Video poker is based on the standard draw poker as the payouts depend on the probability of receiving a particular hand.
Games Without Wildcards
Royal flush: A, K, Q, J, 10 of the same suit, not necessarily in this sequence. There may be, however, games where a sequential royal flush receives an extra win. If not specified otherwise in the payout table, the cards may be presented both in ascending and descending order. Some games, however, may have different payouts for a royal flush 10 J Q K A and a different one for A K Q J 10.
Straight flush: five cards of the same suit in sequence, not necessarily ordered. The Ace counts as 1 in the sequence A, 2, 3, 4, 5.
Four of a kind: four cards of the same rank. In some games, the fifth card of a certain rank can receive a special bonus, e.g. in Double Double Bonus Poker, four Aces with a 2, 3 or 4 receive significantly more than four Aces with some other card.
Full house: three cards of one rank and two cards of some other rank.
Flush: five cards of the same suit.
Straight: five cards in sequence but of different suits. The cards do not have to be ordered to qualify. An Ace can be taken both as the highest and the lowest rank.
Three of a kind: three cards of the same rank.
Two pair: two cards of one rank and two cards of some other rank.
One pair: two cards of one rank. Most games pay only for one pair of a certain rank or higher: Jacks or better, the most popular Video Poker game pays for a pair of Jacks or higher. Ace counts as higher than a king.
A hand that contains none of these winning combinations does not win. A winning hand automatically receives only the highest qualifying win.
Games With Wildcards
A number of Video Poker games are played with wild cards. A wild card can substitute any other card in a winning combination, except for another wild card. There may also be winning combinations with wild cards only. On the other hand, some winning combinations that contain wild cards pay less than the corresponding natural hands without wild cards. A wild card can be one or more Jokers, a 2 (deuce) or a 7. Wild deuces and sevens cards are marked in a special way to highlight their modified status. The suit of the wild cards is irrelevant, so a flush can be composed of three cards of one suit and two wild cards, e.g. deuces, of other suits. There is an exception to this rule: in Deuces Deluxe Poker, a correctly suited deuce may still make a natural straight flush. With wild cards, several special winning combinations may occur:
Five wilds: five wild cards. This hand can be obtained only in games like Five Joker Poker or Deuces and Joker Wild, where five wild cards are present in the card deck.
Four wilds: four wild cards of the same rank. In games with more than four wild cards in the deck, like e.g. Deuces and Joker Wild, only four deuces qualify, the joker cannot substitute a deuce here.
Wild royal flush: a royal flush with one or more wild cards, e.g. A, 2, 2, 10, Q in a Deuces Wild game. Note that a wild royal always pays less than a natural royal.
Five of a kind: five cards of the same rank, which can only be achieved with one or more wild cards, e.g. 4, 4, 4, 4, Joker or 7, 7, 2, 2, 2 when 2 is a wild card. In some games, the rank decides about the payout, e.g. in Bonus Deuces Wild five threes, fours or fives pay less than five Aces and more than five of other ranks.
Wild straight flush: a straight flush with one or more wild cards. When wild straight flush is listed in the payout table, it receives less than the natural straight flush. The Deuces Deluxe poker is slightly different: a wild straight flush which would be natural if deuces were not wild counts as a natural straight flush. For instance, A, 2, 3, 4, 5, all in clubs, is a natural straight flush. Most games, however, pay the same amount for a wild and a natural straight flush.
Wild four of a kind: four of a kind with one or more wild cards. When wild four of a kind is listed in the payout table, it receives less than the natural four of a kind, but most games pay the same amount both for a wild and a natural four of a kind.
The lesser ranking hands count the same whether they contain wild cards or not. If a hand matches several winning combinations, the highest paying one applies. For instance 2, 2, 2, 5, 5 (wild deuces) may represent five of a kind or a full house, the winning combination is the higher one, i.e. five of a kind.
