How to Play Video Poker
Video poker is one of the easiest casino machines to start playing and one of the most rewarding to play well. A round is just a few steps: set your bet, receive five cards, decide which to keep, draw replacements for the rest, and get paid according to the machine's paytable on your final hand. This guide walks through a single round so you know exactly what is happening on screen.
A round, step by step
1. Set your stake. Choose your coin value in rand and how many coins to bet, usually up to five per hand. Many machines reserve their top payout for the maximum bet, so check the paytable before deciding.
2. Deal. Press deal and the machine gives you five cards face up.
3. Hold. Tap the cards you want to keep; they are marked "held". You can hold all five, none, or anything in between.
4. Draw. Press draw and every card you did not hold is replaced with a new one from the same deck. This is your final hand.
5. Get paid. The machine checks your final five cards against its paytable and pays you for the best qualifying hand. If your hand does not reach the minimum, the round simply ends.
The minimum paying hand
Not every hand pays. The lowest hand that wins anything depends on the variant. In Jacks or Better, you need at least a pair of jacks, queens, kings or aces; a lower pair pays nothing. In Deuces Wild, the minimum is usually three of a kind, because the wild cards make pairs too easy. Always read the paytable's top line down to its bottom paying line so you know what counts and what does not. See Video Poker Variants for how this differs by game.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to hold any cards?
No. You can discard all five and draw a completely new hand if you choose. Whether that is the right move depends on what you were dealt; correct strategy tells you which cards to keep.
How many times can I draw?
Once per round. You hold, draw once to replace the rest, and that is your final hand. There are no further draws.
Should I always bet the maximum coins?
Often the top payout (especially for a royal flush) only applies at max bet, which raises the machine's overall return. But bet within your budget. A larger bet does not change the odds of any single hand, only what you stand to win or lose. You must be 18 or older.