Video Poker originated in the 1970s and is now one of the most popular casino games, with an incredible variety of games now available.

The very first video poker game can be traced back to 1975 approximately. Unfortunately we don’t have any screenshots of the first video poker machine – but we were told they very basic.

Despite debuting in 1975, it took until the 80s before Video Poker became big. This was due to IGT(International Game Technology) launching the electronic version of Draw Poker. Since then, Video Poker became a lot more popular. Initially Bally had the patent to it but Si Redd was able to acquire the patent and truly start the birth of video poker.

The reason for this is that while people wanted to play Draw Poker, they weren’t a fan of playing it at table games. When Video Poker became big, they much preferred playing it by themselves in isolation. It also became popular due to lower denomination matches and machines that offer great odds. Especially in the 90s – there was some video poker machines where in the long-term YOU had the advantage, not the house.

The first ever video game is what is now known as Jacks or Better. This is the classic and original video poker game. What helped Video Poker in its popularity was it was like “slots – with strategy”. That was what appealed to people – they could sit there and spin away like a slot machine, but they actually had to assign some sort of strategy to it, and could also choose to take risks etc.

Video Poker is one of the most evolving casino games there is. Initially launched with just Jacks or Better, there are literally hundreds or even thousands of video poker variations out there. Progressive jackpot games, wild card games, special bonus games etc. There is even multiple game play where you can play up to 100 hands at once.

Despite all the evolution, Jacks or Better is still known as the most popular video poker version. If you check out any online casino you’ll see a variety of Jacks or Better games.

Additional Video Poker History Questions:

How Many Video Poker Games are there?

Waaay too many to list here. For example – Classy Coin Casino has over 20 video poker games including Aces and Eights, All American Poker, Double Bonus Poker, Jacks or Better, Loose Deuces and Mystery Bonus Poker. On top of that most of their games can be played from 1 hand all the way up to 100 hands.

I thought SIRCOMA invented Video Poker.

Well Ballys invented it. However SIRCOMA(Si Redds Coin Machines) were the ones that made it famous, courtesy of Si Redd. They would later go public and change their name to IGT.

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