Video Poker Strategy Guide
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A fully paid video poker machine will give you the best payouts meaning that you’ll make more cash when you get winning hands. In Jacks or Better, the most popular variant of poker video (the one where you will need a pair of jacks to win gains), a glance at the payout table will let you know if the machine offers full payments or not. Just look at the repayment associated with full and color. Reading a video poker strategy chart is far easier than many beginner players anticipate. To put it simply, strategy charts will show you various possible hands you could be dealt in the game. The list will always place the best possible hand at the top, then second best and so on and so forth.
Poker strategy tips and tutorials for beginners and advanced players. Improve your skills and learn from experts about Texas Holdem strategy other Poker variants at PokerNews.com. A regular video poker trainer has a pay table, five cards with their corresponding Hold buttons below, and a Deal button on the side. Now, the other available options vary across different versions.
Video poker is played the same way as five card poker, but there are no opponents to bet against. Instead of competing against other players, your goal in video poker is simply to get the best five card hand possible. Payouts are based on the strength of your hand.
Even though you are not required to outplay any opponents, video poker still involves a bit of strategy. Your main focus will be determining which cards should be held or discarded to give you the best chance of the highest payout. The amount you bet is also a factor, as payout rates vary based on the number of credits wagered.
Video Poker Rules
There are several variations of video poker, but they all follow the same basic set of rules.
Players start by inserting one or more credits into the machine of their choice. The payout rates are predetermined and dependent on the number of credits bet. Playing with more credits is more expensive, but also raises the payouts.
Once the bet is placed, the machine deals five cards at random. There is one round of discarding where you can hold as many cards as you like and discard the rest. You will then be dealt new cards to replace the ones that were discarded.
Your five cards after the drawing new cards is your final hand. Every game has a specific pay table that determines how much will be paid out based on the strength of your five card poker hand. The most common version of video poker at casinos and online gambling sites is Jacks or Better, and the pay table usually looks like this:
As the name implies, the casino only pays out for a pair of jacks or higher in this version of video poker. Players who have a pair of tens or lower will not win any money. This is important to keep in mind when deciding which cards to hold or discard, and is the basis for Jack or Better video poker strategy.
Poker Hand Hierarchy
No matter what version of video poker you play, the possible hands do not change. The table below provides a description of five card poker hands with an example of each one. The hands are listed from best to worst.
Video Poker Strategy
Strategy in video poker focuses on which cards to keep and which to discard. Video poker strategy can seem a little complicated at first, but once you learn the basic principles it is relatively straightforward.
The optimal strategy varies based on which version of video poker you play, so we will stick with the most popular version Jacks or Better.
Jacks or Better Strategy
A major one is the peace of mind they offer. Each one is properly licensed and regulated; they are subject to a strict code of conduct and are liable for financial penalties, or even criminal punishment, if they do not adhere to the necessary standards.
If you would like to read more about how the United Kingdom regulates online gambling, make sure to read our full article on their laws and regulation. The article goes into detail about both the Gambling Act of 2005 and 2014.
The discarding strategy for Jacks or Better poker involves looking at your initial five card hand to see if you have been dealt any of the following. You should progress through this list from top to bottom. If you do not have the first item, move to the next. If you progress through all 15 and do not have any, discard all five cards. Keep the following:
1.Video Poker Strategy Guide
Following the list above will give you the best chance of winning in Jacks or Better video poker. The list is based on mathematically calculated probabilities and is the same for both land based machines and those played at online casino gambling sites.
Universal Strategy
While your choices during the game ultimately affect the outcome, there are some important factors to consider before you even start. First off, not all video poker machines pay out the same. The best video poker machine is the one with the highest payouts, so you should compare the payout rates for various hands.
If you play live video poker, finding the best machine is as easy as taking a lap around the casino. On the other hand, payouts in online video poker vary from site to site so it is important to compare gambling sites before diving in. Fortunately, we have done the work for you and indentified the best video poker sites on the internet.
