Copyright: by Glen McGregor. All Rights Reserved.


Game Command Buttons

Discard All

Click here to discard all five cards.

Hold All

Click here to hold all five cards.

Credits

Displays the amount credited in dollars. Credits are applied to the cash total if  "NO" is selected during Double or Nothing.

   	Bet Max

Bet the maximum $5.

   	Bet  1

Add $1 to the amount bet. Range is from $1-$5.

   	Bet

Displays the amount bet.

   	Payout Table

Displays the payout table used to determine winnings. The amount won is highlighted.

   	Bottom Status Bar

 	Indicates the totals hands played and won, the total Double or Nothing tries played and won, and the total time played for the current game.

   	Hold Buttons

Click to hold the card if button is marked "Hold", or to discard the card if button is marked "Discard".  The word "HELD" is displayed above the card image when that card is held. Cards ready to be discarded have nothing written above the card image.

  	Card Images

Click here to hold or discard this card. Clicking on the card image is the same as clicking on the corresponding hold button.

   	Deal/Draw

Press Deal to begin a new hand. Five cards are dealt. After selecting from 0 to 5 cards to hold, press the same button (now marked Draw) to replace the cards not marked "HELD". Note that even if all five cards are "HELD", you still have to click Draw to finish the hand. When the Double Draw option is selected,  there are two draws. The label on the button will change to Draw #2 to indicate the second draw.


File

New Game

Reinitializes counters (bottom status bar) and resets starting cash amount to $1000. You can start a new game at any time.

Save Game

Saves the current game. If this game has not yet been saved during this playing session, it will default to the Save As option.

Save As Game...

Brings up a common dialog box to save the current game under a file name you specify. Game files have the extension .POK, although saving under a different extension will still work. All amounts, counters, payout table, environment options such as background color, selected cardback, and selected special effect are saved.  Note that any options saved in a game will override options saved under the Options and Resize menu commands. The  assignment of sounds to game events are NOT saved in the .pok file.  They are stored in vidpoker.ini. This means you cannot save different game events sounds for every saved game.

Load Game...

Brings up a common dialog box to load a game file you specify. All dollar amounts and options are restored, allowing you to continue the game where you last left off.

Exit

You may exit the game at any time.


Payout Table

Jacks or Better

Default payout table. There are no wild cards. The minimum winning hand is a pair of jacks.

Tens or Better

There are no wild cards. The minimum winning hand is a pair of tens. Payout is a little lower than in Jacks or Better because it is easier to win.  This option is only available in the registered version.

Two Pair

There are no wild cards. The minimum winning hand is two pairs. Payout is higher than in Jacks or Better and Tens or Better because it is harder to win. This option is only available in the registered version.

Deuces Wild

All 4 twos are wild cards. The minimum winning hand is three of a kind. Look under Strategies and Hints to see the difference four deuces as wild cards can have on the odds of winning.  The word "WILD" appears on or above each two in your hand.  This option is only available in the registered version.

Jokers Wild

A 54 card deck is used with the addition of two jokers as wild cards. This option is only available in the registered version.

One-Eyed Jacks

Two of the jacks are wild cards. You will nofice that two of the jacks face directly ahead (both eyes are visible) and the other two display a profile (only one eye is visible).  Only the two jacks with one eye visible are wild. The word "WILD" appears on or above a wild jack. This option is only available in the registered version.

Joker Wild

A 53 card deck is used with the addition of one joker as wild card. This option is only available in the registered version.

One-Eyed King

One of the kings is the wild card. You will nofice that the king of diamonds is the only one-eyed king. The word "WILD" appears on or above the king of diamonds. This option is only available in the registered version.

Figuring Out What Your Hand Is:

This can quite confusing, especially with wild cards.  Take, for example, deuces wild where the hand is seven-three-six-two-two. Some people might declare the hand as three of a kind ( 3 sevens) and not consider the straight where the two wild cards represent a four and a five for a hand of seven-six-five-four-three. Luckily, you do not have to figure out your hand. The computer will automatically analyze your hand after each deal or draw and highlight the highest possible hand in the payout table. The exception is where a pair of fours, for example, would not be highlighted since the Jacks ot Better payout table start at a pair of jacks.


Sound

None

All sound is turned off.

