Video Poker is a popular game that usually will be played in casinos across the globe, or alternatively at your house on your computer, using an Internet connection. The game rules are absolutely simple and involve the player attempting to get the greatest mixture of cards possible in order to win money. In this respect it’s much the same as a classic game of poker, minus the line of contact with any other players. Of course, techniques used in a real-life game of poker, such as tricking, will be useless in Video Poker.

The game of Video Poker begins when the bettor puts credits (either tokens, tickets or cash) into the video poker machine and presses the deal button. A 5 card hand will be "dealt" on the video screen.

The Video Poker machine also has hold buttons, and players should now choose which cards to hold and which to throw away. For the cards the player would like to retain, the ‘hold’ buttons should be pressed so that they illuminate. The player can decide to keep any amount of cards they want, from all to none.

After the gambler has selected which cards she would like to retain, the player will then press ‘deal’, at which point any fresh cards will be needed they will be given out. The hand is now finished, with the Video Poker machine analyzing the cards to see if it is the same as any of the winning hands shown on the payment schedule.

Typically, the lowest succeeding hand on an Electronic Poker machine is a pair of jacks with the award money increasing for each and every better hand. A common list of winning hands starts with jacks or better, and moves on to 2 pairs, three 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 payout schedule can vary from game to game, so that skillful gamblers are able to select the most beneficial machine each time.

After the first round has played out, the player can either decide to stay on and try to to maximize their winnings, or press the ‘collect’ button to retrieve any credits that they may have won. Additionally, a few styles of the game allow the gambler an opportunity to double their profits, in which instance another round is played. There are also differences between individual machines, with some virtual decks having wild cards and other differing aspects to increase playability.