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Last weekend featured the inaugural Glasgow Indie Games Festival in Scotland, featuring demos, talks, and game-themed slam poetry. The event was sold out, but ReadWrite Gaming was lucky enough to get hands-on with some games. Many of the games at GIGF have development teams of just a handful of people, making them all the more impressive. Here’s our roundup of what to keep your eyes open for!
Valley Peaks

Valley Peaks won Best in Show (as voted by attendees) and the demo stand was in use for the whole day. It’s a first-person game filled with frogs with a love of climbing, and it’s your job to put a radio at the peak of each of the local mountains. As a game, it’s as though A Short Hike and Death Stranding had a child.
The demo featured a short introduction to the game’s environment and climbing. Image credit: Tub Club/Those Awesome Guys
A beautiful, wholesome environment and cheerful characters are the set dressing for movement puzzles that rely on using the left bumper for your left hand and the right bumper for your right hand. Climbing is satisfying and fun and reaching the top of a mountain and seeing the gorgeous game world splayed out before you was rewarding.
Valley Peaks releases on Steam on July 24, 2024, and will come out on the Nintendo Switch in the future.
Morgan Metal Detective

Take on the role of Morgan, a teenage girl whose grandfather has left her a metal detector. Explore the quaint Cornish island of Glasden, help the locals, and maybe uncover some mysteries while you’re at it.
The characters in Morgan Metal Detective are charmingly drawn and fully voiced, complete with Cornish accents. The first task you set out to complete is to help a hapless fisherman recover the engagement ring he lost so he can propose to his love, which sets the tone excellently.
Morgan talks to Dave about the lost engagement ring. Image credit: Studio Morgan
It’s a cozy, comforting game, a “love letter to childhood Cornish holidays” and takes inspiration from games like Firewatch and Alba: A Wildlife Adventure, both beloved indie titles.
There’s no release date for Morgan Metal Detective yet, but you can Wishlist it on Steam to keep up with release news.
Apartment Story

Apartment Story is a game about a love triangle and a single gun. On the face of things, it’s a Sims-like life management game where you need to keep struggling journalist Arthur afloat so he can continue to eke out a meager existence.
However, there’s a deeper story unfolding around you as you make cheese sandwiches and watch adult videos, and it will quickly affect how well you’re able to manage the minutia of Arthur’s life. Your roommate is away but Diane desperately needs to get into his locked room. What does she need? Will she forget about it when she and Arthur hit things off?
Arthur contemplates whether to do some work or watch some adult videos. Image credit Blue Rider Interactive
The art style has a retro, low-poly look while still being detailed and engaging, and despite the short demo, we left wanting to know what happens between Arthur, Diane, and the locked door.
Originally planned for a March release, Apartment Story will now be released on 26 September 2024, and you can Wishlist it on Steam now.
The Enjenir

The Enjenir is a very silly physics game. Build intricate, delicate structures in the gridless building system only to watch them fall to pieces as you try and walk The Enjenir across them, QWOP-style.
I was laughing too much to take a photo of my demo of The Enjenir but here’s a catapult from their Steam page. Image credit: PeatyTurf
With the myriad tools available to the player, every level in The Enjenir can be solved in an almost infinite number of ways. Do you want to get over that gap with a bridge, a catapult, or something else? Anything is possible in the physics engine of the game… as long as you can guide The Enjenir to the objective.
On top of hilarious building hijinks, the game looks fantastic and has a glorious “medieval lo-fi” soundtrack to build along to.
The Enjenir is out in Early Access now and has tons of levels ready to go.

While we couldn’t feature every game, every demo was fun and there were some truly novel ideas there – check out the full roster of games on the Glasgow Indie Games Festival website. And if you love the wholesome vibes brought by Valley Peaks and Morgan Metal Detective, check out our roundup of the latest Wholesome Direct.
Featured image credit: Glasgow Indie Games Festival
The post Which games to look out for from Glasgow Indie Games Festival appeared first on ReadWrite.

A credible leaker has shared information about a supposed upcoming story expansion for Mortal Kombat 1.
Mortal Kombat 1 content creator, thethiny, shared in a post on X that an insider (who had proved themselves credible by sharing information about layoffs at NetherRealm Studios before they were announced) had approached them to share details about the supposed expansion.

