Multi-hand games were first introduced to online casinos in card-based table games such as blackjack and casino poker variants. The player can play multiple hands against the same dealer hand in these games. This allows for a much faster game. Today almost all online casinos also offer multi-hand video poker variants. There are two important differences between multi-hand card games and multi-hand video poker games. In multi-hand card games, players must complete each hand independently. In multi-hand video poker, players only have to decide one hand and the rest of the hands follow the same pattern. In multi-hand card games, players can bet on up to five hands. Most multi-hand video poker games allow players to bet up to 100 hands at a time.
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There are two broad formats for multi-hand video poker games in online casinos. Software providers like Microgaming and Playtech offer video poker games with different hands as separate titles. Players must select the number of hands in advance and open the corresponding game. Microgaming’s multi-hand video poker games are known as Power Poker. Software providers like Rival Gaming and Cryptologic allow players to choose the number of hands within the game, which is very convenient. The number of hands offered in online video poker variants are 1, 4, 10, 25, 50 and 100.
Only the process of selecting the number of hands is different. The basic game is the same for video poker games from all software providers. First, players need to select the number of coins to bet and the coin value. When you hit the “Deal” button, the first hand of five cards will be dealt. The player must mark the cards he wishes to hold as single-hand video poker games. The cards held as being are then transferred to the appropriate positions in all hands. When the player clicks the draw button, the remaining cards in the main hand are replaced and the remaining cards in the other hands are revealed in turn. Each hand is independently compared to the paytable. The payouts for each hand are added together and the total is deposited into the player’s account. Most software providers offer a voluntary double option for their online multi-hand video poker games. The game differs from software provider to software provider. The player can use the won payout. If he wins, the amount wagered is doubled. If he loses, he loses the amount wagered.
Software providers have incorporated certain text and visual features so that players can track the payouts if so desired. Color-coded texts appear above the hands to identify the hand rankings. A total payout breakdown is also displayed on the screen, showing the number of hands for each paying hands ranking. Speed options are available in most multi-hand video poker variants. The fastest speed setting should be activated. It helps to achieve the goal of playing the maximum number of hands in a given time.