Video Poker

Everything you ever wanted to know about online video poker...

Video Poker is an excellent bridge between Slots and more complicated casino games. So if you have only ever played slots before, give Video Poker a go.

Since Jacks or Better Video Poker is the most common Video Poker variation in casinos this article will be about it. However, once you know the underlying principles of playing Video Poker, there is no reason not to play the other variations as well.

Basic Rules of Jacks or Better Video Poker

The player starts off with making a wager of between 1 and 5 coins. The player then gets dealt 5 cards, of which he has to make a hand. The player can discard any cards and get new ones in their place, but only once. This is usually accomplished by selecting the cards the player wants to hold and pressing "deal" again. Note that in a few casinos, the reverse is true so make sure to read the rules of the casino you are playing at!

Once the player has made a hand, he gets paid the payout for that specific hand, e.g. 20x his wager for a "four of a kind" or 5x his wager for a "flush".

Below are the winning hands for Jacks or Better Video Poker, in order of payout (from most to least):

	Royal Flush - A,K,Q,J,10 of the same suit
	Straight Flush - any 5 cards of the same suit following on one another, e.g. 7,8,9,10,J of diamonds
	Four of a Kind - 4 cards of the same value, e.g. 4x J's and a 6
	Full House - 3 cards of the same value and 2 other cards of the same value, e.g. 3x K's and 2x Q's
	Flush - any 5 cards of the same suit
	Straight - 5 consecutive cards that is not the same suit
	Three of a Kind - 3 cards of the same value and any other two cards, e.g. 3x K's, a 10 and a 7
	Two Pairs - 2 cards of the same value and 2 other cards of the same value, e.g. 2x Q's, 2x J's and a 4
	Jacks or Better - 2 cards of the same value above 10's, with any 3 other cards, e.g. 2x Q's, a 7, a 6 and a 2 (the example shows 10's, but remember it has to be at least Jacks)

If you have not made any of these hands, you lose your wager.

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