The leaked script is exactly 1/3rd of the story mode (100 acts) therefore 5 chapters is exactly 1/3rd of 15 chapters.
— thethiny (@thethiny) July 20, 2024

According to the leak, the DLC will include five chapters and will star three characters – Cyrax, Sektor, and Noob Saibot. Thethiny clarified in a reply that “The leaked script is exactly 1/3rd of the story mode (100 acts) therefore 5 chapters is exactly 1/3rd of 15 chapters.”
Also teased was a possible gameplay addition. “You will see Mileena ‘turn into something else’” alongside a photo of a praying mantis and a photo of a pufferfish. Expanding on this in a reply, the creator said “It means Mileena turns into the thing in Picture #1 [praying mantis], only after you perform a Mercy.” Another commenter stated, “That’s her animality.”
Additionally, the creator was able to share the anticipated release date of the expansion – players can expect to see it in September.
Disappointing news for fans of Tag Team game mode
In a second post on X, thethiny said, “Forgot to mention that certain ‘game modes’ are not coming in this update and they might be canceled altogether,” and then further clarified that “I’m not sure if there is no game mode, but the one that I was waiting for specifically isn’t making it in.”
While the creator didn’t specifically state what mode they were waiting for, they have posted extensively about Tag Team game mode, leading to unconfirmed speculation that this is the canceled mode mentioned in the post.
Naturally, it’s prudent to take leaks with a grain of salt, but as mentioned, the insider who shared these details reportedly shared confirmed information in the past.
We won’t have to wait too long to see if the leak is accurate, however, because there will be a trailer debuted this week at San Diego Comic-Con.
Players spent the weekend battling it out at Evo 2024 to determine the ultimate Mortal Kombat player, with the title going to SonicFox.
The post Mortal Kombat 1 leaks suggest story expansion is coming appeared first on ReadWrite.

Bitcoin (BTC) breached the $68,000 resistance level during Sunday night trading in Eastern Standard Time, continuing its upward trajectory.
According to CoinMarketCap data, the leading cryptocurrency is trading at $68,032, up 1.02% in the past 24 hours, after reaching a high of $68,480 earlier today. The broader cryptocurrency market has also seen gains, with a 0.89% increase overall. Solana (SOL) has shown particularly strong performance, rising 4.73% to trade at $182.12.
Rachael Lucas, a crypto analyst at BTC Markets, told The Block attributes this momentum primarily to significant inflows into Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). U.S. Bitcoin ETFs have experienced positive flows for eleven consecutive days, with BlackRock’s IBIT accumulating nearly $19 billion in net inflows since its launch, as reported by SoSoValue.
The market has witnessed record net inflows exceeding $17 billion, indicating increased institutional interest and confidence in Bitcoin as an asset class.
Ethereum ETF anticipation builds
Market anticipation is building for the launch of the first batch of spot Ethereum (ETH) ETFs in the U.S., expected on Tuesday, July 23, according to Chicago Board Options Exchange issue notifications. The exchange has announced several funds, including offerings from Fidelity, Franklin, Invesco Galaxy, VanEck, and 21Shares.
Political factors may also be influencing Bitcoin’s price movement. U.S. President Joe Biden’s announcement that he will not seek re-election in November could potentially boost the chances of pro-crypto Republican candidate Donald Trump. While Biden has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s nominee, her stance on the crypto industry remains unclear.
Lucas also pointed to the recent completion of the German government’s sale of 50,000 BTC, which generated approximately $2.87 billion, as a factor reducing selling pressure in the market. He said:
The completion of this sale, generating around $2.87 billion, has removed a significant chunk of bitcoin from the market, reducing selling pressure.
However, Lucas cautioned that pending repayments from the defunct Mt. Gox cryptocurrency exchange could still impact market dynamics in the short term, especially considering the recent $2.7 billion transaction. Creditor repayments totaling $9 billion are expected to be processed by early August, potentially introducing some volatility.
The post Bitcoin surges past $68,000 amid continued ETF inflows appeared first on ReadWrite.

