There are many different types of video poker to chose among, but almost all of them are based on five card poker and will give you one opportunity to exchange 0-5 cards from your starter hand. All cards are dealt face-up.

Unlike poker that is played against other players or against a dealer, you will now beforehand how great your hand must be for you to win any money. One of the most widespread types of video poker is Jacks or Better, where you need a pair of jacks or higher to get paid.

How to play video poker

1. Make your bet.
2. You get a starter hand consisting of five cards, dealt face-up.
3. Do you want to discard one or more cards from your starter hand and get new ones from the deck? You can discard anywhere from 5 cards to 0 cards. This gives video poker an element of skill – this game is not just about luck.
4. You now have your final hand. If it is good enough, you get paid. Otherwise you lose your wager. How much you get paid on a winning hand depends on how high it ranks. A set pays more than a pair of kings, a full house pays more than a set, and so on. It is a good idea to check the paytable of the machine you want to play on before you make any wager.

Jacks or Better video poker

One of the most commonly played types of video poker is Jacks or Better video poker. This game is played with a standard 52 card decks without any jokers. No wild cards are used.

You need a pair of jacks or better to win something, hence the name Jacks or Better.

The payment schedule can vary from machine to the next. Here is one example of a commonly occurring payment schedule for Jacks or Better. As you can see, it encourages you to wager 5 coins by having a disproportionally large payout for Royal Straight Flush on 5 coin wagers.

Deuces Wild video poker

Deuces Wild is played with a standard 52 card deck, but all the deuces (2) are wild and can replace any other card to form a poker hand.

• Since the wild cards makes it easier to form poker hands, most Deuces Wild poker machines will only pay when you have a set or better.
• Many Deuces Wild machines pay less for a Royal Straight Flush that includes a wild card than for a Royal Straight Flush formed without any wild cards.
• The presence of a wild card makes it possible for form the non-standard poker hand Five of a Kind.
• Many Deuces Wild poker machines pay much more for a Four of Kind comprised of deuces than for any other Four of a Kind.

Example of a commonly used paytable for Deuces Wild video poker

In this paytable, you get paid the same for Straight and Flush.