# How do you play video poker?
Canonical HTML: [How do you play video poker?](https://howtocasino.uk/guides/how-to-play-video-poker/)
Published: 2026-10-29
Updated: 2026-10-29
Publisher: HowToCasino
Language: en-GB
Topic: Video poker
## The short answer
In a common five-card draw video poker game, you choose a stake, receive five cards, select which to hold and replace the rest. The final hand is paid according to that version's paytable. You play against a payout schedule rather than bluffing other players, and game variants can change both the rules and qualifying hands.
An illustration of hold and draw controls, not a strategy recommendation or a commercial game screenshot.
## What happens during a video poker round?
1. Identify the exact variant, paytable, stake per hand and number of hands before starting a paid round.
2. Read the initial five-card hand and the qualifying combinations in the paytable.
3. Mark the cards you want to keep using the game's Hold controls; the unheld cards will be replaced under its draw rules.
4. Confirm the selection before the draw or any applicable decision deadline.
5. Compare the completed hand with the actual payout schedule, then check the total returned against the full amount committed.
The word hold concerns a card, not holding money in the account. Drawing replaces the cards not retained; it does not normally add a sixth card to a conventional five-card hand. Controls and automatic decisions can differ, so check how the particular interface confirms your choices.
Evolution's First Person Video Poker is one published example allowing a selection of held cards and RNG replacements. Its described game also has selectable paytables and multiple-hand options. Those features demonstrate one implementation rather than a rule that every version must offer the same interface or limits.
Sources:
- [First Person Video Poker: deal, hold and card swap](https://games.evolution.com/first-person/first-person-video-poker/) — Evolution. Checked 2026-10-29.
## What do hold and draw look like in an example?
Imagine an opening hand of ace of spades, ace of hearts, seven of diamonds, four of clubs and two of spades. If the two aces are held, they stay in place while the other three cards are replaced. The new cards then determine the final five-card category.
This example shows what the controls do. It does not establish the best decision for every paytable or opening hand. Holding a made pair can exclude other possible draws; deciding between alternatives requires the exact game and the expected return of each available choice.
There is no need to make another bet to understand a doubtful result. First compare the recorded initial cards, holds, final cards and qualifying category with the rules. A missed Hold selection and a different payout schedule are different issues and should be checked separately.
## How do you read a video poker paytable?
Start by identifying what the displayed numbers mean: credits, cash values, total-return multiples or another defined measure. A unit or coin value can be only one component of the final stake. Read the complete bet display rather than assuming one credit means one pound.
The following invented table assumes that every multiplier is the total amount returned, including any stake returned. It is arithmetic, not the paytable of a named game. If a real game defines its numbers differently, apply its definition instead.
| Illustration with a £1 stake | Total returned | Net result |
| --- | --- | --- |
| No qualifying award | £0 | £1 loss |
| 1× total-return award | £1 | £0 |
| 6× total-return award | £6 | £5 profit |
| 9× total-return award | £9 | £8 profit |
> **A return can equal the stake**
>
> A 1× total-return award on £1 leaves no profit. This differs from a 1:1-profit payment, which would return £2 including that stake. The paytable's own definition is essential.
Sources:
- [RTS 3: rules, game descriptions and likelihood of winning](https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/standards/remote-gambling-and-software-technical-standards/rts-3-rules-game-descriptions-and-the-likelihood-of-winning) — Gambling Commission. Checked 2026-10-28.
## Are Jacks or Better and Deuces Wild the same game?
No. Variant names signal different qualifying combinations or card behaviour, and their paytables need to be read separately. In the familiar Jacks or Better format, the qualifying pair threshold is jacks; a lower pair should not simply be treated as another paid high pair. Deuces Wild uses twos as wild cards under its own rules.
The same final-looking cards can therefore be valued differently between variants. A decision chart designed for one particular Jacks or Better paytable should not be transferred automatically to a wild-card version. Sharing a five-card layout does not make the games mathematically interchangeable.
Also check whether a paytable column changes with the selected stake or number of coins. Do not assume that every prize scales linearly, or that a large advertised maximum is paid under every available setting. Read any jackpot or special-award qualification before comparing totals.
