Jacks or Better video poker

Play Jacks or Better free, right here. It is the original video poker game and the one every other game is built on: five cards, hold the ones you want, draw, and a pair of jacks or better gets paid. No signup, no download, play money only.

How to play Jacks or Better

Bet. BET ONE adds a credit, BET MAX bets five. Bet five: the royal flush pays 4,000 credits at five and only 250 per credit below that.
Deal. Five cards come off a freshly shuffled 52-card deck.
Hold. Tap the cards you want to keep, or press 1 to 5 on a keyboard. HELD shows on each one.
Draw. Every card you did not hold is replaced. The glass shows what your final hand pays.
Double Up. After a win you can risk it on one card against the dealer's. Higher doubles it, a tie pushes.

What pays in Jacks or Better

From the bottom up: a pair of jacks, queens, kings or aces, two pair, three of a kind, a straight, a flush, a full house, four of a kind, a straight flush and the royal flush. A pair of tens or lower pays nothing. What each hand pays is on the glass above the cards.

Poker hand rankings · How pay tables work · Royal flush odds

Jacks or Better strategy in 30 seconds

Find the first line your hand matches and hold those cards.

Royal flush, straight flush or four of a kind: hold all five.
Four to a royal flush, even over a dealt flush or straight.
Full house, flush or straight: hold all five. Three of a kind: hold the three.
Four to a straight flush.
Two pair, then a pair of jacks or better.
Three to a royal, then four to a flush, then a low pair.
Four to an open-ended straight, two suited high cards, three to a straight flush.
Two unsuited high cards, a suited 10 with a J, Q or K, then one high card.
Nothing at all: draw five new cards.

The full Jacks or Better strategy chart · How the trainer grades you

Top 25 on Jacks or Better

High Score: 80 hands from 1,000 credits. Play it on the machine above.

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Jacks or Better questions

What are the rules of Jacks or Better?

You get five cards, hold any of them and draw replacements for the rest once. Your final hand is paid from the pay table. The lowest paying hand is a pair of jacks or better, which returns your bet.

Is Jacks or Better the same as poker?

It uses the same hand rankings as five-card draw, but there are no other players and no bluffing. You play against the pay table, so the only decision is which cards to hold.

Can I play Jacks or Better free without downloading?

Yes. This page runs in any browser on a phone, tablet or computer. There is no signup and no download, and it is play money only.

What is the best hold in Jacks or Better?

Four to a royal flush beats everything except a made royal, straight flush or four of a kind. Hold it even over a dealt flush or straight.

How do I know if I played a hand right?

Every hold is graded against the best play. Open My Stats to see your right-play rate and the hands you missed, or turn on the trainer in Practice to see the best hold before you draw.