VIDEO POKER TERMINAL

The present invention provides for a poker game wherein the amount of successive wagers is pre-established. Each hand is preceded by players making at least one initial wager. A dealer also provides himself/herself with a plurality of cards and each player is displayed at least one card to form an initial partial hand. The players are given the opportunity to view their initial partial hands and are then required to increase their wagers by a predetermined amount in order to continue playing that hand. If the player increases his/her wager by the predetermined amount, then the player will be displayed at least one additional card. Various embodiments of the present invention require subsequent wagers in different amounts. For example, one embodiment requires a player to place two subsequent wagers in amounts equal to the player's initial wager in order to complete the hand. Alternative embodiments require players to make more than three subsequent wagers in equal amounts in order to complete the hand. Still other embodiments require players to make wagers in successively increasing amounts. Yet still other embodiments provide losing players with bonus payments based upon the ranking of a player's hand in combination with the player's ante.