The game of video poker exerts a near-mystical pull on America's gamblers. It's the nation's legendary frontier game, including all the best elements of a slot machine. That's powerful stuff. Video poker is also popular because it seems inherently fair. There's no hidden house edge or any secretly tight machines. Each draw is from a freshly shuffled deck. Every Player has a chance and a choice. Video poker is one of the few casino contests that can actually have a positive financial expectation. Play the right machine long enough, in the right way, and video poker is guaranteed to payback more than it takes in.

If you know poker, then you know the basics of video poker. You want the highest hand. Beyond that, and the concept of the draw, you should forget everything you know about the table game when playing the video version. You can't raise, call or bluff the computer. The computer deals you five cards. You can keep all of them, some, or none. The computer then deals replacement cards as necessary. The new combination is your hand. Winners are paid according to a pay table posted on the machine.

The most basic game is Jacks or Better; hands with at least two Jacks or a higher combination win. Other video poker versions include; Deuces Wild (where 2s count as any value the player requires), Joker Poker (inserts a joker into the deck as a wild card), Double Joker Poker (inserts two jokers) and Poker Frenzy (deals each card from a different deck making it possible for you to have five cards of the same rank and suit) - there are many more game variations. In some cases, a minimum win requires kings or better, three of a kind, or two pairs. Whatever the game, the play remains the same for (nearly) every machine. Receive five cards, draw, the result is your hand.