Video Poker is a popular game that usually will be gambled on in casinos around the globe, or in your house on your PC, through an Internet connection. The game rules are very simple and consist of the player trying to achieve the best mixture of cards as you can in order to come away with money. On this account it is much the same as a normal game of poker, minus the involvement with other players. Of course, methods employed during a physical game of poker, like tricking, will be irrelevant in Video Poker.

The game of Video Poker begins when the enthusiast inserts credits (whether it’s tokens, tickets or cash) into the machine and presses the draw button. A hand of five cards will then be "dealt" on the screen.

The Video Poker machine also has buttons with ‘hold’ printed on them, and enthusiasts will need to now pick which cards to hold and which to throw away. For the cards the enthusiast wishes to retain, the ‘hold’ buttons must be pressed so that they illuminate. The player can choose to keep any number of cards they wish, whether it’s all or none.

After the bettor has selected which cards he would like to keep, they should press ‘deal’, at which point any fresh cards are handed out if desired. The round is now completed, with the Video Poker machine analyzing the cards to see if it is the same as any of the winning hands listed in the payment schedule.

Normally, the lowest winning hand on a Video Poker machine is a pair of jacks with the award money growing for each better hand. A common list of winning hands begins with jacks or better, and moves 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 goes without saying that the pay out schedule can range from machine to machine, so that knowledgeable players are agile enough to select the most profitable machine each instance.

Once the initial round has completed, the player can either choose to stay on in an attempt to maximize their earnings, or press the ‘collect’ button to cash out any credits that have been won. Further, several styles of the game allow the enthusiast a chance to double their wins, in which instance another hand is played. There are also differences among specific machines, with some decks of cards including wild cards and other varying elements to enhance playability.