In 1901, Fey created a poker machine called the Skill Draw which had a “Hold” feature. This poker machine could automatically pay cash prizes to the winner, the largest of which was 20 coins for a royal flush. In 1898, Charles Fey, commonly known as the father of the slot machine, created the Card Bell.

Each drum would eventually stop on a card, making up the final poker hand. Once a coin was inserted and the handle pulled, the drums would spin. It contained five drums, each having 10 different playing cards. In 1891, the Sittman and Pitt Company of Brooklyn, New York invented an early poker machine. To properly understand the development of video poker, we must start with some forerunners of the game. How did things get to this point? Well, when you trace the history of video poker, you’ll find that its evolution has been closely related to that of slot machines.

If that isn’t enough variety to set your head spinning, there’s even a multi-play version of multi-strike poker. There are video poker “action” games such as spin poker (a combination of video poker and slot machine), and multi-strike poker where a winning hand leads to up to three additional hands that each double the payback of a winning hand from the previous winning hand. There are multiple action games where the initially dealt and saved cards of a hand are played three, five, 10, 50 and even 100 times.

There are scores of variations ranging from the basic Jacks or Better, through bonus games and wild card games such as Deuces Wild and Joker’s Wild. They come in denominations ranging from a penny to $100, and beyond. Today’s casinos have a plethora of video poker machines. Editorial Staff | Posted on Octo| How the game evolved into a mainstay of modern casinos By Jerry “Stickman” Stich

Bally deuces wild slot machine image