Game Events (MIDI/Waves)

The top portion of the screen lets you select any .WAV or .MID file for attachment to any game event. Highlight a game event in the list of game events below and press "Attach Sound" to assign the file to the highlighted game event. For example, attaching file "c:\vidpoker\fivekind.mid" to the game event "Full House" will result in the fivekind.mid file being played whenever you win with a full house poker hand. You will probably wish to attach short .MID files (such as the defaults) to system events versus the 2 minute plus .MID files (such as axel-f.mid and bad.mid) suitable for background playing. Pressing "Detach Sound" for a selected game event will result in "<None>" appearing, meaning no sound will be produced for that game event. Pressing the first "Test" button will play the selected .WAV or .MID file. Pressing the second "Test" button will play the sound attached to the highlighted game event. You can disable all game event sounds by clicking the "Enable Game Events (MIDI\Waves)"  so that the check box does NOT contain an "X" . When the "Enable Game Events (MIDI\Waves)" check box is checked, it overrides PC Speaker sounds assigned to game events, even if the "Enable Game Events (PC Speaker sounds)" checkbox is checked. Note that all .WAV files attached to game events are played in SYNC mode, meaning the rest of the game freezes while the .WAV file plays. This slows down the game but is done to prevent the the corruption of the playing of the .WAV file which occurs when resource intensive special effects are running at the same time the .WAV file is being played.

Game Events (PC Speaker Sounds)

Some events will trigger sounds played in the PC Speaker. They are reminiscent of sounds from old video games. The sounds will come from the PC speaker regardless of whether there is a sound card and accompanying speakers setup on your computer. This option is best for PCs without a sound card and without the PC speaker driver installed in Windows 3.1.  The "Enable Game Events (MIDI/Waves)" check box under the Game Events (MIDI/Waves) menu option overrides PC Speaker sounds assigned to game events. If the "Enable Game Events (PC Speaker sounds)" checkbox  is checked  and  the "Enable Game Events (MIDI/Waves) " check box  in the "Assign MIDI/Wave Files to Game Events" screen is checked,  then the MIDI/Wave files will be played and NOT the PC Speaker sounds. Uncheck the "Enable Game Events (MIDI/Waves) " check box and the PC Speaker sounds will be heard.

 The top portion of the screen lets you select any PC Speaker tune for attachment to any game event. Highlight a game event in the list of game events below and press "Attach Sound" to assign the PC Speaker tune to the highlighted game event. For example, attaching "Bach Prelude No. 1" to the game event "Full House" will result in that tune being played whenever you win with a full house poker hand. Pressing "Detach Sound" for a selected game event will result in "<None>" appearing, meaning no sound will be produced for that game event. Pressing the first "Test" button will play the selected PC Speaker sound. Pressing the second "Test" button will play the sound attached to the highlighted game event. The game continues while PC Speaker sounds are playing so the game does not slow down.. You can assign "Random Tune" to any game event. One of the other 82 PC Speaker sounds will play at random.

Monologue

Many sound cards come with a speech-to-text product called Monologue for Windows. If you have Monologue for Windows installed and its directory is in your DOS path, selecting this option will use Monologue to read the cards as they are dealt, as well as other events. Unlike the use of wave files, the voice sounds like a computer voice.  Video Poker Deluxe checks your DOS path for the existence of file "fb_spch.dll". If it is not found, this menu option is disabled. If you have Monologue for Windows installed but this menu option is disabled, it is probably because the monologue directory , usually c:\monologw,  is not in your path.  Modify the path statement in your autoexec.bat file, exit windows, and reboot your computer  to have the new path take effect. Once inside Windows, restart Video Poker Deluxe.

Read Cards using Wave Files

As the cards are dealt, wave files are played using your sound card or PC speaker (depending on which drivers are installed). The voice used is mine.

Monologue Settings

This option is only available if the Monologue option is checked. Use the 3 scroll bars to adjust the volume, speed and pitch of the voice.  Click on the "Test" button to hear how the Monologue voice sounds.  Depending on how Monologue and your sound card software is configured. the volume may not be adjustable.  If you invoke Monologue in the Program Manager and you can adjust the volume in Monologue, you should be able to adjust it in Video Poker Deluxe as well.

Play MIDI Files

Press the Add button to select MIDI files (*.mid) for addition to the playlist. All files in the playlist will be played in sequence. Check "Repeat Seections" to have all the files played over again indefinitely.  Press the "Play"  button to start playing the MIDI files. To stop the playing, press "Stop".  While playing Video Poker Deluxe, you must select the menu option "Play MIDI Files" and press the "Stop" button to stop the music. Note that the short musical sounds played following winning hands will not play if MIDI files are playing.

Customizing the Wave Files

If you would rather hear your voice, or any other person's, you can do so by doing the following steps.

You must have a sound card installed on your computer and its drivers properly installed in Windows.

