Video Poker - Rules

The basics of Video Poker couldn’t be simpler. You put your money into the machine, decide what game you want to play (jacks or better, deuces wild etc), decide what denomination you wish to bet, and press deal. At this point you may wager no more money until the next hand.

Five randomly generated cards will then be dealt to you. You must now decide whether or not to change any of these cards, and if so, which ones. You may change all or none of your cards, at which point the computer will work out the value of your hand and pay out accordingly.

Playing ‘Jacks or Better’ the standard payout is as follows:

Royal Flush: 250 to 1*
Straight Flush: 50 to 1
Four of a Kind: 25 to 1
Full House: 9 to 1
Flush: 6 to 1
Straight: 4 to 1
Three of a Kind: 3 to 1
Two Pair: 2 to 1
Jacks or Better: Even money  

*A Royal Flush always pays 250 to 1 except when playing with maximum credits, when it pays 800 to 1. The idea is in effect to punish players for playing with less than maximum credits, meaning those using maximum credits have a higher theoretical return than those using less.

Playing ‘Deuces Wild’, a variation of video poker in which all deuces are wild (and may therefore be substituted for any other card in order to form a better hand), it is possible to get a theoretical return of up to 100.72% with some machines, meaning that with perfect strategy a profit should be expected over the long run.