Video Poker is a favored game that is able to be played in casinos around the world, or alternatively at your house on your computer, using a net connection. The rules are absolutely straightforward and consist of the player attempting to achieve the highest mixture of cards achievable in order to win cash. In this respect it’s much the same as a normal game of poker, apart from the involvement with any other players. Of course, methods employed during a physical game of poker, like bluffing, will be useless here.

The game of Electronic Poker begins when the bettor inserts credits (either tokens, credit slips or money) into the machine and pushes the draw button. A hand of five cards will then be "distributed" on the screen.

The Video Poker machine also has hold buttons, and enthusiasts should now choose which cards to keep and which to discard. For the cards the enthusiast wishes to retain, the ‘hold’ buttons must 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 enthusiast has selected which cards he or she wishes to retain, the player will then press ‘draw’, at which point any fresh cards will be needed they will be handed out. The hand is now completed, with the Electronic Poker machine scanning the cards to see if it matches any of the winning hands listed in the payout schedule.

Generally, the minimum succeeding hand on an Electronic Poker machine is a pair of jacks with the award money increasing for each better hand. A common list of winning hands begins with jacks or better, moving on to two pairs, 3 of a kinds, straights, flushes, full houses, four of a kinds, straight flushes and finally royal flushes. It should be known that the payment schedule can change from game to game, so that experienced gamblers are able to pick the most profitable ones every time.

After the initial round has played out, the player can either decide to continue on and try to to increase their earnings, or they can press the ‘collect’ button to retrieve any money that they may have won. Further, several versions of the game give the bettor an opportunity to increase their wins, in which case a further hand is played. There are also variations between individual machines, with some virtual decks including wild cards and other differing elements to enhance playability.