Use Sound Recorder or its equivalent that came with your sound card to record a total of 19 wave files. You can use any  sample rate, sample bits and record mode that your sound card supports. Generally, the better it sounds, the more space the wave files will consume on your hard disk. The 19 wave files that come with Video Poker Deluxe where recorded in mono at 8 bits at an 22 kHz sample rate. This ensures small wave file sizes but does not sound as good as the other options provide.

The game expects to find all 19 wave files in the directory you chose to install Video Poker deluxe to. The default is c:\vidpoker.  Make sure you back up these files before replacing them with yours. As a last resort, you can always reinstall the game if you need to restore the wave files.

Record the 19 files like this:

File Name	What Words it Contains

ace.wav	"ace"

two.wav	"two"

three.wav	"three"

four.wav	"four"

five.wav	"five"

six.wav	"six"

seven.wav	"seven"

eight.wav	"eight"

nine.wav	"nine"

ten.wav	"ten"

jack.wav	"jack"

queen.wav	"queen"

king.wav	"king"

clubs.wav	"of clubs"

diamonds.wav	"of diamonds"

hearts.wav	"of hearts"

spades.wav	"of spades"

joker.wav	"joker"

wildcard.wav	"wild card"

Now move your files to the Video Poker Deluxe directory. The game will now play your files when the Wave Files option is chosen.


Effects

Exploding Effect...

Use the scroll bar to control the rate at which windows, such as "Select Cardback" and  "About Video Poker Deluxe", explode before appearing. A setting of zero means the exploding effect is turned off. As an example, I like a setting of 200 on my 486 DX2 66 with a Cirrus Logic VLB 1 MB card. A setting of 2000 seems right for a 486 DX2 66 with an ATI Mach64  PCI 2 MB video card.

Special Effects 1 (Fast) & 2 (Slow)...

There are a total of 58 different special effects. The 29 fastest are presented in Special Effects 1, and the other 29 slowest (The 3 exceptions being the Stretch Out, Horizontal Stretch and Vertical Stretch. These are very fast.) are available in the Special Effects 2 option. As well, both windows have a No Effect, Random Effect Every Card, and Random Effect Every Deal/Draw option. Choose No Effect if you desire no special effects when the cards are dealt. This results in a faster game. Choosing Random Effect Every Card will result in one of 58 different special effects changed for every card dealt. Choosing Random Effect Every Deal/Draw will result in one of 58 special effects changed whenever the Deal/Draw button is clicked.

 	Checking "Use Fast Special Effects Only" will result in either random effect (every card and every deal/draw) selecting from the fastest special effects only. The fastest special effects are on the Special Effects 1 (Fast) window. Checking "Use Slow Special Effects Only" will result in either random effect (every card and every deal/draw) selecting from the slowest special effects only. The slowest special effects are on the Special Effects 2 (Slow) window.

 	Use the Delay and Size Factor scroll bars to adjust the selected special effect. The delay factor controls the speed of the special effect. The size factor controls the size of the stripe or grain used in the special effect. This may also affect the speed of the effect. Usually, the larger the size, the faster the effect. Sometimes, the reverse is true. Use the test button the help you select which special effect you like and the proper delay and size factors.

When switching from the Special Effects 1 option to the Special Effects 2 option or vice versa, your selected special effect is kept only if it is No Effect, Random Effect Every Card, and Random Effect Every Draw/Deal.  Otherwise, it will default to No Effect.

The larger the resolution size selected in the Resize Menu option, the slower the special effect because the card images are corresponding larger. You may want to adjust the delay and/or size factors to compensate for this.


Color

Background...

Use this option to select a color for the background of Video Poker Deluxe's main screen. Default is green.

Text...

Use this option to select a color for the text on the main window, with the exception of the payout table.

Payout Table Text...

Use this option to select a color for the payout table text.

Bet Digits Color

Select  one of nine colors for the LED type display showing the amount Bet.

Credits Digits Color

Select one of nine colors for the LED type display showing the amount of Credits.

Cash Digits Color

Select one of nine colors for the LED type display showing the amount of Cash the player has.

Text Font

Select a font used to display the text in the main window, with the exception of the payout table. The font size and attributes such as bold and italics are ignored.


Options

Select Cardback...

You may choose one of twelve cardbacks by clicking on the desired card image. It will appear indented.  Click OK to leave this option and have the newly selected cardback appear in the game.

Double or Nothing

Click here to turn on or off the Double or Nothing option. A check mark appears next to the menu option when it is turned on.

Double Draw

Click here to turn on or off the Double Draw option. A check mark appears next to the menu option when it is turned on.

Monitor Resources...

