Video poker is one of the most rewarding games on the casino floor, and it's easy to learn. You play a single hand of five-card draw poker against a fixed pay table: you're dealt five cards, you keep the ones you want, and the rest are replaced. There's no dealer and no other players to read — just you, the cards, and the math. That's exactly why video poker rewards skill: unlike most casino games, correct play measurably improves your results. This guide walks through how to play video poker from your first coin to your first winning hand.
How a video poker hand works
Every hand of video poker follows the same five steps, whether you play in a casino or online:
That's the whole loop: bet, get your five cards, hold, draw, and collect. The only real decision is step three — which cards to keep — and that single choice is where all of video poker strategy lives.
Video poker hand rankings
Video poker uses standard poker hand rankings, and on a Jacks or Better game the smallest paying hand is a pair of jacks. Here's what pays, from the top:
| Poker hand | What it is |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 10-J-Q-K-A, all the same suit |
| Straight Flush | Five cards in sequence, same suit |
| Four of a Kind | Four cards of the same rank |
| Full House | Three of a kind plus a pair |
| Flush | Five cards of the same suit |
| Straight | Five cards in sequence, mixed suits |
| Three of a Kind | Three cards of the same rank |
| Two Pair | Two separate pairs |
| Jacks or Better | A pair of jacks, queens, kings or aces |
How much to bet
Always bet five coins — the maximum. It's the single most important thing to know when you play video poker. The royal flush pays a flat 250-for-1 at fewer coins but jumps to 800-for-1 (a 4,000-coin jackpot) at five coins, and that bonus is worth almost 2% of the game's return. If a five-coin bet at your denomination feels too high, drop to a lower coin value rather than betting fewer coins. Max bet is not optional in video poker.
Choosing a machine: the pay table matters most
Not all video poker games are equal, even when they look identical. The pay table printed on the screen sets how much the game returns, so a smart player checks it before betting a single coin. On Jacks or Better, look at the full house and flush lines: "9/6" (pays 9 and 6) is the best, full-pay version at 99.54%, while an 8/5 machine returns over two percent less for the exact same game. Reading the pay table takes two seconds and is the biggest edge available to video poker players. Our pay tables guide compares every schedule.
Video poker games and variations
Once you can play Jacks or Better, the other video poker games are a short step away. Bonus Poker pays more for four of a kind using nearly the same strategy; Double Bonus Poker rewards big quads even more, and its full-pay version returns over 100% to a perfect player. Deuces Wild adds wild cards, which changes the correct play entirely. Each game has its own pay table and its own optimal strategy, so whichever you choose, learn that game's play before you sit down. Casinos and online sites both offer the same core games; the rules are identical whether you play video poker in a casino or online.
Basic strategy to get you started
The whole skill of video poker is choosing which cards to hold, and a few simple rules cover most hands. Keep any made paying hand. Break a paying hand only to draw at a royal flush. Hold a high pair (jacks or better) over a four-card straight or flush draw, but keep a four-card flush over a low pair. Never keep a fifth "kicker" card with a pair. Those few rules already capture most of the game's value; the full strategy chart handles the rest, and you can drill it in the free trainer or check any hand with the analyzer.
Why video poker is worth learning
Play the right game with correct strategy and video poker is one of the best bets in the casino — a full-pay 9/6 Jacks or Better machine returns 99.54%, and some Deuces Wild pay tables cross 100%. That's a return few casino games can match, and it comes down to two habits: choose a good pay table and play each hand correctly. Video poker offers something almost no other game does — a real chance for skilled players to play close to even, and Double Bonus Poker even tips past 100% on the right schedule. Learn how to play video poker properly and you'll get far more entertainment per dollar than the players feeding the machine next to you. See exactly how much each game returns on our house edge page.
Educational content about probability and game theory. Not gambling advice.