ijgordon

It's typically a single-player game, and you earn payouts as a multiple of your bet, depending on your hand, with a pair of "Jacks or Better" (JOB) paying 1:1, Two pair pays 2:1, Three of a kind 3:1, etc. (as an example).

lindaiah

It's basically 5-card Draw, with no competition against other players. The machine deals you 5 cards, you hold the ones you want to hold and draw once to make the best possible 5-card poker hand. You're not competing against other players. The payouts are based on which version of the game you are playing, with the majority paying your bet back for at least a pair of Jacks or better. Deuces Wild requires 3-of-a-kind minimum (1:1) and (most) Jokers Wild games require a pair of Kings or better. Look at the pay tables on each game to see the payouts for other hands. For example, Double Bonus and Double Double Bonus Poker pay more for certain 4-of-a-kinds (Aces, etc.) But they're all played the same way. Hold the cards you want to keep (or dump everything) and draw once. That's about it.
Edited to add: You'll see that all payouts are relative, based on the number of coins you bet per hand, EXCEPT for the payout for a Royal Flush. 1st coin bet gets you 250 coins for a Royal Flush, 500 for 2 coins bet, 750 for 3 coins, 1000 for 4 coins and then jumps to 4000 coins paid for max (5 coin) bet. Always play max bet on a VP machine!