Gambling terms, explained straight

Poker

Draw poker machine

A draw poker machine is a video poker terminal that plays a draw-poker variant, typically five-card draw: the player receives five cards, discards any they do not want, and is paid according to a fixed pay table if the final hand qualifies.

Also called
Video poker; in the common Jacks or Better form, sometimes called "Draw Poker"1
Base format
5 cards dealt, one discard-and-replace opportunity12
Full pay example
9/6 Jacks or Better: full house pays 9×, flush pays 6× the bet12

Key points

  • The player inserts a stake, receives five cards, chooses which to hold, and discards the rest for replacements from the virtual deck.12
  • After the draw, the machine pays according to a posted pay table if the final hand matches a winning combination.12
  • A draw poker machine is a machine game with a pay table and no competing opponents, unlike table draw poker where human players compare hands.3

Where this term is used

Not the same as

  • Draw poker — the table/card-game form where human players compare hands against each other
Poker Draw poker Explains the table game where players compete against each other rather than a machine. Poker Full house poker Covers the hand ranking and its role in poker games. Poker Gto poker Describes game theory optimal strategy in poker. Poker Poker positions Explains seating order and its strategic importance in poker. Poker Quads poker Covers four of a kind and its place in poker hand rankings. Poker Full boat poker A full boat is a five-card poker hand

Sources

  1. Video poker en.wikipedia.org Defines video poker and draw poker machines, including the 9/6 pay table example.
  2. Card Games: Video Poker pagat.com Explains video poker as a draw-poker machine with a pay table and discard mechanic.
  3. Poker en.wikipedia.org Distinguishes poker machine games from table poker with opponents.

Sources are drawn from regulators, universities and published research, and each one is labelled with what it actually is — a preprint is not called a paper. Bookmaker and affiliate pages are never cited here, because a page that sells betting is not a neutral authority on it.

Written and maintained by Ellis Warrender, writer and maintainer.

Last updated 28 July 2026. Spotted an error? Tell me and it gets fixed and logged on the corrections page.