(NEW OFFER! Register Poke-It Poker! soon and in addition to all the great programs you'll get you will also receive a certificate worth $10.00 toward the purchase of a CDROM disk FULL of hundreds of quality shareware programs... The CDROM will be yours for a mere $9.95 with this certificate! Certificates good through June 30, 1994.) Aaarghhh! Another Windows Card Game!!! Note: This evaluation copy of Poke-It Poker! doesn't "pay" when you hit a Royal Flush... Register soon! Overview ======== You walk down the Strip, crowds of people passing you by, jostling you, but you don't notice. Your mind is on one thing. You walk up to the door... oh, any door will do: Caesar's Palace, Sam's Town, The Sahara, The Golden Nugget, The Flamingo... You enter the casino, ooh, the din is terrible - "bing, bing, bing...", "chunkachunkachunk...", screeches and squeals, glasses clattering... Then you arrive at your favorite machine - you know - the lucky one you always play, abandoning it for another only when it throws an unlucky tantrum. You slide into the chair, insert your first dollar token... Eeek! You are a Video Poker freak! Your wallet attests! But, after all, tonight could be that lucky night... Welcome to Poke-It Poker! The simulated Video Poker Machine! Styled from the real thing (specifications from machine's at Sam's Town and the 7-11 at Eastern & Desert Inn Avenues - right here in Las Vegas!), Poke-It Poker will give you hours of gambling pleasure. Economically!!! The Game ======== We've endeavored to keep Poke-It Poker as faithful to the real machines as possible - you can almost hear the lady walking by every twenty minutes or so, calling: "Cocktails!" - which are free, of course, as long as you keep popping those coins! Two styles of Video Poker are simulated in Poke-It Poker!, "Joker's Wild" and regular "Draw Poker". (I prefer Draw Poker.) "Draw Poker" utilizes a 52 card deck, while "Joker's Wild" uses the same - but with a Joker to help you out. The payoffs differ for each game, however, and are shown at the top of your screen. There is a chart giving the value for each five card combination that will pay. If you take a look, you'll see names like Full House, Royal Flush, Straight, etc. Winning hands available in "Joker's Wild" explained: ========================================== Kings or Better: a pair of Kings or a pair of Aces. Pays 1 coin. Two Pair: two groups of two cards showing the same number (or picture) for example, 2 of hearts and 2 of diamonds (one pair) plus Ten of Clubs and Ten of Hearts (second pair). Pays 1 coin. Three Of A Kind: three cards from different suits displaying the same number, i.e three Jacks. Pays 2 coins. Straight: five cards in consecutive order, any combination of suits. Pays 3 coins. Flush: 5 cards same suit. Pays 5 coins. Full House: three of a kind plus a pair, i.e. three kings plus a pair of sixes. Pays 7 coins. Four Of A Kind: four cards from different suits displaying the same number, i.e four Jacks. Pays 20 coins. Straight Flush: five cards in consecutive order, same suit. Pays 50 coins. Royal Flush With Joker: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, or Ten, same suit with a Joker filling the missing space. Pays 100 coins. Five Of A Kind: Four cards from different suits displaying the same number, i.e Four Jacks - but with a joker representing the fifth card. Pays 200 coins. Royal flush: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, ten, same suit. Pays 500 coins. A Joker can assume the value of any card in any suit. For example a joker and a King becomes a pair of "Kings or better." A Joker and two sixes becomes "Three of a kind." Winning hands available in "Draw Poker" explained: ========================================== Jacks or Better: a pair of Kings, Aces, Queens, or Jacks. Pays 1 coin. Two Pair: two groups of two cards showing the same number (or picture) for example, Two of Hearts and Two of Diamonds (one pair) plus Ten of Clubs and Ten of Hearts (second pair). Pays 2 coins. Three Of A Kind: three cards from different suits displaying the same number, i.e three Jacks. Pays 2 coins. Straight: five cards in consecutive order, any combination of suits. Pays 4 coins. Flush: 5 cards same suit. Pays 5 coins. Full House: three of a kind plus a pair, i.e. three kings plus a pair of sixes. Pays 8 coins. Four Of A Kind: four cards from different suits displaying the same number, i.e four Jacks. Pays 25 coins. Straight Flush: five cards in consecutive order, same suit. Pays 50 coins. Royal flush: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, ten, same suit. Pays 250 coins. ================================== In both games all winnings are multiplied by the number of coins played. For example, if you get Kings Or Better after playing 1 coin, you'll win 1 coin. If, however, you get Kings Or Better after playing 5 coins (the maximum bet allowed), you'll win 5. To Play the Game: ================= You start the game with 100 credits representing $100.00. This is your stake. When Poke-It Poker! appears you'll need to be aware of the following buttons: The [Bet Five Credits] and [Bet One Credit] Buttons: In order to play the game, you need to *wager* or bet an amount that you're willing to risk. The MAXIMUM bet is five dollars. If you want to bet the maximum, press the [Bet Five Credits] button and then press the [Deal] button. To bet less, press the [Bet One Credit] button until the amount you want to wager on the next deal is shown on the screen, then press the [Deal] button. The [Deal] Button: When you've wagered the amount you want, press this button to deal your first hand. The Five [Hold] Buttons: After the first deal, you'll decide which cards you want to *hold* and which you'll discard for the second deal. Press the [Hold] button that corresponds to the card on the screen that you want to hold. The word "Held" will appear on the screen above that card. When you've held all the cards you want to, press the [Deal] button again and the cards you *didn't* hold will be replaced with newly dealt cards. NOTE: The F5 thru F9 function keys also hold the corresponding card shown on the screen. The [Game] Button: This button controls game functions. When the Game Menu appears you'll have the following choices: 1. Reset Credits To 100 (does just that!) 2. Save Current Credits on Exit (you'll start the next time with that many) 3. Enable Sound (if an "X" appears in this box, the Windows Beep will augment game play. Otherwise silence will prevail) 4. Maximize Game Window (with an "X" here the Poke-It Poker window will fill the screen) 5. Okay (closes the Game Menu) 6. Help (displays this manual and the accompanying README file) 7. Exit (quits the game and returns to Windows) 8. Play Joker's Wild/Play Draw Poker (toggles between the two game modes) Winning Strategies ================== Ha! If I knew how to win this stuff I wouldn't have to write software! Seriously, though, you've just gotta know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em! THESE ARE DOLLAR MACHINES! So be careful, you'll go broke fast! Registration! ============= Enjoy! And please register! On registration you'll receive the full version of Poke-It Poker! COMPLETE WITH POKE-IT SLOTS!, our Slot Machine simulator. PLUS... On the disk with your registered version we'll send you all the LATEST VERSIONS of our other great ShareWare games: WORLD EMPIRE, WORLD EMPIRE II FOR WINDOWS, and HEAVY WATER JOGGER! You'll also receive our new Address Database for Windows! Send ONLY $18.00 to: Viable Software Alternatives PO Box 98134 Las Vegas, NV 89193-8134 Or Call: 1-800-854-4902 with your MasterCard or VISA number. An order form is provide under the file name "ORDERFRM.TXT". You can Open this file using Windows Notepad and print it. For technical support call: (618) 549-5227 Or I can be contacted via CompuServe at: Casey Butler, 72043,46 Sheesh, did I forget anything? Oh yeah, Thanks! And as the change attendant would say, "Good Luck!"