When looking at video poker payouts you likely noticed the 5 credit payout for a royal flush. This is not just an incremental increase, but a large payout that actually eliminates the house edge and gives players a slight advantage. While royal flushes are extremely rare, this does make it most cost-effective to play with five credits if you can afford the expense.
Additional Casino Games
Online casinos offer hundreds of games and each one comes with its own set of rules and unique strategy. Learn how to play many popular gambling games and find helpful game strategy through the links below.
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About video poker
Video poker is a game that’s based on five-card draw poker. It’s a single player game, where the player tries to create as valuable a poker hand as possible. If they create a hand above a certain value (usually a pair of jacks) they win cash. If they don’t, they lose their stake.
For each round, the player is dealt five cards face up via a video screen. They must then choose whether to hold any of their cards for the ‘draw’. They can hold any number from zero to five. All cards that are not held are then re-dealt, and the final hand evaluated.
Winning hands can often be gambled via a ‘higher or lower’ game. UK players will be familiar with this concept as it was used in the popular 70s/80s quiz show ‘Play Your Cards Right’. A single card is dealt and the player must guess if the next card in sequence will be higher or lower. If they choose correctly, their prize is doubled. Choose incorrectly, and all winnings for that hand are lost. Players can usually gamble in this way up to five times in succession.
The history of video poker
The first video poker games arrived at the same time as ‘Pong’ and early, primitive personal computers. Video monitors were hooked up to integrated circuits in which the game was programmed. Early video poker consoles were dismissed as a passing fad.
All this changed in the early 1980s when SIRCOMA, the company that would eventually become International Game Technology, decided to concentrate on perfecting the video poker console. This turned out to be a Vegas-shattering success, as it gave poker players who felt intimidated while playing on casino tables the chance to play their favourite pastime against a faceless ‘opponent’.
Video Poker Strategy Training
The popularity of video poker has yet to wane. While not too popular with Las Vegas visitors, the locals tend to enjoy playing video poker machines off the main Vegas strip. Nearly all real-world casinos will house a few video poker terminals under their roof.
Despite massive strides in computer technology and in particular video graphics, contemporary video poker machines are little different from their primitive forebears. Video poker fans are keen that their game is kept as ‘traditional’ as possible, and video poker has not developed in the same way that online slots games have evolved to be feature-rich monsters.
Video poker at online casinos
Nearly every single online casino will offer at least one variety of video poker, and most will offer several. While not as popular as slots, blackjack or roulette, video poker is a rarity as with correct play and taking in all factors, the house edge can be swung ever-so-slightly in favour of the player.
There are four main varieties of video poker:
- JACKS OR BETTER – This is the main version of the game. To secure a win, a player must end up with a hand that contains at least a pair of jacks. All other hands lose. Payouts start at x1 for any qualifying pair, up to x800 for a Royal Flush.
- ALL AMERICAN – Similar to Jacks or Better and with the same basic rules, but with a better payout structure. There are increased payouts for flushes, straights and straight flushes, but reduced payouts for full houses and two pairs.
- DEUCES WILD – The lowest winning hand in this game is a set, but as the name suggests, all deuces (twos) are wild. There are additional winning hands, such as Five of a Kind, Wild Royal Flush and Four Deuces. The five-credit version of this game with the correct pay table actually has a negative house edge when played with perfect strategy.
- JOKER POKER – Also know as ‘Joker’s Wild’, is played with a deck containing 53 cards in which one of them is a joker and can be used as any card when drawn. The lowest possible winning hand is a pair of kings, and Five of a Kind and a Wild Royal Flush are added to the the mix just as with Deuces Wild. Again, if the pay table is set correctly, the player actually has a 0.64 percent edge over the house with perfect strategy. There are also self-explanatory sub-variations of Joker Poker known as Kings or Better, or Two Pairs or Better.
Multi-hand video poker games have become popular at online casinos in recent years. This allows you to play up to 100 hands at one from the draw. If, for example, you hold two aces before the draw and play 100 hands, you can play all 100 hands with two aces and three newly drawn cards. This is very beneficial if you are dealt a winning hand before the draw.
