The purpose in the game is to try to end up with a winning combination of cards. You're dealt five cards when the game begins after you put a bet on the video poker machine. Keep the cards you want by pressing the hold button underneath each card. After that, the machine will calculate the payoff from your best hand.

The following combinations pay off in the game of poker, starting with the worst, the one-pair hand. This may be any pair of aces, kings, queens or jacks. A double set of cards with the same value and one other card in the same hand, such as 8, 8, 4, 4, and 5, is known as a two-pair.

A three of a kind is when there are three cards of the same value with two odd cards in the same hand.

Next is a straight, which is a hand containing five cards in order, but of different suits. A seven of diamonds, eight of hearts, nine of spades, ten of diamonds and a jack of clubs would be an example of a straight.

A flush requires all cards in a hand to be of the same suit. A full house requires three cards in a hand to be of the same value, and the two remaining of different values. An example would be three kings and two fives.

A four of a kind must have four cards be the same value in a hand, with one other card.

A straight flush must have all cards be of the same suit, and in numerical order. It's also considered to be the second ranking combination in poker.

When all cards in a hand are 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace of the same suit, this is known as a royal flush which is also the highest hand in poker.