Video Poker Guide

Video poker is a poker game that is played on a machine similar to a slots machine. While its hand rankings are similar to table poker, the aim of the game differs slightly in that you are not playing against other players.

Variations in Video Poker
There are a number of different variations that are available in video poker. It is important to be aware of the rules of the video poker variation that you are playing as slight rule variations can affect the cards that you require in your hand.
The variations that exist are typically:

Jacks or Better video poker – this is the most common variation of video poker. A pair of Jacks, Queens, Kings or Aces makes up the most common hand.
Aces and Faces video poker – the aim of this game is to hold a hand of four Aces or four face cards.
Jokers Wild video poker – this variation is played with a regular deck, plus a joker. The joker acts as a wild card.
Deuces Wild video poker – in this variation, the four twos (deuces) act as wild cards.
Deuces and Joker video poker – this variation uses a regular deck, plus a joker. The deuces and joker are wild cards.
Double Joker video poker – this variation uses a regular deck, plus two jokers that act as wild cards.

Basic Rules of Video Poker
Place your bet in the machine to begin play. The machine will then deal you a hand of five cards, of which you need to decide which to hold and which to discard. The machine will deal replacement cards for the ones that you chose to discard and you will be paid out according to this final hand.

Hand Rankings in Video Poker
The cards that you hold combine to form a hand. The combinations of the cards in your hand are then ranked and your winnings are calculated accordingly. It is important to be familiar with the card rankings in video poker as your decision of which cards to hold and which to discard must be made according to the highest ranking hand that you can make.

Hand	Explanation	Example
Royal Flush	Ten through Ace of the same suit	10, J, Q, K, A of Hearts
Straight Flush	Any five cards in sequence, in the same suit	3, 4, 5, 6, 7 of Hearts
Four of a Kind	Four cards of the same numerical value	4, 4, 4, 4, X
Full House	Three of a kind, plus a pair	6, 6, 6, 9, 9
Flush	Any five cards of the same suit that are not in sequence	2, 5, 7, 9, A of Hearts
Straight	Any five cards in sequence, but not in the same suit	2, 3, 4, 5, 6 – in different suits
Three of a Kind	Three cards of the same numerical value	3, 3, 3, X, X
Two Pair	Two pairs of different numerical values	5, 5, J, J, X
Pair	One pair of the same value cards	9, 9, X, X, X

X = any card

Basic Strategy Tips for Video Poker
Always make sure you are familiar with the variation of video poker that you are playing. It is worthwhile to be familiar with more than one variation.

If your bankroll allows it, always play the maximum number of coins as you will then be eligible for the bonus screens that the machine offers.

It is a good idea to practice video poker in free online games before you play for real money.