Bandai Namco has used the excitement of Evo 2024 to great effect, announcing a new story DLC for Tekken 8, which will be free for all players and feature a beloved character everyone thought was dead.
This is the first time a Tekken game has received a story-based DLC, with most post-release updates focusing on adding new characters and content to the fighting game series.
However, the upcoming DLC will add an entirely new chapter to The Dark Awakes, Tekken 8’s main story, continuing the clash between the Kazama and Mishima families.

A coordinated group of Tekken Monks have been targeting the Mishima Zaibatsu and players must uncover their motives and mission.
As players progress, they will uncover the truth – Heihachi, thought dead after being punted into a volcano at the end of Tekken 7, might not be as deceased as everyone assumed. His stint inside an active volcano has left him fired up and searching for vengeance.
What else did Bandai Namco announce at Evo 2024?
Evo is a huge annual gathering of gamers looking to compete in tournaments in eight different fighting games and attracting over 10,000 competitors and 40,000 attendees.
After an epic battle, a new Tekken champ was announced, and to celebrate, Bandai Namco announced the details of the upcoming Tekken World Finals Tour.
The 2024 Tekken World Tour finals will be held in Tokyo, Japan. Group stages will begin on December 5, leading to the ultimate Tekken showdown to determine the champion on December 8.
Bandai Namco also announced a collaboration between Tekken 8 and Nike, with both in-game sneakers inspired by Jin Kazama and Kazuya Mishima, and a limited edition run of Nike Air Foamposite One ‘Kazuya Mishima’ available for real-life feet. However, they were available in very small quantities to people at Evo 2024 only – truly limited edition.
The Nike collaboration also includes a new stage, the Times Square-inspired Urban Square, which will feature Nike advertisements in the background.
Featured image credit: Bandai Namco
The post Tekken 8: Bandai Namco announce free story DLC appeared first on ReadWrite.

In this guide, you will discover how to win at video poker and improve your chances of making a profit. Video poker is one of the most popular games at casinos because of its combination of skill and luck. It also has one of the lowest house edges of all games, and by following a few simple video poker tips, you can further reduce the house edge.

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How to Play Video Poker and Win
Video poker is somewhat of a hybrid between online slots and poker. You get the engaging visual elements and factors of luck as you do in slots, but there is also skill involved like in poker.
Several variations of video poker games can be played online and in brick-and-mortar casinos. In most popular versions, but not all, players are dealt five cards and select which to keep. Any cards they choose not to keep are discarded and replaced. The remaining cards make up the player’s final hand.
Despite there being several variations at video poker casinos, how to play video poker and win remains very similar for whichever variant you are playing. The aim in all the versions is to make the best standard poker hand from five cards. You can view the standard poker hands below.

Pair: Two cards of the same rank (most versions need to be at least a pair of Jacks or higher).
Two Pair: Two sets of pairs.
Three-of-a-Kind: Three cards of the same rank.
Straight: Five consecutive cards of different suits.
Flush: Five cards of the same suit, not in sequence.
Full House: A pair and a three-of-a-kind.
Four-of-a-Kind: Four cards of the same rank
Straight Flush: Five consecutive cards of the same suit.
Royal Flush: Ten, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of the same suit.

Some versions payout for certain pairs, but others, like Deuces Wild, have the lowest-paying hand as a three-of-a-kind. Some variants also have other paying non-standard hands, such as Five-of-a-Kind in Jokers Wild.
Learn How to Beat Video Poker Machines
As already mentioned, while winning at video poker involves luck, there are steps players can take both before and while playing to increase their odds of success. In this section, we provide five essential tips on how to beat video poker machines.
Tip #1: Learn About the Best Video Poker Odds
One of the most important things to do when learning how to win at video poker is to understand the odds and probabilities of hitting a winning hand. By learning the best video poker odds, you can employ the best strategy and increase your chances of hitting a paying hand.

