Video Poker Rules

There are many casino players who ponder how to play Video Poker but are unsure and tentative about the Video Poker Rules. Obviously a game that is unfamiliar is deemed to be a difficult game to play.  However this is far from the truth and playing video poker is an easy game to master once you have learned the video poker rules.

The rules of video poker are very similar to those of the five-card Draw Poker Rules,  the difference being that video poker is played with only one player. The objective of the game is to obtain the highest hand possible rather than simply beating another opponent with a better hand as in stud or draw poker.

The Video Poker Rules and sequence of play;

Place your bet, depending on your video poker machine this will be in a range of one to five or ten coins. This however is constantly changing with newer machines coming onstream all the time so you may find poker machines with larger maximum bets.

The next step is to select the Deal/Draw button and you will be issued an opening hand of five cards on the display.

Choose the cards you wish to keep or remove by using the hold/cancell button under each card, you can reverse your decision at this stage by repressing the hold/cancell button again, once you are happy with your decision the word hold should be showing under the cards you intend to keep.

Next, press the draw/deal button again and you will receive replacement cards for the ones you did not decide to keep.

The outcome at this point is a win or loss, a payout when you win and a restart if you loose.
Video poker rules hands follow standard poker rankings, typically a pair of Jacks or better is considered a winning hand, including straights an flushes.

Once you learn the video poker rules you can begin to apply various strategies to your game.  Remember, poker is a skill, and as in all skill learning the better you learn and apply those skills the more success you will achieve.

There are many different varieties of video poker, with different machines having slightly different features. For example an 8/5 video poker machine will pay 8 coins for a full house and 5 coins for a flush, where as a 9/6 machine will pay 9 coins for a full house and 6 coins for the flush. Just be aware that all video poker machines are not the same.

Video poker is an easy game to play and ideal for those beginners wishing to start playing poker either online or in casinos. Players will find playing machines less intimidating than playing at the tables where unwelcome pressure is likely to initiate substantial losses. The other upside to poker machines is the smaller stakes and lower minimum bet.