Video Poker Deluxe consumes a lot of GDI resources because of the special effects.  When the percentage of resources falls below 20%, it is a good idea to close other applications and/or windows. This option allows you to set a warning percentage level for system resources, GDI resources and User resources. Video Poker Deluxe checks the resources every time the Deal/Draw button is clicked and will display a warning message if one of the warning levels is reached. To keep the message from reappearing, adjust the warning levels lower or close some applications and/or windows.

Flip to Cardback Before Draw

When this option is checked, all discarded cards are replaced by the selected cardback before cards are drawn. This is less confusing for some people. It also changes the appearance of special effects since the special effect will always start with a cardback. When this option is not checked, special effects start with a card face and end with another card face.

Turn Off Colors Warning

A warning is displayed when Video Poker Deluxe is first started and greater than 256 colors are detected. This is because some video cards, when set at greater than 256 colors, will cause garbage to appear in the card images. If you find that Video Poker Deluxe works fine even when your video card is set at higher than 256 colors, click on this menu option to turn off the warning.

Save Options

The following options are saved: background color, text color, payout table text color, bet color, credits color, cash color, text font, selected cardback, double or nothing, double draw, selected special effect, delay factor and size factor. This means when starting Video Poker Deluxe, these options will be restored.

Save Options On Exit

Click here to have the background color, text color, payout table text color, bet color, credits color, cash color, text font, selected cardback, double or nothing, double draw, selected special effect, delay factor and size factor automatically saved when exiting the game.


Resize

Note:

One of the things which distinguishes Video Poker Deluxe from other similar games is the feature of being able to set the game to any of the four major screen resolutions in large fonts, small fonts, or DTP mode (ATI video cards).  The cards expand in size to reflect the selected size. This means NO MORE SMALL CARDS. You are not limited to the size of the current screen resolution. For example, if your video card is set to 1024x768, you can size the game to 640x480, 800x600, or 1024x768 at almost anytime during the game.

640 x 480

Size the game to be 640 pixels by 480 pixels (VGA).  Always enabled.

800 x 600

Size the game to be 800 pixels by 600 pixels. The cards, all buttons, images, payout table, etc. are expanded proportionately. This option is disabled if your video card is currently set to 640x480.

1024 x 768

Size the game to be 1024 pixels by 764 pixels.  The cards, all buttons, images, payout table, etc. are expanded proportionately. This option is disabled if your video card is currently set to a lower resolution.

1280 x 1024

Size the game to be 1280 pixels by 1024 pixels. The cards, all buttons, images, payout table, etc. are expanded proportionately. This option is disabled if your video card is currently set to a lower resolution.

Save Size

Save the currently selected size. The next time Video Poker Deluxe is loaded, it will automatically set itself to the saved size.

Save Size on Exit

Save the currently selected size automatically whenever the game is exited. The next time Video Poker Deluxe is loaded, it will automatically set itself to the saved size.


Help

Index

Click here to start Video Poker Deluxe Help at the Index

Search For Help On...

Click here to invoke the Help Search feature. Type in or select a keyword, then click on GoTo  to jump to the associated Help topic.

How to Use Help

Click here to invoke a Help file explaining how to use help.

How To Register

Click here to find out how to register Video Poker Deluxe. Because Video Poker Deluxe uses a registration key, there is no shipping of diskettes and therefore no shipping charges if you have access to CompuServe or wish to pay with a credit card. Click on How to Register for more details.

Register Now

Click here to enter your name and the registration key, which when successfully entered will turn Video Poker Deluxe into the registered version.

About Video Poker ...

Click here to see version , author , and free resources information.


Index
Video Poker Deluxe Help Index

The Index lists all of Video Poker Deluxe's Help Topics.

To learn how to use Help, choose Using Help from the Help menu, or press F1.

How to Play

Overview

Playing the Game

Strategy and Hints

Commands

Game Menu Commands

Game Command Buttons

How to Register


Playing the Game

To Start a New Game:

From the File Menu, choose New Game.

To Select a Payout Table:

From the Payout Table Menu, choose one of eight Payout Tables. Each payout table represents a different  table showing winning hands and the amounts won depending on the amount bet.

To Bet:

Click Bet Max to bet $5 or click Bet 1 from 1 to 5 times to bet from $1 to $5. You will not be able to deal until you bet at least $1.

To Start Hand:

Click Deal. Five cards will be dealt.  The computer will analyze the hand. If it matches a winning hand in the currently selected payout table, the hand will be highlighted in the payout table.

To Hold a Card(s):

You have the choice of holding no cards or all 5 cards. If  the cards have been dealt and you desire to discard all 5 cards, simply click on Draw. If you wish to hold from 1 to 5 cards, click on either the card or the Hold button below the card for each card you wish to hold. As a shortcut, clicking Hold All will hold all five cards. The card will be indented and the word "HELD" will be indicated above the card, and the label on the button will say Discard. Note that the label on each of the five buttons indicates the action to perform. Thus, clicking Hold means "to hold card" and clicking Discard means "to discard card".

