Both Microgaming and Realtime Gaming (RTG) offer the regulation variants of video poker games at their online casinos. These variants by and large follow identical rules and pay tables, but are different in one respect. The have different betting mechanisms. Players who play video poker across different online casinos should understand how these basic betting mechanisms function.

Microgaming online casinos employ the simpler betting mechanism. Another advantage is that this mechanism is consistent across all its game categories and therefore players wagering on different games at Microgaming online casinos are not required to make a switch. The overall player’s balance with the online casino is directly manipulated with each transaction. In a multi hand video game a player selects 10 hands with a coin size of $1 and five coins. The total bet amount works out to $50 and this is shown in the bet amount cell. When the player clicks the Deal button $50 is reduced from the player’s balance and the cards are dealt. At the end of the game the amount won, if any, is shown in the win amount cell. Say this amount is $100. The player has the option to click the collect button. The $100 is added to his casino balance and the screen is cleared for the next game. Microgaming video poker gives the player an option to start the next game by clicking the Deal button without collecting his winnings. In that event $50 for the next wager is deducted from the winnings of $100 and the balance $50 is added to the player’s casino balance.

RTG follows this scheme for its other online casino games. But for its video poker variants RTG uses the mechanism prevalent in land casino video poker machines. This is done to create a realistic land casino environment. Before a player starts wagering on a land based video poker machine he has to load it with “coins”. RTG online video pokers variants follow the same process. The player has to transfer funds from his casino balance to the video poker game. Supposing he transfers $100 and selects coin size of $0.10, then his casino balance reduces by $100 and the video poker game is credited with 1,000 coins of $0.10 each. There is complete transferability between the casino balance and the video poker game balance. Suppose the player opts for a 10 hand game and wagers five coins per hand, his coin balance of 1,000 coins will decrease by 50 coins to 950 coins when he clicks the deal button. If he wins 100 coins in the game his coin balance will increase to 1,050 coins. All this while there will be no change in his casino balance. If the player loses all the coins then he will need to purchase fresh coins to feed the video poker game. At that time his casino balance will decrease again by the value of coins purchased. When the player has finished wagering he can transfer the balance coins to this casino account. Suppose he has been lucky and ends up with 2,000 coins. Since each coin is worth $0.01, $200 will be transferred to his casino account when the player clicks on the Cashout button.