Video poker has one of the most interesting origin stories in casino gaming. It evolved from a crude mechanical device in 1891 into a game that returns over 99% with perfect play — one of the best bets in any casino. Here's how it happened.
The Mechanical Era: 1891-1970
The earliest ancestor of video poker appeared in 1891, when Sittman and Pitt of Brooklyn built a machine with five spinning drums displaying 50 card faces (the Ten of Spades and Jack of Hearts were removed to reduce Royal Flush odds). Players inserted a nickel, pulled a lever, and hoped for a poker hand. There was no automatic payout — a pair of Kings might win a free beer from the bartender.
Charles Fey is often credited with improving on this design, but his machines simplified toward three-reel slot mechanics rather than poker. For decades, poker-style machines remained novelties in bars, paying out in drinks and cigars rather than coins.
The gap between 1900 and 1970 saw almost no development in poker machines. Slot machines with fruit symbols dominated, while poker remained a table game.
The Birth of Video Poker: 1970-1979
Two things converged in the early 1970s: affordable microprocessors and television monitors. Dale Electronics released "Poker-Matic" in 1970 — one of the first machines to display cards on a screen instead of physical drums. It wasn't a commercial success, but it proved the concept.
The real breakthrough came from William "Si" Redd. Redd was a Bally distributor who saw the potential of combining a TV monitor with a microprocessor to simulate five-card draw poker. He licensed the technology and founded SIRCOMA (Si Redd's Coin Machines) in 1975.
SIRCOMA's "Draw Poker" machine, released in 1979, was the first video poker game that felt like playing real poker. Players could see their cards, choose which to hold, and draw replacements — all on a screen, at their own pace, without the intimidation of a live table.
The IGT Explosion: 1980-1989
SIRCOMA went public in 1981 and changed its name to International Game Technology (IGT). The 1980s were video poker's golden age:
- 1980: Jacks or Better becomes the standard game. The "9/6" full-pay version (9-for-1 Full House, 6-for-1 Flush) offered 99.54% return — better than almost any table game.
- 1982-1985: Video poker machines spread from downtown Las Vegas to the Strip and Atlantic City. Players discovered that unlike slots, video poker had knowable odds and optimal strategy.
- 1986-1989: The first bonus games appear. Bonus Poker adds enhanced payouts for Four of a Kind, creating higher volatility and bigger jackpots.
Two factors drove adoption. First, players who were intimidated by live poker tables could play the same game alone, at their own pace. Second, the math was transparent — the pay table told you exactly what every hand was worth, and skilled players could calculate the return.
The Variant Explosion: 1990-1999
The 1990s produced most of the video poker variants still played today:
| Year | Game | Innovation |
|---|---|---|
| Early 1990s | Deuces Wild | Wild cards; completely different strategy |
| 1993 | Double Bonus Poker | Tiered quad payouts by rank |
| Mid-1990s | Double Double Bonus | Kicker system — specific card next to quads pays more |
| Late 1990s | Triple Double Bonus | Maximum quad differentiation |
| 1990s | Joker Poker | 53-card deck with one Joker wild |
IGT's "Game King" platform, introduced in the mid-1990s, was revolutionary. A single machine could offer dozens of games — Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, Bonus Poker, and more — switchable from a menu. This made video poker sections far more space-efficient for casinos and more appealing to players.
Multi-hand video poker also emerged in this era. Triple Play (3 hands), Five Play, Ten Play, and eventually 50-Play and 100-Play formats let players wager on multiple hands from a single deal.
The Online Era: 2000-2010
Microgaming launched the first online casino in 1994, and by the early 2000s, video poker was widely available online. The technology evolved rapidly:
- Download era (late 1990s): Players installed software packages to play
- Flash era (2000s): Browser-based "instant play" via Adobe Flash
- HTML5 era (2010s): Modern cross-device compatibility
Online video poker introduced progressive jackpots linked across multiple sites, practice-play modes for learning strategy, and access to full-pay versions that were becoming scarce in physical casinos.
The Modern Landscape: 2010-Present
Today's video poker world is defined by several trends:
Pay table degradation. Full-pay machines that were common in the 1990s are now rare on casino floors. 9/6 Jacks or Better is hard to find on the Las Vegas Strip; most properties offer 9/5, 8/6, or worse. The best pay tables have migrated to high-limit rooms and locals casinos.
Multi-hand dominance. Multi-play formats (Triple Play through 100-Play) now generate more coin-in than single-line machines, making them the preferred format for comp-oriented players.
Loyalty program integration. Modern machines are tightly integrated with casino loyalty programs. Your card tracks every hand, generating the data casinos use to calculate your comp value, tier status, and mailer offers.
Mobile and free-to-play. Video poker apps and browser-based games let players practice strategy without risking money — a resource that didn't exist in the 1980s when players learned by losing.
Why History Matters
Understanding video poker's history explains why the game works the way it does. The pay table transparency that Si Redd built into the original SIRCOMA machines is still there — video poker remains one of the only casino games where you can calculate your exact expected return before you play. That's the legacy of a game designed around poker math rather than mystery.