The History Of Video Poker

If you can play poker, you can play video poker, and if you can play casino slots, you’ll probably be very comfortable with video poker too. Video poker is simple to learn and fun to play, which is probably why it is so popular in today’s gaming world, both live and online.

If you’ve ever wondered about the beginnings of video poker, read on. A Brief History of Video Poker Clearly, video poker cannot have existed before the late 20th century, as the technology for such a game, in fact, the concept of “video” itself, didn’t really exist. In fact, for the large majority of its history, those wishing to play poker had to do it the conventional way, with real cards around a real poker table.

However, in the 1970’s, personal computer technology emerged, and the exact same technology that could pair a Central Processing Unit with a monitor could allow for video poker machines. Video Poker : The Early Years The first major company to jump on this idea was SIRCOMA, with Draw Poker in 1979. This game set the standard for video poker games to come, based on five card draw, with payouts according to the strength of your final hand.

The convenience of playing poker by oneself at a machine was too great to resist, and video poker took off throughout the 80s. There was more than one story about players becoming so engrossed in their games that they forgot to use the restrooms or eat, even after playing for many hours. Modern Video Poker As the games grew in popularity, more variations developed, usually including wild cards (Deuces Wild, Joker’s Wild). Players liked these games because it seemed to give them more chances to win, although many did not realize that suddenly stronger hands were required for the same payouts. Additional games included Bonus games with special payouts for certain hands, and multi-hand games, where you could play many hands at once.

Today, poker players can enjoy video poker at any number of casinos, at home at an online casino, and even on their phones! The great thing about video poker is that it translates almost exactly in almost any video-enabled medium.