Video Poker is a popular game that usually will be bet on in casinos throughout the world, or in your house on your computer, using an Internet connection. The rules are very simple and involve the player trying to achieve the greatest mixture of cards achievable in order to win cash. On this account it is much the same as a classic game of poker, minus the interaction with any other players. Of course, techniques employed during a real-life game of poker, such as bluffing, will be irrelevant here.

The game of Electronic Poker begins when the gambler puts credits (whether it is tokens, tickets or money) into the machine and pushes the play button. A 5 card hand will be "distributed" on the screen.

The Video Poker game also has hold buttons, and enthusiasts should now decide which cards to keep and which to discard. For the cards the enthusiast wishes to retain, the ‘hold’ buttons need to be pressed so that they illuminate. The player can decide to keep any amount of cards they wish, from all to none.

After the bettor has selected which cards she would like to keep, they should press ‘draw’, at which point any fresh cards will be handed out if desired. The hand is now completed, with the Electronic Poker machine scanning the cards to see if it is the same as any of the winning hands printed on the payment schedule.

Typically, the minimum winning hand on a Video Poker machine is a pair of jacks with the prize money getting larger for each better hand. A common list of winning hands starts with jacks or better, moving on to two pairs, three of a kinds, straights, flushes, full houses, four of a kinds, straight flushes and finally royal flushes. It is obvious that the payout schedule can range from machine to machine, so that knowledgeable players are able to select the most profitable game each instance.

Once the initial round has played out, the player can either choose to remain on and try to to increase their earnings, or press the ‘collect’ button to cash out any cash that they may have won. Additionally, several versions of the game give the gambler a chance to increase their winnings, in which instance another hand is played. There are also differences between individual machines, with some decks of cards having wild cards and other varying elements to enhance playability.