History of Video Poker
The history of video poker can always be traced from the history of slot machine. Charles Fey was considered the Father of the Slot Machine, but when he first develop the machine a set number of symbols, not a set of poker hands, wins a prize.
It was not until he created the Card Bell in 1898 that some features of video poker appeared. Card Bell is a poker machine that was designed to automatically pay out winning combinations like flush, straight, etc.
In early 1900’s he improved the design of Card Bell and named it Skill Draw. The main difference of Skill Draw from the previous machine is that it has a ‘hold’ feature. This allows players to hold a particular drum in place whilst he spin all others, allowing him to improve his poker hand. Of course, the hold feature became an integral part of modern day video poker.
Putting Electronics Technology in Place
The mechanicals Skill Draw were soon replaced by the electronic machines and gave rise to what is the direct ancestor of video poker. The first true video poker was developed by Dale electronics and was named Poker-Matic.
Another device was made by Walt Fraley in 1975. These machines were featured in many casinos in Vegas, but they didn’t become a hit, simply because people didn’t trust the payout and the randomness of the machine.
The time when things start getting better for video poker is when SIRCOMA, which is now known as IGT introduced Draw Poker in 1979. This machine became hugely popular relative to Poker-matic, with its Draw and Hold capacities.
Draw Poker earned people’s trust in the game and allowed others to follow suit. From then on, video poker has become a staple in almost any casinos in and out of Vegas.
The Way They Are Now
The early 1990s saw the development of better gaming quality and new variations of the well-loved game. Video Poker took its last metamorphosis during this time, when game developers took video poker to the internet. This allowed video poker to be played and enjoyed by more people, especially for those who don’t have brick-and-mortar casinos in their locality.
Having video poker running over the World Wide Web is one of the milestones in video poker history. With online gambling, players can enjoy video poker wherever there are internet connection available and whenever they feel like playing.
Microgaming was one of the first to bring video poker into the World Wide Web. Since then other companies followed suit, providing players with dozen of video poker variants that gradually show improvement in terms of graphics and sound quality.
