The game begins when a bet is made on the video poker machine and you receive five cards. Then you choose the cards you wish to keep by pressing the hold button beneath each card. The cards you don't hold will be taken away and replaced with new ones. Your best hand's payoff will then be tabulated by the machine.

In poker, the following combinations pay off starting with the worst, the one-pair hand. A pair may consist of two aces, kings, queens or jacks. A two pair is having two pairs of cards of the same value and one other card, such as 5, 5, 8, 8, and 3.

• A hand consisting of three cards of the same value and two odd cards makes three of a kind.
• A straight is five cards in order but of different suits. Such a hand would contain a two of clubs, three of spades, four and five of diamonds and a six of hearts for example.
• A hand where five cards are all the same suit would give you a flush. Three cards of one value and two of another in a hand gives you a full house, like three jacks and two queens.
• A hand with four same-valued cards and one other card is considered four of a kind.
• A hand with all cards in order of the same suit is a straight flush and also the second ranking combination in poker.
• A hand with a 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace of the same suit is a royal flush, which is considered the highest poker hand.