Video Poker is a beloved game that is able to be gambled on in casinos around the world, or in your house on your PC, through an Internet connection. The game rules are absolutely straightforward and involve the player trying to achieve the greatest combination of cards achievable in order to win money. In this respect it is much the same as a classic game of poker, minus the interaction with any other players. Of course, methods used in a real-life game of poker, such as bluffing, will be irrelevant in Video Poker.

The game of Electronic Poker starts when the enthusiast puts credits (either tokens, tickets or cash) into the machine and pushes the deal button. A hand of 5 cards will then be electronically ‘handed out’ on the video screen.

The Electronic Poker machine also has buttons with ‘hold’ printed on them, and enthusiasts should now decide which cards to hold and which to discard. For the cards the player would like to retain, the ‘hold’ buttons should be pressed so that they light up. The player can choose to keep any number of cards they wish, from all to none.

After the player has decided on which cards he would like to keep, the player will then press ‘deal’, at which point any fresh cards will be needed they will be dealt. The round is now completed, with the Video Poker machine scanning the cards to see if it matches any of the winning hands printed on the pay out schedule.

Generally, the minimum winning hand on an Electronic Poker machine is a pair of jacks with the award money getting larger for each and every 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 finally royal flushes. It is obvious that the payment schedule can change from game to game, so that experienced enthusiasts are agile enough to choose the most money-making game each instance.

Once the initial round has completed, the player can either choose to stay on and try to to increase their earnings, or press the ‘collect’ button to retrieve any money that has been won. Additionally, some versions of the game allow the player a chance to increase their winnings, in which instance another round is played. There are also variations between individual games, with some decks of cards including wild cards and other varying characteristics to enhance playability.