Free Video Poker / Jacks or Better
Jacks or Better
Jacks or Better is the original video poker game. A pair of jacks, queens, kings or aces gets your bet back; everything better pays more, up to 800 for 1 for a royal flush at five credits. It has the simplest strategy and the smallest swings, which is why every player should learn it first.
The 9/6 pay table
The full-pay version pays 9 for a full house and 6 for a flush. Here is what each hand pays per credit, and at the five-credit bet.
| Hand | Per credit | 5 credits |
|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | 250 | 4,000 |
| Straight flush | 50 | 250 |
| Four of a kind | 25 | 125 |
| Full house | 9 | 45 |
| Flush | 6 | 30 |
| Straight | 4 | 20 |
| Three of a kind | 3 | 15 |
| Two pair | 2 | 10 |
| Jacks or better | 1 | 5 |
The royal pays 800 for 1 only at five credits. That jump is why max bet is the right bet. A table that pays 8 for a full house and 5 for a flush (8/5) looks almost the same on the glass and costs you more than two percent of everything you bet. How to spot a good table.
How a hand goes
Bet, deal, hold, draw. If your final hand is a pair of jacks or better you get your bet back; two pair pays double; and so on up the table. The rules step by step.
Strategy chart
Find the first line your dealt hand matches and hold those cards. The full chart with the common mistakes is on the strategy page. The short version:
- Pat hands (straight or better): hold all five, except break a flush or straight for four to a royal.
- Four to a royal.
- Two pair, then a high pair.
- Three to a royal, then four to a flush.
- A low pair.
- Four to an open-ended straight, two suited high cards, three to a straight flush.
- Two unsuited high cards, then one high card.
- Nothing: draw five.
The hands that decide your results
In Jacks or Better about 21% of hands end as a pair of jacks or better (a push), 13% as two pair, 7% as three of a kind, and a royal flush shows up about once in 40,000 hands. The royal is only 2% of the game's return, but it is the hit everyone plays for. Odds of every hand.
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Questions
What does Jacks or Better mean?
The lowest paying hand is a pair of jacks, queens, kings or aces. A pair of tens or lower pays nothing. That pair returns your bet, so it is a push, not a win.
What is 9/6 Jacks or Better?
A pay table that pays 9 for 1 on a full house and 6 for 1 on a flush. It is the full-pay version, returning 99.54% with perfect play. 8/5 tables return about 97.3%.
Is Jacks or Better the best video poker game?
It is the best one to learn on: the simplest strategy and the smallest swings. Full-pay Deuces Wild returns slightly more with perfect play but is harder to play correctly.
How often do you get a royal flush?
About once every 40,000 hands with correct play. At 600 hands an hour that is roughly one royal per 65 hours of play.
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