Other less common varieties of video poker are as follows:
- ACES AND FACES – A standard game with increased payouts for four of a kind of any face card or an ace. Payouts for other hands such as a full house are reduced.
- ALL ACES or BONUS POKER – Same as Jacks or Better but with increased payouts for four aces, deuces, threes or fours, and reduced payouts for other hands.
- BONUS FLUSH – Jacks or Better but with increased payouts for flushes.
- DEUCES AND JOKER – A combination of Deuces Wild and Joker Poker or Joker’s Wild.
- DOUBLE BONUS – Same as Bonus Poker but with a different payout structure.
- DOUBLE DOUBLE BONUS – As above, but with other bonus hands such as four aces with a two, three or four kicker.
- DOUBLE JOKER – Same as Joker Poker or Joker’s Wild but with two jokers instead of one.
- PICK’EM POKER – Players are dealt four cards. They must keep the first two, and MUST discard either (not both) of the next two. After the decision has been made, the final two cards are dealt to complete the hand.
- TENS OR BETTER – A pair of tens is the lowest winning hand. There are reduced payouts for flushes and full houses.
Learn how to play video poker
Learn how to play online video poker with RightCasino’s online guide.
Online video poker was introduced to casinos in the 1970s as a single-player equivalent to table poker. At the time, it was a bit of a technological marvel and quickly became popular. Today, the game is still played widely for its simple rules, low house edge and the possibility of big wins. Our step-by-step guide will steer you through the rules and variants of video poker so you can get the most out of this exciting casino game.
How to play
The rules of video poker are extremely straightforward…
Pick your coins
In most versions of video poker, you will use an electronic interface to bet on a virtually-generated straight poker hand. You begin by making a wager of up to five ‘coins’ (the value of which depend on the game and chosen settings). The more money you are happy to wager, the more you can win. Usually, your winnings are simply multiplied by the amount of cash you gamble, although you may receive a bonus lift if you go the whole hog with five coins.
Generating your hand
Once your stake has been set, the game will generate a hand of five cards based on a digital, 52-card deck (up to 53 in ‘Joker Wild’ games). This is your starting hand. In some games you can play 5, 10, 25 or even 100 hundred hands all at the same time. Each hand will begin with your ‘main’ hand as the base.
Choosing discards
Once your starting hand has been generated, you can choose which of your cards to discard. The discards are then replaced with new cards from the remaining deck.
Collect your winnings!
You are then paid on the value of your hand according to a paytable. Usually for a qualifying pair, you receive back the same amount of money you gambled. Payouts go up as far as a royal flush, for which you typically receive back 250x your stake.
Darest you gamble?
You can usually gamble your winnings when you hit a successful hand at video poker. If you do decide to gamble, you’ll be presented with a card, and you have to guess whether the next card drawn will be higher or lower. If you pick right, your prize is doubled. If you choose unwisely, then you lose everything. Depending on the game, you should be able to go ‘double or quits’ up to five times in succession.
Video poker variations
Find the best house edge with our list of popular video poker variations.
There are several different versions of video poker, all of which come with extremely favourable odds for the player (even positive expectation by some estimates). See which variants present the best edge with our overview of video poker variants (along with pay-tables). All pay-outs are calculated according to betting five credits and assume ‘optimal’ play.
Jacks or Better
Also known as 9/6 Jacks or Better. This is the most common form of video poker and payoffs begin at a pair of Jacks.
| Hand | 1 Credit | 2 Credits | 3 Credits | 4 Credits | 5 Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 250 | 500 | 750 | 1000 | 4000 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| Four of a Kind | 25 | 50 | 75 | 100 | 125 |
| Full House | 9 | 18 | 27 | 36 | 45 |
| Flush | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 | 30 |
| Straight | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 |
| Three of a kind | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 |
| Two pair | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
House edge: 0.54%
Deuces Wild
In this game, all 2s (‘deuces’) are wild, changing their rank and suit to form better hands. This variant returns a higher return for ‘natural’ hands that contain no wild cards.
