Video poker is based on five-card draw poker. This game requires a special machine to be played, and it became widespread when the producers managed to combine a monitor with a central processing unit. The first video poker machines were produced somewhere around the same time as the first PCs, but they can’t even be compared to today’s machines. They now look more similar to slots.

This type of poker became quite popular as people found it way less intimidating than being present at a poker table. After a player inserts money into the machine, he’s given five cards. If not satisfied, he has a chance to discard one or more cards, but the new ones have to be drawn from the same deck. After the cards are drawn, the machine will payout if the hand played matches one of the winning combinations posted on the paytable. In order to make players spend more money and play more frequently, most machines will offer something appealing like progressive jackpots and other types of bonuses.