A hundred years ago if you had told the poker players floating down the Mississippi that in only a few generations their beloved game of interplay and subterfuge would be reduced down into a device roughly the size of an average headstone, they probably would have accused you of witchcraft and given you your own headstone. Back then Poker was, without exception, a social game. It would have been unimaginable to think of playing poker without multiple others sitting at the table bent on your manipulation. But it wasn't that poker players back then wouldn't have enjoyed a little online video poker, the reason why they would have been so weary of it was simply that the technology for such a device was the stuff of magic not casinos.

The invention of online video poker highlights the power that technology has, not only to change the way a casino game is played, but also how the entire game is perceived. Previously people never would have dreamed of playing poker by themselves against a computer, but once people started actually playing Online Video Poker games the realization was quickly made that you didn't actually need a table, a pile of chips, and a crowd of folks to enjoy a little poker.

As it turns out the same state of mind and level of action can be perfectly recreated within the design of a video poker game. The fact that you're playing against a computer instead of a real person doesn't mean that you don't have to know your cards, or that it's any easier to outwit your opponent. The fact is that Online Video Poker offers its own unique set of challenges and skill requirements that are much less important in live poker. Unlike live poker, Video poker requires a much more comprehensive understanding of the cards and the probability of certain hands. In live poker the way most players gain an edge over their opponents is through creating and perfecting a refined system of behaviors that can manipulate opponents into believing certain things. With online video poker there is no opponent to manipulate in this way. The computer does not care what expression you have on your face when you look at your cards for the first time or how much time it takes you to decide if you're going to raise. With Online Video Poker the only thing the computer cares about is pure probability which forces the video poker player to care about the same thing if they’re going to win.

Online video poker demands that a player actually have the technical knowledge of which cards turn up how often and the probability of making different hands. If you've never played video poker, at first this may seem a little disorienting. To the established poker expert, playing without the intricate emotional analysis of your opponents may leave you with a feeling of being in the dark. But don't let this put you off. Once you get used to it, online video poker can be an incredibly entertaining and even rewarding way to play the game. Rewarding? How? You might ask. Well because the skill set demanded of video poker is so different from that of live poker, if you play video poker a little you will inevitably get better and better at predicting hand outcomes. Although this is not the most important skill in live poker, it is however a skill that is all too often over looked. If you're someone who’s already mastered the art of poker deception, you can even further develop your skill by employing your video poker knowledge of probability. With a little time spent between Video poker and live poker, your live poker will become an even more profitable enterprise, and you'll have all your buddies marveling at the level of your skills.