To Draw:

Once all selected cards are held, click on Draw. This will cause all discarded cards to be replaced. The computer will analyze the hand. If it matches a winning hand on the currently selected payout table, the amount won will be highlighted and added to the Credits total. If neither the option Double or Nothing nor the option Double Draw is selected, the total Credits is applied to the Cash total and you are ready to bet for another hand.

To Double or Nothing:

Once cards have been drawn and the amount won added to the credits total, the game will ask "Double or Nothing from $x to $x * 2. Yes or No?" where x represents the current credit total. Click on the YES button to gamble for a chance to double the current credits total or on the NO button to play it safely and have the current credits total applied to the your cash total. If you selected YES, the computer will deal five cards from a reshuffled deck and display the first card only.  You must pick one card from any of the other four cards by clicking on the card or the corresponding button labelled Pick Me. The object is to select a card that is higher than the displayed card. Aces count high. If you select a higher card, your credit total is doubled and the Double or Nothing process is repeated. If you select a card of the same value as the displayed card, you tie. The credit total remains unchanged and the Double or Nothing process is repeated. If you pick a lower card, all the current accumulated credits is lost and you must bet to start a new hand.

To Double Draw:

If the Double Draw option is selected, you will have two draws instead of one. Once the first draw is done, the label on the Draw button will say "Draw #2".  Previously held cards will remain held. You now have the option to hold/discard 0 - 5 cards. Note that the payout tables do not take into account double draw. The double draw mode is in effect a cheat mode. It results in too high odds for the player but is included in the game for those who like to win.


Strategies and Hints

Chances of Holding any Particular Hand or Better in First Five Cards Dealt - No Wild Cards

Approx. Once in

Any pair or better	2 deals

Pair of jacks or better	5 deals

Pair of queens or better	6 deals

Pair of kings or better	7 deals

Pair of aces or better	9 deals

Two Pairs or better	13 deals

Three of a Kind or better	35 deals

Straight or better	132 deals

Flush or better	273 deals

Full House or better	590 deals

Four of a Kind or better	3,914 deals

Straight Flush or better	64,974 deals

Royal Flush	649,740 deals

Odds Against Improving the Hand When Drawing Three Cards to One Pair

Odds against any improvement	2 1/2 	to 1

Odds against making two pairs	5   	to 1

Odds against making three of a kind	8	to 1

Odds against making a full house	97	to 1

Odds against making four of a kind	359	to 1

Odds Against Improving the Hand When Drawing Two Cards to a Pair and a Kicker

Odds against any improvement	3	to 1

Odds against making two pairs	5	to 1

Odds against making three of a kind	12	to 1

Odds against making a full house	119	to 1

Odds against making four of a kind	1080	to 1

Odds Against Improving the Hand When Drawing Two Cards to Three of a Kind

Odds against any improvement	8 1/2	to 1

Odds against making a full house	15 1/2 	to 1

Odds against making four of a kind	22 1/2 	to 1

Odds Against Improving the Hand When Drawing One Card to Three of a Kind Plus a Kicker

Odds against any improvement	11	to 1

Odds against making a full house	15	to 1

Odds against making four of a kind	46	to 1

Odds Against Filling in a Four-Card Straight When Drawing One Card

Odds against filling a straight open at one end	11	to 1

Odds against filling a straight open in the middle  	11	to 1

Odds against filling a straight open at both ends   	5	to 1

Odds Against Filling a Flush

Odds against filling a four card flush	4 1/2 	to 1

Odds against filling a three card flush	23	to 1

Odds Against Making a Straight Flush When Drawing One Card

Odds against making a straight flush open at one end  	46 	 to 1

Odds against making a straight flush open in the middle  46 	 to 1

Odds against making a straight flush open on both ends 	 22 	 to 1

Chances of Holding Various Poker Hands in the First Five Cards Dealt - Deuces Wild

Hand Rank	Number of Each	Chance

Five of a Kind	672	1 in 3,868

Royal Flush	484	1 in 5,370

Straight Flush	4,072	1 in 638

Four of a Kind	30,816	1 in 84

Full House	12,672	1 in 205

Flush	13,204	1 in 197

Straight	66,236	1 in 39

Three of a Kind	355,056	1 in 7

Two Pairs	95,040	1 in 27

One Pair	1,222,048	1 in 2 1/10

No-pair Hand	798,660	1 in 3 1/4


Game Menu Commands

 	Menus

 File

 Payout Table

 Sound

 Effects

 Color

 Options

 Resize

 Help


How to Register

The cost of registration is $16 U.S.

