The first electronic poker machine was invented in 1964. However, video poker first made its commercial appearance only in the mid 1970s, about the same time as personal computers, when it became economical to connect a monitor to a central processing unit. It got entrenched as a popular game in 1979 with Si Redd's Coin Machines (SIRCOMA) Draw Poker. Incidentally SIRCOMA went on to become International Game Technology. Dale Electronics and Fortune Coin Company were other manufacturers of video poker machines. The popularity of video poker in the 1980s stemmed from the fact that it did not require the intimidating environment of table poker and could be played relatively privately. Apart from casinos it could be played in places like shopping malls. In the 1990s intense competition led machine owners to offer better payouts and introduce the low denomination 25 cent machines. The quality of the games also improved and many variations were introduced.
Online Video Poker
With the evolution of Internet technology, video poker got a new avatar in online poker, which was pioneered by Microgaming in 1994. The concept was the same but Internet technology enabled players to play from their homes. This reduced the cost of playing and increased the comfort level and led to a boom of video poker players. The popularity of online video poker led to further developments. Download speeds and more user-friendly software became the norm. Audio and visual special effects and animation made the play more interesting, for example when the player hit a royal flush. Trainer games were introduced that could prompt players when they made mistakes and keep track of errors and winnings so that players could evaluate the improvements they were making.
Mobile Video Poker
Now video poker is poised to take the next technological leap with poker already making an appearance on mobile phones. Players can now play video poker while traveling, while waiting for a meeting to start, in fact any time.
