the game round
• Card values for the Double Up Bonus Game are randomly determined

Hand Rankings

The hand rankings in Video Poker are standard poker rankings, listed in the table below:

Hand	Description	Example
Nothing	A hand with five unmatched cards	A-Q-7-3-2
One Pair	Two cards with the same rank	A-A-J-9-6
Two Pair	Two groups of two cards with the same rank	A-A-9-9-7
Three of a Kind	Three cards of the same rank	A-A-A-4-2
Straight	Five cards in consecutive order (not of the same suit)	A-2-3-4-5 (suited)
Flush	Five cards of the same suit (example:  all hearts)	A-J-9-6-5
Full House	Three of a kind and a pair	A-A-A-J-J
Four of a Kind	Four cards with the same rank	A-A-A-A-2
Straight Flush	A straight with all cards of the same suit	3-4-5-6-7 (suited)
Five of a Kind	Four of a Kind plus a wild card	A-A-A-A-Joker
Wild Royal Flush	A Royal Flush where one or more cards is a wild card (usually pays out less than a ‘natural’ Royal Flush	A-K-Q-J-Joker (suited)
Royal Flush	Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten of the same suit	10-J-Q-K-A (suited)

How to Play

Controls:

• Bet One: Adds one credit per hand played to the intended wager
• Bet Max: Bet the maximum number of credits (5) per hand
• Rebet and Deal: One-click combination of ‘Bet Max’ and ‘Deal’ Buttons
• Clear Bets: Clear current bet amount
• Deal: Deal the hand with the current bet
• Denomination: Switch between allowable credit values without changing machines
• Hold: Select card(s) to keep prior to drawing
• Draw: Replace cards not held to improve hand rankings
• Double Up: A high-low mini-game that allows the player to predict the colour or suit of a card in order to double or quadruple their payout
• Choose Game: This allows you to switch between game variants without closing the game window

Game Speed

There are three game speeds available to suit the needs of all players. The default speed is the middle one, providing a smooth playing experience with rich audio. Click on the game speed button and select a different speed at any time.

Balance, Paid & Bet

Your balance will be updated each time a bet is placed and each time a payout is made. The paid amount is the amount returned to you from any/all winning combinations and in video poker is inclusive of the original bet.

Game Features

Many exciting and helpful features have been added to Video Poker to enhance your gameplay. The information below should be helpful in allowing you to get the most out of your experience.

Auto-Hold

The auto-hold feature allows you to let the game suggest which cards to hold after the initial deal. You may toggle the system on or off at will. Additionally, you are not forced to accept the recommendation of the system; you may manually change any of the suggestions prior to clicking on ‘draw’ to continue the hand.

Please note that the strategy suggestions are an accurate representation of simple strategy for each variant but there are highly advanced exceptions that are not incorporated into the feature. Additionally, the system will not select any card(s) to hold for hands without a pair and without a strategically correct draw. For more information on intermediate and optimal strategy in video poker, we recommend the website of a highly regarded gaming math expert at http://wizardofodds.com/videopoker

Win Displays

Several features have been incorporated into the interface to make game results easier to follow:

• Each different hand value has a base colour associated with it
• This remains the same across all variants, meaning that on any video poker game you play, you will be able to relate the hand rankings to a specific colour
• In multi-hand games, there is an indicator that shows how many of each winning combination occurred in the round
• A coloured banner will also be displayed on each winning hand
• 25, 50, and 100 hand games allow you to mouse over any of the winning hands to enlarge them and display the details
• Clicking on the paytable value will cause all the winning hands containing that combination to briefly glow, providing an additional visual cue

Winning Hands

Mouse-over winning hand enlargements

Double Up Feature

Video Poker features a Double Up Feature. Following a payout, you have the option to risk that payout with a chance to double or quadruple your money. If you click the ‘Double Up’ button, you will be presented with a screen allowing you to select either red or black (which pays double if you are correct) or a specific suit (which pays 4x if you are correct). Even if the game you are playing contains a wild card(s), the feature is always played with a standard 52-card deck that does not have any wild cards.

The feature is not available on wins over a threshold value, which is different depending on how many hands were played.