Payment by credit card:

I have contracted NorthStar Solutions to process credit card orders. Registration can be paid for with your VISA, MasterCard, or Discover card. NorthStar Solutions can be easily contacted for orders only via any of the following methods:

PHONED ORDERS:

Calls are taken 10am - 8pm, EST, Monday thru Saturday.

1-800-699-6395  (Calls from the U.S. only)

1-803-699-6395

FAXED ORDERS:

1-803-699-5465  Available 24 hours. International and business orders encouraged.)

E-MAILED ORDERS:

America Online: STARMAIL	CompuServe: 71561,2751	Internet: 71561.2751@compuserve.com

WWW PAGE: NorthStar Solutions Order Form

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/StarMail/orderfrm.htm

 	Please provide (or be prepared to provide) the following information when ordering:

- The program you are registering (Video Poker Deluxe)

- Your mailing address

- Your VISA, MasterCard, or Discover # and its expiration date.

- Your E-Mail address (so NorthStar Solutions can send you an e-mail confirming your order and so I can contact you easily with the permanent registration key)

NorthStar Solutions will provide you with a temporary registration key good for 15 days, after which they will email me with the registration information so I may send you the permanent registration key.

IMPORTANT:

NorthStar Solutions processes registrations only. Please contact Glen McGregor for any product/technical support. See How to Contact below.

On Compuserve:

An easy way to register is through Compuserve. Once in Compuserve, GO SWREG #6863. Your account will be deducted $16 U.S. I will e-mail your Compuserve ID with your registration key.

Start Video Poker Deluxe. Click "Register Now" on the startup window. Enter your name exactly as you specified in SWREG when you registered, then enter the registration key.

Once the registration is correctly entered, all features will become enabled, "Unregistered" will stop appearing in the title bar caption, and any registration reminders are removed. Your name will appear following "Registered To: " to indicate registration in the splash screen and the about box.

By Mail:

Mail Order Form

Make sure to include the name you want to appear next to "Registered to:" . The registration key is created based on the name.  The registration key will be e-mailed (if there is an included e-mail adress) or mailed back to you.

How to  Contact/Support:

Glen McGregor can be reached from 5:30 - 11:00 PM  E.S.T.  weekdays and 10:00 AM  -  6:00 PM  E.S.T. weekends at (613) 824-0033.  My e-mail address is  75357.3062@compuserve.com or gmcgregor@cyberus.ca.

Availability:

The latest version of Video Poker Deluxe can be found at ftp site ftp.winsite.com/pub/pc/win3/games/vpokd130.zip or on the Internet at http://www.winsite.com/info/pc/win3/games/vpokd130.zip. Note that the last 3 digits (ie. 130) will change to match the current version.

.


Overview

Overview

Video Poker Deluxe is a single player game of luck and strategy resembling video poker machines found in casinos. The object is to win as much money as possible by betting $1-$5 on each poker hand.

Note:

Because of the special effects, Video Poker Deluxe will not work properly with some video cards set at higher than 256 colors. If you get garbage or blackened card images, reset you video card to 256 or 16 color mode.

Features

58 special effects, plus the option to have a random effect every card or every time the Deal/Draw button is clicked. No third party .VBX file was used in order to cut down on price and system resources. These special effects work for all screen resolutions.

Fully resizable. All controls on the Video Poker Deluxe main window, including the cards, fit proportionately to the selected size. This means no more small cards at higher resolutions. The available sizes are 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, 1280x1024 all at large fonts, and 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, 1280x1024 at small fonts.

Full sound support. The cards are read aloud using wave files through your sound card or PC speaker if the PC speaker driver is installed. Option to use Monologue for Windows v1.5.  Option to play MIDI music files in the backgound.

Eight different games (payout tables). These include Jacks or Better, Tens or Better, Two Pairs, Deuces Wild, Jokers Wild, One-Eyed Jacks, Joker Wild, and One-Eyed King.

Customizable environment. Includes setting game's background color, test color and font, and LED type display colors.

Double Draw.

Double or Nothing.

Twelve different cardbacks. They are the same cardbacks as Solitaire for Windows.

Monitor resources. Video poker Deluxe monitors the system, GDI, and user resources and will display a warning when resources become too low based on the warning levels you set.

Help file. It includes some useful odds tables under Strategies and Hints.

Customizable Game Events. An option is provided to assign a  .WAV file,  or  a .MID (MIDI) file, or no sound to each game event.

