How To Play - Vidya Poker

This is the Vidya Poker Official Manual / Guide on How To Play!

Welcome to Vidya Poker!

Controls Available

Mouse

• Click on a card to toggle select it to be held!
  
• Click and drag across more than one card to quickly multi-select those cards, similar to using a touch screen!

Keyboard

• Esc key will toggle the pause menu while playing. In any UI menu, Esc acts as clicking the Back button.
  
• Spacebar and Enter keys trigger the DEAL/DRAW button.
  
• 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 keys will toggle selection of the dealt cards in each respective slot!
  
• 'A' key will toggle Auto-Play during gameplay.
  
• W, A, S, D keys control currently selected Style or Skin in the Customization menus.

How Many Cards and How Are They Dealt?

Vidya Poker has the following criteria to calculate odds for achieving winning hands:

• Gameplay for how cards are simulated is done as it would in 'real life' with real cards.
  
• A single deck of 52 cards is used (4 suits of 13 cards, valued Ace to King).
  
• The entire deck is reset before every initial hand is dealt on a new gameplay round.
  
• Any dealt or discarded cards during a gameplay round are removed from the pool of available cards to be dealt.
  
• Cards are dealt randomly.

Winning Hands

Ordered Smallest to Largest Payout

Hand	Description
	Jacks Or Better A pair of face cards or pair of Aces!
	2 Pair Two pairs of any number value matching cards!
	3 of a Kind Three of any number value matching cards!
	Straight All cards numerical values in sequential order! (physical order not necessary)
	Flush All cards have a matching suit!
	Full House Pair of cards + 3 of a Kind!
	4 of a Kind Four of any number value matching cards!
	4 5s Thru Kings Four cards with any matching number value between 5 and King! (game type restricted for bonus payout)
	4 2s, 3s, 4s Four cards with any matching number value between 2 and 4! (game type restricted for bonus payout)
	4 Aces Four cards all having the value of Ace! (game type restricted for bonus payout)
	4 2s, 3s, 4s w/Ace, 2, 3, 4 Four cards with any matching number value between 2 and 4, with a fifth card having a value between Ace and 4! (game type restricted for bonus payout)
	4 Aces With Any 2, 3, 4 Four Aces with a fifth card having any matching number value between 2 and 4! (game type restricted for bonus payout)
	Straight Flush All cards numerical values in sequential order with matching suit! (physical order not necessary)
	Royal Flush Sequential card values of 10->Ace, with all matching suit! (physical order not necessary)

Auto Play - Vidya Poker has the ability to play itself!

Toggle Auto-Play during gameplay by pressing the 'AUTO' button or the 'A' key on the keyboard!

Auto button enabled

A timer bar is displayed to visualize when the next hand is dealt!

Auto-play will automatically play with the following basic logic:

1. Deal a new hand!
   
2. If dealt winning hand, hold winning cards. Otherwise, hold specific cards for best chance of rewards.
   
3. Draw replacement cards!
   
4. Celebrate winnings! (timed)
   
5. Repeat!

The following is the hierarchy of 'No-Win' holds Auto-Play will prioritize after initial Deal of cards:

1. 4 to a Royal
   
2. 4 to a Straight Flush
   
3. 3 to a Royal
   
4. 4 to a Flush
   
5. Pair (other than Jacks or Better)
   
6. 4 to a Straight
   
7. 2 suited Face Cards (Ace, King, Queen, Jack)
   
8. 3 to a Straight Flush
   
9. 2 Face Cards
   
10. 1 Face Cards
    
11. WIPE

While Auto-Play is ON, interacting with the DEAL/DRAW button or any of the cards will automatically turn Auto-Play OFF

Hot Streaks and Cold Streaks

Winning or Losing consecutively will put the player into either a Hot Streak or Cold Streak state.

Streak	Description
	Hot Streak Winning 3 times in a row will grant a Hot Streak. Continuous wins while in a Hot Streak will earn the player additional Diamonds .
	Cold Streak Losing 4 times in a row will put the player in a Cold Streak. As of the initial release, there are no consequences for the player being in a Cold Streak. Earning a winning hand will take the player out of the Cold Streak state.

Coins and Diamonds - Earning and Spending

There are two currencies used in Vidya Poker: Coins and Diamonds.

Coins

1. The player has an initial amount of 250 Coins when playing Vidya Poker for the first time.
   
2. Each round of playing Vidya Poker, the player 'Bets' 25 Coins.
   
3. A winning hand grants a return of those bet Coins multiplied by the Payout Multiplier number listed in the Payout Table at the bottom left of the game window.
   
4. A losing hand forfeits the initial 25 Coin bet.

Diamonds

1. A Diamond is earned when a winning hand is achieved while including an Ace card.
   
2. If the player is on a Hot Streak, any winning hand in this mode will additionally pay out Diamonds equal to the winning hand's Payout Multiplier.

Going Bankrupt

If the player runs out of Coins they will become Bankrupt. A button will appear, that when clicked, will grant the infusion of 250 Coins to the player. As of the initial release, there is no real consequence to becoming bankrupt.

Unlocking Card Designs, Toons, and Toon Skins

Screen	Description
	Customization Screen
	Card Face Customization Spend Diamonds to unlock and select the design scheme for the Face of the Cards used when playing.
	Card Rear Customization Spend Diamonds to unlock and select the design for the Rear of the Cards used when playing.
	Toon Selection Spend Diamonds to unlock and select the companion Toon that is shown while playing.
	Toon Skin Selection Spend Diamonds to unlock and select the visual Skin for the currently selected Toon .