Video Poker Hand
Odds

Royal Flush (without drawing cards)
1/650,000

Royal Flush (after drawing)
1/40,000

Five-of-a-kind (Jokers Wild)
1/220,745

Five-of-a-kind (Deuces Wild)
1/5,555

Four Aces + Kicker
1/16,236

Straight Flush
1/9,150

2s to 4s + Kicker
1/6,984

Four Aces
1/5,761

Four Deuces
1/4,909

2s to 4s
1/2,601

Four-of-a-Kind
1/423

Full House
1/90

Flush
1/85

Straight
1/80

Tip #2: Try Basic Strategies on How to Win at Video Poker
Implementing a basic strategy is essential to lowering the video poker house edge as much as possible. We will outline some of the most basic strategy tips below.

Hand
Action

Ready Combination
Stay, even if it is weak (unless you have a pair and you are one card away from a royal flush, in which case redraw one card)

Cards of the same suit or in sequential order
Redraw cards not in the flush draw or straight draw, even if these are face cards

Jacks to Aces of different suits
Keep the face cards and redraw the rest if there are no possible straight or flush matches

Nothing to match
Redraw all cards

Tip #3: Understand Video Poker RTP & Paytables
One way to know how to pick the best video poker machine at an offshore casino is to understand the RTP and paytables of machines.
RTP stands for Return to Player Percentage and tells you the average amount of money spent on a game that players win back. For example, a game with an RTP of 98% means that for every $100 bet on the game, the machine will pay out $98 over a period of time.
So you can tell what video poker has the best odds of winning by its RTP, the higher the percentage, the better your chances of making a profit. Paytables are also important to check out before playing, as this tells you
Tip #4: Consider Probabilities
To better understand how to win playing video poker, you need to know your chances of getting a hand. This is where probabilities come into play. Knowing the probability of hitting a winning combination helps you make informed decisions and play smarter.
We’ve already seen the odds of hitting hands in the table in tip 2, but these are the chances before any cards have been dealt. Knowing the odds of getting the cards you need from a redraw is probably more important. You can work out the odds fairly easily in video poker, as most games are played with a standard 52-card deck.
For example, if you are dealt a 4♥,5♥,6♥,7♥, or 10♦, you can easily calculate your chances of getting a straight, straight flush or flush. To get a straight, you need any 3 or 8. There are four 3s and four 8s, giving you a total of eight cards you can hit.
There are 47 cards remaining in the deck (52-5 in your hand), so your odds are 8/47 or just under 1/6 (around 17%). To get a flush, you need any of the remaining hearts, of which there are 9 left. So the odds are 9/47 or just over 1/5 (around 20%).
To complete the straight flush, you need one of two cards, either the 3♥ or the 8♥. This gives you odds of 2/47 or about 1/24 (around 4%).
Tip #5: Practice Games for Free
This one is the easiest to do out of all our video poker tips and tricks. It’s simply to practice for free before risking any cash. Luckily, many new online casinos allow members to play video poker for free in “demo” or “fun” mode. Remember, though, that when playing in these modes, any winnings you make have no real monetary value whatsoever.
In addition to playing in the free or demo mode, most online gambling sites offer their members a host of casino bonuses. With these bonuses, you can play without risking your own money, but winnings have the potential to be turned into real withdrawable cash.
Joe YarnoldEditorExpert InsightWhen playing video poker, implementing basic strategy that instructs you what cards to hold and redraw is essential. The RTP increases on average 4% to 5% when using basic strategy and can be as high as 7.6%. This can be the difference between a profit or a loss.
What to Avoid When Trying to Win at Video Poker
Now that you know our tips for playing video poker and the actions you need to take, it’s time to learn what not to do if you want to increase your video poker wins.

Chasing a Straight/Flush
It’s important to know what cards to hold in video poker. A common mistake beginners make is opting for a high-paying hand like a straight or a flush when they shouldn’t.
If you have three to a flush/straight and a pair (low or high), you should always keep the pair and not chase the higher-paying flush/straight.
If you have four to a flush/straight and a high pair, you should keep the pair (unless it’s four to a royal flush). If it’s a low pair, discarding it is the right move.

Keeping Kickers
Unlike standard PVP poker games like Texas Hold’em or certain live dealer games, kickers are not a thing in the majority of video poker games, and there is no need to keep one as it will not increase your chances of getting a higher payout.
For example, if you have 8, 8, King, and Ace, you should keep the three 8s and withdraw the King and Ace. Your payout doesn’t increase just because they are high cards, but it does go up if you hit another 8 and get four-of-a-kind.

