POKER TAO

An Overview

An exciting video poker game starts with the player placing a bet of his credits. This is done the traditional way by inserting money or the modern method by a paper ticket specifically barcoded into a machine. Cards are drawn by simply pressing the Deal button. Video poker players are given the chance to keep or discard their cards in exchange for other new cards that will be drawn from the virtual deck. If the player's hand matches one of the winning hands according to the pay schedule, the machine will evaluate the payout to be given the lucky player.

History of Video Poker

Video poker started to be commercially popular when technology made it more economical to have the TV-like monitor combined with a central processing unit. Hence, the first few models of the video poker machines came at the advent of personal computers in the '70s. However, compared to today's standards, the first video poker machines are definitely primitive and obsolete.

When Si Redd's Coin Machines or SIRCOMA introduced Draw Poker in the later part of the '70s, video poker became more established. It increasingly became more popular in casinos because players found them less intimidating to play as opposed to the regular table games. Now, video poker has become a standard part of gaming floors of casinos worldwide.

Aces and Faces Video Poker

An Aces and Faces video poker player aims to complete a five-card poker hand containing a winning combination; of course, the better the hand, the bigger the payout. To start playing Aces and Faces, the player chooses the value of the coins that he wishes to bet for every round. Normally a plus (+) or minus (-) sign will be seen on the video poker machine. Adjusting this will give the player the desired betting amount. Then the player clicks Deal. Subsequently, one will be dealt with cards that he may choose to keep or discard by pressing corresponding buttons. The Hold button is for keeping the card, while the Deal button is used to replace cards that the player chooses not to keep.

In Aces and Faces, with a no-win combination, the game is over, and the player may choose to start again. A winning combination could be a pair of Jacks or a pair of any higher cards (Queens). A pair of any lower cards like Tens is not a winning combination.

At this point, the Aces and Faces player may now accept the win by clicking Collect. Or the player may opt to Double It. Doubling means the dealer has to draw a face-up card, while the player is dealt with four cards facing down that he will choose from. The player loses the original win when the card he chooses from the four is lower than the dealer's card. A tie is when the chosen card is equal to the dealer's card, and the player has again the choice to collect the original winning or he may opt to do the Double again. If the player has picked a card higher than the dealer's this is the time that his original winnings will be doubled. A Half Double in Aces and Faces is likewise possible where the player can double half his winning amount and save the rest into his balance.

The doubling part is considered an entirely different game round of the Aces and Faces game. The Bet screen will also be displayed during this part to show the amount placed as bets, while the Win screen will show the amount the player can possibly win for every round.