Given that the individual payback percentages of video and reel slot machines on casino floors nationwide are the closely guarded secrets of the properties that own them, some gamblers are skeptical about the transparency of video poker and the ability of players to calculate each game's payback percentage based on the pay table.

Some start looking for a "catch," they'll question whether the cards are dealt truly randomly or they'll conjure up misconceptions about video poker's game technology.

A definitive expert on the subject is John Daley, director of video poker for International Game Technology (IGT), manufacturer of the most popular and widely played video poker machines worldwide. He confirms every hand you are dealt and every card you draw is as random as a computer program will allow and as close to shuffling and dealing your own 52-card deck at the kitchen table.

Daley puts all the myths to rest with this analysis of what happens every time you play a hand of video poker:

"A 52-card virtual deck is constantly shuffling between plays. When you hit the deal/draw button, the shuffling stops and five cards are dealt from the top of the pile, popping up left to right on the screen. While you are deciding which cards you want to hold, the remaining 47 cards are shuffling. After you decide and hit the button again, the cards stop shuffling and the X-number of cards you need to fill your draw hand come off the top and occupy the vacated positions.

"Five new cards do not pop up left to right on every draw creating 'shadow' cards behind the ones they held, as some people think. If you hold the cards in positions one, two and three, for example, only two cards come off the top of the 47-card pile and pop up left to right in the fourth and fifth positions on the screen. The only cards that are dealt on the draw are the number of cards needed to fill vacant positions.

"The best example I have is this: Say you're dealt three cards to a royal flush in positions one, three and four. Positions two and five are non-royal flush cards and you throw those away. Say you accidentally throw out card one as well and you come up with the nine of clubs in position one while the two cards that you needed to complete your royal flush pop up in positions two and five.