Video Poker is a popular game that can be wagered on in casinos around the globe, or in your house on your computer, using an Internet connection. The game rules are absolutely straightforward and involve the player trying to achieve the highest combination of cards as you can in order to win money. On this account it is very similar as a normal game of poker, without the interaction with competing players. Of course, techniques used in a real-life game of poker, like bluffing, will be irrelevant in Video Poker.

The game of Electronic Poker starts when the bettor puts credits (whether it’s tokens, tickets or money) into the video poker machine and pushes the play button. A hand of 5 cards will then be "given out" on the screen.

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

After the gambler has decided on which cards she wishes to retain, the player will then press ‘deal’, which will mean that any new cards are needed they will be handed out. The hand is now finished, with the Electronic Poker machine analyzing the hand to see if it matches any of the winning hands shown on the pay out 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 list of common 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 goes without saying that the payment schedule can range from machine to machine, so that experienced players are able to choose the most money-making machine each and every instance.

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