No opportunity to play the gamble feature will be allowed if the payout equals or exceeds a threshold value

• Not enabled if the paid amount is =>20,000 coins for 100 hand games
• Not enabled if the paid amount is =>10,000 coins for 50 hand games
• Not enabled if the paid amount is =>  5,000 coins for 25 hand games
• Not enabled if the paid amount is =>  2,000 coins for 10 hand (or less) games

Bet Limits

Video Poker coin values depend on the number of hands played. Progressive variants usually have fixed coin values that cannot be changed. For all games that allow multiple values, here is a listing of coin values that can be selected and smallest and largest bet you can place per game round:

Hands	Min Coin Value	Max Coin Value	Total Min Bet	Total Max Bet
1	0.25	20.00	0.25	100.00
3	0.10	20.00	.30	300.00
5	0.10	20.00	.50	500.00
10	0.10	20.00	1.00	1,000.00
25	0.02	20.00	.50	2,500.00
50	0.01	20.00	.50	5,000.00
100	0.01	20.00	1.00	10,000.00

Shortcuts/Hotkeys

Some players like to use their keyboard instead of their mouse wherever possible. As an aide to the players, a lengthy list of shortcut keys has been implemented in Video Poker. The table below lists what can be accomplished in the game without the use of your mouse.

Action	Shortcut Key
Coin Denomination Up	+
Coin Denomination Down	-
Bet One Credit	1
Bet Max	5 or x
Deal	Enter or Spacebar
Repeat Bet & Deal
Bet Max and Deal	Shift + (Enter or Spacebar)
Draw	Enter or Spacebar
Clear Bet	c
Toggle Hold Status Card 1	1
Toggle Hold Status Card 2	2
Toggle Hold Status Card 3	3
Toggle Hold Status Card 4	4
Toggle Hold Status Card 5	5
Cycle Number of Hands (increase)	Up arrow
Cycle Number of Hands (decrease)	Down arrow
Gamble Feature	d

Payouts

Each game variant has its own unique paytable. You will find all of the available games and their payout schedules below. Values listed are per coin played.

All American

Hand	Payout per coin, per hand
Royal Flush	800
Straight Flush	200
Four of a Kind	30
Full house	8
Flush	8
Straight	8
Three of a Kind	3
Two Pair	1
Jacks or Better	1
Nothing	0

*With 5 coins wagered per hand. Royal Flush payout for 1-4 coins per hand is 250/coin

The percentage of the bet/hand paid for each ‘returned card’ in this game is 21.10%

Deuces Wild

Hand	Payout per coin, per hand
Natural Royal Flush	800
Four Deuces	200
Wild Royal Flush	25
Five of a Kind	15
Straight Flush	9
Four of a Kind	4
Full House	4
Flush	3
Straight	2
Three of a Kind	1
Nothing	0

*With 5 coins wagered per hand. Royal Flush payout for 1-4 coins per hand is 250/coin

The percentage of the bet/hand paid for each ‘returned card’ in this game is 19.60%

Double Bonus

Hand	Payout per coin, per hand
Royal Flush	800
Straight Flush	50
Four Aces	160
Four 2-4	80
Four 5-K	50
Full House	9
Flush	7
Straight	5
Three of a Kind	3
Two Pair	1
Jacks or Better	1
Nothing	0

*With 5 coins wagered per hand. Royal Flush payout for 1-4 coins per hand is 250/coin

The percentage of the bet/hand paid for each ‘returned card’ in this game is 20.64%

Jacks or Better

Hand	Payout per coin, per hand
Royal Flush	800
Straight Flush	50
Four of a Kind	25
Full house	9
Flush	6
Straight	4
Three of a Kind	3
Two Pair	2
Jacks or Better	1
Nothing	0

*With 5 coins wagered per hand. Royal Flush payout for 1-4 coins per hand is 250/coin

The percentage of the bet/hand paid for each ‘returned card’ in this game is 15.30%

Joker Poker

Hand	Payout per coin, per hand
Royal Flush	800
Five of a Kind	200
Royal with Joker	100
Straight Flush	50
Four of a Kind	50
Full House	18
Flush	5
Straight	3
Three of a Kind	2
Two Pair	1
Kings or Better	1
Nothing	0

*With 5 coins wagered per hand. Royal Flush payout for 1-4 coins per hand is 250/coin

The percentage of the bet/hand paid for each ‘returned card’ in this game is 16.90%

Tens or Better

Hand	Payout per coin, per hand
Royal Flush	800
Straight Flush	50
Four of a Kind	25
Full house	6
Flush	5
Straight	4
Three of a Kind	3
Two Pair	2
Tens or Better	1
Nothing	0

*With 5 coins wagered per hand. Royal Flush payout for 1-4 coins per hand is 250/coin

The percentage of the bet/hand paid for each ‘returned card’ in this game is 15.90%

Super Jackpot 0.25 and 1.00

Hand	Payout per coin, per hand
Royal Flush	Jackpot
Straight Flush	50
Four of a Kind	25
Full house	8
Flush	5
Straight	4
Three of a Kind	3
Two Pair	2
Jacks or Better	1
Nothing	0

Jackpot reset value following a win is 4000 coins per 5 coins wagered

Royal Flush payout for 1-4 coins per hand is 250/coin

The percentage of the bet/hand paid for each ‘returned card’ in this game is 16.96%