| Hand | Pay-out (multiple of bet) |
|---|---|
| Natural Royal Flush | 800 |
| Four deuces | 200 |
| Deuces Royal Flush | 25 |
| Five of a Kind | 16 |
| Straight Flush | 13 |
| Four of a Kind | 4 |
| Full House | 3 |
| Flush | 2 |
| Straight | 2 |
| Three of a kind | 1 |
House edge: 1.1%
All American
This variant features higher pay-outs on flushes and straights and lower returns on full houses and pairs.
| Hand | Pay-out (multiple of bet) |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 800 |
| Straight Flush | 200 |
| Four of a Kind | 34 |
| Full House | 8 |
| Flush | 8 |
| Straight | 8 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 |
| Two Pair | 1 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 |
House edge: 1.5%
Tens or Better
As you would expect, pay-outs start at a pair of 10s.
| Hand | Pay-out (multiple of bet) |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 800 |
| Straight Flush | 50 |
| Four of a Kind | 25 |
| Full House | 6 |
| Flush | 5 |
| Straight | 4 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 |
| Two Pair | 2 |
| Tens or Better | 1 |
House edge: 0.9%
Joker Wild
This variant includes one Joker as a wild card. The lowest qualifying hand is a pair of Kings and, as with Deuces Wild, natural hands offer a better return.
| Hand | Pay-out (multiple of bet) |
|---|---|
| Natural Royal Flush | 1000 |
| Five of a Kind | 200 |
| Joker Royal Flush | 100 |
| Straight Flush | 50 |
| Four of a Kind | 17 |
| Full House | 7 |
| Flush | 5 |
| Straight | 3 |
| Three of a Kind | 2 |
| Two Pair | 2 |
| Kings or Better | 1 |
House edge: 1.4%
Aces and Faces
This variant offers different pay-outs for four of a kind, depending on rank, with aces giving the best return.
| Hand | Pay-out (multiple of bet) |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 800 |
| Straight Flush | 70 |
| Four of a Kind (Aces & 8s) | 80 |
| Four of a Kind (Sevens) | 50 |
| Four of a Kind (Other) | 20 |
| Full House | 8 |
| Flush | 5 |
| Straight | 4 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 |
| Two Pair | 2 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 |
House edge: 0.74%
Full and low pay video poker
Most online casinos offer full pay machines only, meaning that pay-outs are nine times your wager for a full house and six times for a flush. Low pay machines offer a lower return (8/5, where full houses and flushes return eight and five times your bet respectively are most common). This results in a higher house edge.
If possible, you should always aim for full paying machines with a better return. Any game with a lower return than those in the tables above would be considered ‘low-pay’. Be sure to check the pay-outs before hazarding any cash.
Video poker strategy
Beat the house edge with our guide to basic video poker strategy.
Video poker is one of the few casino games where it is possible to beat the house edge. This page will introduce you to basic strategy for full-pay video poker variants (with and without wilds) via a series of hand charts, helping you get an edge over the casino with mathematically ‘perfect’ play. Credit to Michael Shackleford (AKA ‘The Wizard of Odds’) for these systems. If you need some help with the terminology, check out our poker glossary here.
Without wilds (e.g. Jacks or Better)
The following are the best plays, in order of absolute best to absolute worst (‘high’ card indicates a pair of Jacks or better).