Sources:
- [First Person Video Poker: deal, hold and card swap](https://games.evolution.com/first-person/first-person-video-poker/) — Evolution. Checked 2026-10-29.
## How much does multi-hand video poker cost?
The total commitment depends on both the price per hand and the number of hands. An invented setting of 20p per hand across five hands costs £1 for that deal. Moving to 25 hands at the same per-hand amount costs £5, before any separately priced extras.
| Invented stake per hand | Hands purchased | Total stake |
| --- | --- | --- |
| £0.20 | 1 | £0.20 |
| £0.20 | 5 | £1.00 |
| £0.20 | 25 | £5.00 |
More hands are not necessarily independent deals from the outset. Some games copy the initially held cards into the additional hands and then draw replacements under their stated procedure. Check that relationship rather than assuming the screen contains a set of unrelated starting hands.
A positive return on one hand can still leave a loss across the deal. For example, £1 returned in total from five 20p hands breaks even, whereas £1 returned from 25 such hands leaves £4 down. Add every return and subtract the total commitment.
## Does a high video poker RTP guarantee a profitable session?
No. A theoretical return needs a specific paytable and assumptions about decisions. A quoted optimal-play figure does not establish the result of different holds or of one session. Our [RTP explanation](https://howtocasino.uk/guides/what-is-slot-rtp/index.md) separates long-run expected return from a personal refund rate.
If you encounter an unfamiliar multiplier or stake unit, the guide to [reading game rules](https://howtocasino.uk/guides/how-to-read-game-rules/index.md) explains how to identify what it applies to. Our [blackjack payout examples](https://howtocasino.uk/guides/what-does-blackjack-pays-3-to-2-mean/index.md) also show why profit odds and total-return multiples should not be treated as the same measure.
Sources:
- [Live return to player performance monitoring of games of chance](https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/licensees-and-businesses/guide/live-return-to-player-performance-monitoring-of-games-of-chance) — Gambling Commission. Checked 2026-10-28.
- [RTS 7: generation of random outcomes](https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/standards/remote-gambling-and-software-technical-standards/rts-7-generation-of-random-outcomes) — Gambling Commission. Checked 2026-10-28.
## Related questions
### Do I play against other people in video poker?
In the common draw format described here, the final hand is evaluated against a paytable. There is no need to bluff another player or beat a shared opponent's hand. Other casino games with poker in their names can use different structures.
### Does every pair pay in video poker?
No. The variant and its paytable define the qualifying categories. In a Jacks or Better format, a low pair is not automatically paid as a qualifying high pair. Wild-card games require their own interpretation.
### Does Hold mean I will receive the same prize?
It preserves the selected card or cards for the draw; it does not lock in a guaranteed net profit. Replacements, the final category, the paytable and the full stake determine the settlement.
## Sources and checks
- [First Person Video Poker: deal, hold and card swap](https://games.evolution.com/first-person/first-person-video-poker/) — Evolution. Checked 2026-10-29.
- [RTS 3: rules, game descriptions and likelihood of winning](https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/standards/remote-gambling-and-software-technical-standards/rts-3-rules-game-descriptions-and-the-likelihood-of-winning) — Gambling Commission. Checked 2026-10-28.
- [Live return to player performance monitoring of games of chance](https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/licensees-and-businesses/guide/live-return-to-player-performance-monitoring-of-games-of-chance) — Gambling Commission. Checked 2026-10-28.
- [RTS 7: generation of random outcomes](https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/standards/remote-gambling-and-software-technical-standards/rts-7-generation-of-random-outcomes) — Gambling Commission. Checked 2026-10-28.
## Keep exploring
- [How do you read slot game rules and paytables?](https://howtocasino.uk/guides/how-to-read-game-rules/index.md)
- [What does RTP mean in slots?](https://howtocasino.uk/guides/what-is-slot-rtp/index.md)
- [What does “blackjack pays 3 to 2” mean?](https://howtocasino.uk/guides/what-does-blackjack-pays-3-to-2-mean/index.md)
18+; for adults in Great Britain. Gambling involves a risk of loss. Examples are explanations, not offers or guaranteed outcomes. [Support and safer gambling](https://howtocasino.uk/safer-gambling/).