Full PC Speaker support. If your PC  has no PC speaker driver installed, no problem. An option is provided to assign PC speaker sounds or tunes to each game event, including a random sound or tune.

Progressive Jackpot. The jackpot (usually the Royal Flush - Natural $5 bet) increments by $1 at random intervals until the jackpot is won.

Other shareware by Glen McGregor

Directory Compare.  A Windows 3.1/95 utility useful for comparing and manipulating two directories side by side.

Task and DLL Status.   Task & DLL Status is a Windows 3.1/Windows for Workgroups 16-bit utility which lists tasks and modules currently loaded in memory. It updates real time, which means it refreshes the list of tasks and modules everytime an application and/or modules starts and exits.

Credits:

Credit and thanks go to Stephen Murphy (Compuserve ID 70661,2461) who wrote fb_trans.dll. This neat little DLL file is what Video Poker Deluxe uses to control the volume, pitch and speed of Monologue. Also note the excellent icon that shows up whenever Monologue is reading text.

Most of the MIDI files used in Video Poker Deluxe were downloaded from the Compuserve MIDI/Music Forum (GO MIDIFORUM). There are many more great MIDI files are available.


Mail Order Form
Video Poker Deluxe Mail Order Form

Please use this form when ordering by mail. If you are ordering copies for more than one person, include all the names so a registration key will be returned for each name.

NAME___________________________________________________________________________

COMPANY_______________________________________________________________________

ADDRESS_______________________________________________________________________

ADDRESS_______________________________________________________________________

CITY / TOWN_____________________________________________________________________

COUNTRY________________________________________	ZIP / POSTAL CODE____________

TELEPHONE NUMBER____________________________________________________________

FAX NUMBER____________________________________________________________________

E-MAIL ADDRESS________________________________________________________________

Current version of Video Poker Deluxe 	________

Video Poker Deluxe  $16.00 U.S.                                                            ________

No. of Copies	________

Subtotal	________

Shipping Charges:

I already have an unregistered version.

Just send me the registration key(s). 	________

or

Send me a diskette with the latest version.

               Specify diskette format:  3.5"_____   5.25"_____

U.S & Canada.: $2.00 U.S. for first + $1.00 U.S. each

additional diskette   	________

Other:  $4.00 U.S. for first + $2.00 U.S. each additional diskette 	________

TOTAL	________

Make checks payable to Glen McGregor. Mail to:

Glen McGregor

934 Borland Drive

Orleans, Ontario

Canada  K1E 1X6


Directory Compare

Overview

.	Directory Compare is a Windows 3.1/95 utility useful for comparing and manipulating two directories side by side. Differences are highlighted. File(s) copy, move, delete, rename, and property changes are available.

Features

File Manager options. Includes copy. move, and deletion of one or more files. Files can be renamed and their properties changed.

Fully resizable. All controls on the Directory Compare Status main window fit proportionately to the selected size. This means large fonts at larger window sizes. The available sizes are 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, 1280x1024 all at large fonts, and 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, 1280x1024 at small fonts.

Sortable Columns. Can sort directories by file name (default), file size (ascending or descending), or file date (ascending or descending).

File Size, Date, and Attribute differences indicated. Matching files with different files are listed in blue. Matching files with the same file size but different dates are listed in green. Matching files with only differing attributes are listed in red.

All, Different, Alike options. Can specify only files included in both directories or files included in only one directory are listed.

Print option. The contents of the listbox are printed in columnar fashion like the listbox. Colored rows are bolded.

Toolbar. All major menu options are available on the toolbar. Tooltips included.

Can select directories by file pattern.  For example, include only *.DLL files for comparison.

Automatic Refresh option. Can turn off automatic refresh, which is handy for those directoires with hundreds of files.

Editor option. Toolbar and menu option to invoke Notepad or other editor (Set Editor option) for one or more files simultaneously. For example, selecting 3 *.txt files in the Source or Target directories will invoke three instances of Notepad.

Run Associated Application. Will run whatever application is associated with the file name's extension. This option has the same functionality as double clicking on a file in File Manager.

File Version Information. Lists file description and version information (if available) for all selected files.

System Information. Full detailed windows and system information.

Availability

Compuserve.  Download dircomp.zip from the MS Windows Shareware (GO WINSHARE),  Windows Utilities (GO WINUTIL), PC Magazine UK (GO PCUKFO), or ZD Net Utilities (GO ZDUTIL) forums on CompuServe. GO SWREG #10725 to register.

Internet.  Download dircomp.zip from ftp.winsite.com/pub/pc/win3/util/dircomp.zip,  or internet URL http://www.winsite.com/info/pc/win3/util/dircomp.zip.


