Video Poker is a favored game that can be bet on in casinos throughout the world, or in your house on your home computer, using a web account. The rules are very simple and involve the player trying to get the best combination of cards achievable in order to acquire cash. In this respect it’s much the same as a classic game of poker, without the line of contact with other players. Of course, tactics used in a physical game of poker, such as bluffing, will be irrelevant in Video Poker.

The game of Video Poker begins when the player inserts credits (either tokens, tickets or money) into the machine and pushes the play button. A 5 card hand will then be "given out" on the screen.

The Electronic Poker machine also has hold buttons, and players will need to now decide which cards to hold and which to discard. For the cards the enthusiast wishes to keep, the ‘hold’ buttons should be pressed so that they light up. The player can choose to keep any amount of cards they want, from all to none.

After the player has selected which cards he wishes to retain, the player will then press ‘draw’, at which point any new cards are given out if desired. The game is now finished, with the Video Poker machine analyzing the hand to see if it matches any of the winning hands shown on the payment schedule.

Normally, the lowest succeeding 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 2 pairs, 3 of a kinds, straights, flushes, full houses, 4 of a kinds, straight flushes and last but not least royal flushes. It definitely goes without saying that the payment schedule can vary from machine to machine, so that skillful bettors are able to pick the most profitable machine every instance.

After the first round has finished, the player can either choose to remain on and try to to increase their winnings, or press the ‘collect’ button to retrieve any cash that has been won. Additionally, some styles of the game give the bettor an opportunity to increase their winnings, in which situation a further game is played. There are also differences among individual machines, with some decks of cards including wild cards and other varying elements to enhance playability.