═══ 1. How to play Multi Poker ═══ IglooSoft Presents The Compulsive Gambler's Toolkit Multi Poker Multi Poker emulates the video poker machines found in casinos all over the world. It is an expandable software package, capable of playing almost any 5 card solitaire draw poker game. For more information, select from the following choices:  How to begin  Selecting a game  Betting  Rules  Game controls - Bet - Bet 5 - Deal - Advice - Odds - Keep/Discard - New  Troubleshooting ═══ 2. How to begin ═══ When the Multi Poker window appears, the player has $25 with which to gamble. This is shown at the lower right corner of the screen in the bank. The bank may be reset to $25 at any time by selecting Game->New from the main menu. For play to begin, the user must select a game from the Game->Select menu. The available games depends upon which games were installed. (See Troubleshooting if no games are listed). Once a game is selected, the player may place a bet, between $1 and $5. Pressing Bet increases the bet by $1, up to the maximum of $5. When the desired amount is bet, pressing Deal causes the cards to be dealt. Alternatively, pressing Bet 5 automatically sets the bet to $5 and deals, without the need to press Deal. After Deal or Bet 5 is pressed, cards are dealt. If the hand has any value, it is displayed above the cards. The player has the option of keeping any cards by pressing the Keep/Discard button beneath each card. Any cards marked for keeping will display Keep above them. Once the player has marked all cards for keeping, Deal is pressed. At this point, any cards not marked for keeping are discarded and replaced by new cards from the deck(s). The final hand is evaluated and paid out according to the payout table above the cards. This constitutes the end of the hand. See also:  Advice  Odds ═══ 3. Selecting a game ═══ A new (or initial) game may be selected by choosing Game->Select from the main menu. A list of available games is presented as a submenu. Successful selection of a new game clears the table's cards. When a game is selected, its name appears in the titlebar. The payout table above the cards changes to reflect the different hands and payouts. Note: For obvious reasons, it is not possible to select a different game once a hand is in play. ═══ 4. Betting ═══ The first action of any hand is placing a bet. This bet is between $1 and $5. The payout for a given hand is shown in the payout table above the cards. In most cases, the payout for a given hand is proportional to the amount wagered ($5 Royal Flushes are a common exception to this). Pressing Bet is analogous to placing a dollar into a machine. The wager may be increased up to $5 by successive presses of Bet The Bet 5 button places the maximum $5 bet and deals cards. See also:  Bet  Bet 5  Deal ═══ 5. Rules ═══ The rules for each game are defined separately. In general, play starts with a wager. The player is dealt 5 cards from one or more decks. After the initial deal, the player may discard and draw one or more cards in an attempt to improve the hand. The object is to obtain the most valuable hand possible through luck and selection of discards. The payout table for each game determines which hands have which value. In some cases, hand definitions overlap (ex. a Straight Flush is also a Straight and a Flush). Only the most valuable hand is paid in such cases. ═══ 6. Game Controls ═══ Multi Poker may be operated via mouse or keyboard controls. Every graphic button has as associated hot key. The keys associated with buttons are as follows:  Bet - +  Bet 5 - space  Deal - enter  Advice - V  Odds - O  Keep/Discard - F5-F9 ═══ 7. Bet ═══ Pressing Bet increases the wager on the next hand. The wager can be increased up to $5, at which point dealing begins automatically. Note: The Bet button cannot be used after a deal has begun See also:  Bet 5 ═══ 8. Bet 5 ═══ Bet 5 is the compulsive gambler's friend. It automatically raises the wager to $5 and initiates the deal. Note: The Bet 5 button cannot be used after a deal has begun See also:  Bet ═══ 9. Deal ═══ Pressing Deal causes cards to be dealt. In a typical hand, this occurs twice. Initially after a bet has been placed (unless the bet is $5, in which case dealing is automatic). Then again after keep cards have been selected. ═══ 10. Advice ═══ The Advice button is used to provide assistance as to which cards should best be kept. When pressed, it marks the apporpriate cards for keeping. This decision is based on the maximum most probable payout. Note: Not all games support the Advice button. Games which do not support advice render the Advice button disabled. See also:  Odds ═══ 11. Odds ═══ The odds button is not functional on this version of Multi poker. See also:  Advice ═══ 12. Keep/Discard ═══ After the initial deal, the player marks cards to be kept by pressing the Keep/Discard button under the corresponding card. A card marked for keeping will show "Keep" above the card. Pressing Keep/Discard again unmarks the card. ═══ 13. New ═══ When the inevitable loss of money occurs, selecting Game->New from the main menu restores the player's bank to the original $25. ═══ 14. Troubleshooting ═══ Too bad!