Video Poker is merely a combination of two popular forms of gambling: the video slot machine using the poker game. Succeeding at a game of Electronic Poker involves a combination of bettor skill with good luck, making it a favorite with players. The game of poker is believed to have begun back in 1830, where it is recorded as having been played by French migrants living in New Orleans. Video-Poker uses a variation of the game named five-card draw poker. At the same time, the coin-operated card machine (referred affectionately as a "slot machine") was first developed in the late Nineteenth century, with poker machines appearing in San Francisco in 1890. These machines were extremely simple by today’s specifications, utilizing actual cards rather than icons.
The machines declined in popularity throughout the initial half of the 20th century. Economic issues mixed with the limited technologies of the machines themselves meant that individuals just weren’t interested in gambling anymore. A very simple electronic poker machine was released in 1964 but accomplished only average results.
It wasn’t until the mid-1970s that the Video-Poker device as we know it today became accessible. Advances in technology meant that a central processing unit (CPU) could be used inside the machines to give them a "brain", whilst a video screen transmitted the action to the bettor.
Meanwhile, casino operators searched for new high-profit games, and the mixture of a slot machine with the much more traditional game of five-card draw poker proved to be a winning blend with the old and new. The initial Video Poker device was built in 1976 by Bally Manufacturing. It was black and white only, but a color version was developed just 8 months later, released by the Fortune Coin Firm. Over the next few years, computer chips started to be less expensive to produce, and extra casinos introduced Video Poker machines as they became a lot more financially viable. A version referred to as Draw Poker was unveiled in ‘79 by a business now known as IGT, and it achieved amazing success.
Video-Poker truly took off in the early 80s where it started to be well-known in casinos across Las Vegas. Bettors found themselves much less intimidated by a equipment than they were when playing at a table in front of others. The popularity of the game has steadily grown over the last 25 years and it can now be found in the majority of gambling establishments around the world, along with bars and on the Internet.
