It’s easy to see why they were flashy and colorful, and more importantly, they were an easy way to dive in. The demand for these machines skyrocketed quickly in the 1980s as visitors began converging in throngs to the video poker area of casinos everywhere. Although the video poker that exists today differs greatly from that of its 1970s predecessor, the principles remain the same. Video poker is one of the most well-known and frequently played games of the modern-day casino.