Task and DLL Status

Overview

.	Task & DLL Status is a Windows 3.1/Windows for Workgroups 16-bit utility which lists tasks and modules currently loaded in memory. Task & DLL Status updates real time, which means it refreshes the list of tasks and modules everytime an application and/or modules starts and exits. It is particularly useful for tracking down which DLLs and other module files belong to a given application. Note that Task & DLL Status will run in Windows 95 but only 16 bit applications will show up. 32-bit applications such as Wordpad will not show up in Task & DLL Status.

Features

Automatic Update. The tasks and modules (DLLs) lists are automatically updated whenever a task or module is loaded into or unloaded from memory.

Application/DLL Start Indication. The most recent application and its module files loaded into memory are indicated with a "+" in the first column. By sorting the listboxes by the first column, you will always see the most recently loaded application and its DLLs.

Run Application and Load DLLs. Applications can be run from Task & DLL Status. DLLs can be loaded into memory, which can be very dangerous and could cause Windows to crash if not careful.

Terminate Application and Free DLL. Tasks and DLLs can be freed from memory. Freeing DLLs can cause Windows to crash if an application is still running which requires it. Terminating an application is useful when the application fails to respond and a way is needed to end the task. Freeing a DLL is useful when an application has improperly terminated and left DLLs loaded in memory or did not decrement the usage count.

Sortable Columns. Can sort directories by file name (default), file size,  file date, hTask, hParent, hInstance, Version, Executable name.  Modules can also be sorted by hModule and Usage count.

Detailed File Description and File Version Information. The detailed file information can be printed or saved to a file.

Always On Top.

Availability

Compuserve.  Download taskdll.zip from the MS Windows Shareware (GO WINSHARE),  Windows Utilities (GO WINUTIL), PC Magazine UK (GO PCUKFO), or ZD Net Utilities (GO ZDUTIL) forums on CompuServe. GO SWREG #11617 to register.

Internet.  Download taskdll.zip from ftp.winsite.com/pub/pc/win3/util/taskdll.zip,  or internet URL http://www.winsite.com/info/pc/win3/util/taskdll.zip.


Glossary

D

Double Draw

Double or Nothing

F

Five of a Kind

Flush

Four of a Kind

Full House

G

GDI resources

J

Jacks or Better

K

Kicker

Kings or Better

O

One Pair

R

Royal Flush

Royal Flush - Natural

Royal Flush - Wild

S

Straight

Straight Flush

system resources

T

Three of a Kind

Two Pairs

U

User resources


Double Draw

A cheat option to allow two draws per hand. The payout tables do not change to reflect the increased odds in your favor. The Deal/Draw button will be labelled "Draw #2" to indicate when the second draw starts.


Double or Nothing

An option to double all the current accumulated credit after each winning poker hand. The computer deals five random cards and the first card is displayed. You must select one of the other cards. If it is numerically higher than the first displayed card, you double the current credits. If it is numerically equivalent, the credit amount is unchanged. If it numerically lower, you lose all credits including the amount originally won in the poker hand.


Five of a Kind

This hand is not possible without one or more wild cards. All five cards must be of the same denomination (ie. ace-ace-ace-ace-joker where joker is a wild card representing an ace).


Flush

Any five cards of the same suit but not in sequence (ie. ten-seven-five-four-two of hearts).


Four of a Kind

Any four cards of the same denomination (ie. ace-ace-ace-ace-two). The odd card is irrevelant.


Full House

Three of a kind and two of another (ie. six-six-six-five-five).


GDI resources

Graphic Device Interface


Jacks or Better

Any hand beginning with a pair of Jacks or higher.


Kicker

An umatched card held in hand when drawing.


Kings or Better

Any hand beginning with a pair of Kings or higher.


One Pair

Two cards of the same denomination plus three indifferent or unmatched cards (ie. nine-nine-jack-six-four).


Royal Flush

The five highest cards, namely, ace-king-queen-jack-ten of any one suit. The suits have equal rank.


Royal Flush - Natural

A royal flush without the use of wild cards.


Royal Flush - Wild

A royal flush in which one or more of the five cards are wild cards.


Straight

Five cards in consecutive sequences but not of the same suit (ie. three-four-five-six-seven).


Straight Flush

Any five cards of the same suit in numerical sequence, such as ten-nine-eight-seven-six of spaces.


system resources

The lower of GDI or user resources.


Three of a Kind

Three cards of the same numerical value plus two different and irrevelant cards that are not paired (ie. king-king-king-five-eight).


Two Pairs

Two different pairs of cards plus one odd card (ie. ten-ten-six-six-three).


User resources

User resources include