| 1 | Dealt Royal Flush |
| 2 | Dealt Straight Flush |
| 3 | Dealt Four of a Kind |
| 4 | Four to Royal Flush |
| 5 | Dealt Full House |
| 6 | Dealt Flush |
| 7 | Three of a Kind |
| 8 | Dealt Straight |
| 9 | Four to Straight Flush |
| 10 | Two Pair |
| 11 | High Pair |
| 12 | Three to Royal Flush |
| 13 | Four to a Flush |
| 14 | Unsuited K/Q/J/10 |
| 15 | Low Pair |
| 16 | Four to an outside straight with 0-2 high cards |
| 17 | Three to a Straight Flush |
| 18 | Suited Q/J |
| 19 | Four to an inside straight, four high cards |
| 20 | Suited K/Q or K/J |
| 21 | Suited A/K, A/Q, Q/J |
| 22 | Four to an inside straight, three high cards |
| 23 | Three to a straight flush |
| 24 | Unsuited K/Q/J |
| 25 | Unsuited Q/J |
| 26 | Suited J/10 |
| 27 | Two unsuited high cards, kings highest |
| 28 | Suited Q/10 |
| 29 | Two unsuited high cards, ace highest |
| 30 | J only |
| 31 | Suited K/10 |
| 32 | Q Only |
| 33 | K Only |
| 34 | A Only |
| 35 | Discard anything else |
Pay-out: 99.54%
With wilds (e.g. Deuces Wild)
In the list below, a natural denotes a hand that uses no wild cards.
| 1 | Natural Royal Flush |
| 2 | Four to a Royal Flush |
| 3 | Straight Flush |
| 4 | Four of a kind |
| 5 | Full House |
| 6 | Three of a Kind |
| 7 | Straight/Flush |
| 8 | Four to an outside straight flush |
| 9 | Suited Q/J/10 |
| 10 | Four to an inside straight flush |
| 11 | Three to a royal flush, except Q/J/10 |
| 12 | Pair |
| 13 | Two Pair |
| 14 | Four to a Flush |
| 15 | Four to an outside straight |
| 16 | Three to a straight flush, spread 3-4, suited |
| 17 | Two to a royal flush, jack highest |
| 18 | Three to a straight flush, spread five and suited |
| 19 | Four to an inside straight, except missing deuce |
| 20 | Two to a royal flush, queen highest |
| 21 | Two to a royal flush, king highest, no penalty cards |
| 22 | Discard anything else |
Pay-out: 100.76%
Mobile video poker
Play virtual video poker anytime, anywhere on a variety of compatible devices.
Advancements in technology have made it possible for online gambling to be enjoyed from the convenience of a mobile phone. Video poker is an extremely popular game that is enjoyed across the globe by millions of players, many of whom choose to play via a smart device.
What is mobile video poker?
By recent estimates, around $10 billion is wagered through mobile platforms every singly year, and mobile revenues are increasing all the time.
Video poker on mobile devices is identical to the game you would expect on desktops: the interface is the same, as are the rules of play. The only difference is that you can gamble literally anywhere, as long as you have a compatible device and a robust internet connection.
Video poker on mobile devices
As video poker is a relatively simple game to port to mobile platforms, it’s genuinely surprising that more software providers do not provide versions of video poker for mobile devices. The reason for this could be due to the ban on US-based players from the mobile casino arena, and that video poker is still seen as an activity suited to US casinos.
There are a few mobile casinos that do offer a version of video poker on mobile devices – 32Red, for example.
Most casinos that offer video poker requires a download in order for players to be able to play the game. These downloads are only typically available for Android and iOS based systems. As more and more mobile software providers begin to embrace HTML5 as the mobile-coding ‘option of choice’, more games will be available for Windows Phone and BlackBerry users.
How to player video poker on a mobile device
Playing video poker on a mobile devices is as simple an affair as playing video poker at any online casino.
Unfortunately, only the most basic version of video poker – Jacks or Better – seems to be available for mobile platforms.
You begin the game by selecting the size of your bet, using from one to five coins. Once you’re happy hit the ‘Deal’ button to be dealt your poker hand consisting of five cards.
Tap any cards that you want to keep. You will see some indication that the card you have selected has been held. When you’re satisfied with your selection, hit the ‘draw’ button to receive your final poker hand. If you’ve managed to land a poker hand with at a least the value of a pair of jacks, then you will be paid according to the pay table as presented with the game.
Video Poker Wild Multihand
Jacks or Better
Play Your Cards Right