Video Poker is a beloved game that can be bet on in casinos throughout the globe, or in your house on your home computer, through a web account. The game rules are very simple and consist of the player trying to achieve the highest assemblage of cards achievable in order to win cash. In this respect it’s much the same as a classic game of poker, apart from the line of contact with any other players. Of course, techniques used in a real-life game of poker, such as tricking, will be irrelevant in Video Poker.

The game of Electronic Poker begins when the player inserts credits (either tokens, tickets or money) into the machine and presses the draw button. A 5 card hand will then be "distributed" on the screen.

The Electronic Poker machine also has hold buttons, and gamblers should now pick which cards to keep and which to discard. For the cards the gambler wishes to retain, the ‘hold’ buttons need to be pressed so that they light up. The player can decide to keep any number of cards they wish, from all to none.

After the gambler has chosen which cards he or she wishes to keep, they should press ‘draw’, at which point any new cards will be needed they will be dealt. The round is now completed, with the Video Poker machine analyzing the cards to see if it matches any of the winning hands listed in the pay out schedule.

Generally, the lowest succeeding hand on a Video Poker machine is a pair of jacks with the prize money getting larger for each and every better hand. A list of common winning hands starts with jacks or better, moving on to two pairs, 3 of a kinds, straights, flushes, full houses, 4 of a kinds, straight flushes and finally royal flushes. It definitely goes without saying that the payout schedule can vary from game to game, so that knowledgeable enthusiasts are agile enough to pick the most profitable game each instance.

Once the first round has played out, the player can either decide to continue on and try to to increase their winnings, or press the ‘collect’ button to cash out any cash that they may have won. Additionally, several versions of the game allow the gambler a chance to increase their profits, in which case another round is played. There are also differences between individual machines, with some decks of cards including wild cards and other varying characteristics to increase playability.