Not Using the Five Credits/Coins
Most in-person and online casino video poker games use a coin/credit system, and players can bet with 1 to 5 credits. A game may set credits at $0.50, which means a 1-credit bet is $0.50, a 3-credit bet is $1.50, and 5 credits is $2.50.
Always play with five credits whenever you play because the payouts are different. For example, in Jacks or Better, a royal flush pays out at 250 to 1 for a one-credit bet but at 800 to 1 for a five-credit bet.
If betting with five coins isn’t within your means, change machines or games to one with a lower credit amount rather than playing with fewer credits.
Comparing Video Poker RTPs & House Edge
As we previously discussed, checking out the RTP and house edge is essential when trying to find out how to win at video poker. These tell you how much money, on average, is returned to players. The higher the RTP and the lower the house edge, the better your prospect of winning is.
Below are the RTP and house edge of five of the most popular video poker games. This table displays the machines’ maximum and minimum house edge if using a basic video poker strategy.

Video Poker Game
RTP
House Edge

Jacks or Better
99.54%
0.46%

Deuces Wild
100.76%
-0.76%

Jokers Wild
99.65%
0.35%

Bonus Poker
99.17%
0.83%

Double Bonus Poker
98.98%
1.02%

Video Poker Jackpots
Many online casinos provide jackpot games, and these variants are some of the best video poker games to play as they offer huge payouts. For example, a man in Vegas in 2023 won two $400,000 and a $200,000 video poker jackpot within 24 hours.
Jackpot video poker games typically feature progressive jackpots. These work by taking a small percentage of every bet made, usually around 0.5% to 2%, and adding it to the jackpot so that the more people play, the bigger the jackpot becomes. In video poker, the jackpot is typically triggered on a royal flush.
There are several jackpot variants of games, including Jacks or Better progressive, Double Doble Bonus Poker, Deuces Wild progressive, Triple Play Draw Poker, and more.
Other Useful Video Poker Guides On ReadWrite
If you want to know more about poker strategies, how to win at video poker Jacks or Better, or simply how to play this game, be sure to check out our other guides below.

How to Play Video Poker
Video Poker Strategy Guide
Jacks or Better Video Poker Guide

Can You Win at Video Poker?
Yes, you can win at video poker, and very few casino games give you as good a chance of winning as video poker. Without any strategy, the RTP of one of Jacks or Better is just below 95%, which is reasonably high. However, by implementing a basic strategy and using video poker tricks, the RTP is as high as 99.54%.
If you are ready to try out these tactics and start winning at video poker, there are several decent online casinos where you can play. Our recommendation is Wild Casino as it’s reliable, has some of the best video poker games and offers excellent casino bonuses.

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How do I consistently win at video poker?
Lots of people ask the question, is video poker profitable? The answer is yes, it can be, but it’s not guaranteed. You need to learn all aspects of the game, use basic strategy, play smart, and have some luck.

What cards should you hold in video poker?
You should always keep a paying hand, except if you have a pair and are one card from a royal flush. You should also almost always keep low pairs in most cases unless you have four to a straight or a flush.

Is it better to play video poker fast or slow?
Most people who fully understand how to win in video poker advise playing slow. If you play fast, you may miss things and make mistakes, like redrawing the wrong cards.

Should you hold a low pair in video poker?
In most cases, you should hold a low pair in video poker. The exceptions to this are if you have four cards of a straight or a flush or three cards of a royal flush. In these instances, discarding the low pair is the better choice.

Responsible Gambling
Responsible gambling is essential as it safeguards players and allows gambling to remain a safe and enjoyable experience. If players don’t gamble responsibly, they are at risk of developing a gambling problem, which can lead to financial distress, mental health problems, and strain on relationships.
To find out more about responsible gambling and seek help if you are affected by a gambling addiction, we recommend taking a look at the websites below.

Home

Home

https://www.gamblersanonymous.org/

Resources

https://turnto10.com/
https://www.math.utah.edu/~ethier/sample.pdf
https://www.gamblersanonymous.org/ga/

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