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Video poker strategy
Video poker strategy is a ranked list. Find the highest line on the list that matches your five cards, hold those cards, and draw to the rest. Every line is there because, over every possible draw, it pays more on average than the line below it.
The Jacks or Better chart
This is the standard simplified strategy for 9/6 Jacks or Better, the most common game. Start at the top. The first line your hand matches is the play. "High card" means a jack, queen, king or ace.
| # | Hold |
|---|---|
| 1 | Royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind: hold all five |
| 2 | Four to a royal flush |
| 3 | Full house, flush, straight, three of a kind: hold all five |
| 4 | Four to a straight flush |
| 5 | Two pair |
| 6 | High pair (jacks or better) |
| 7 | Three to a royal flush |
| 8 | Four to a flush |
| 9 | Low pair (tens or lower) |
| 10 | Four to an open-ended straight |
| 11 | Two suited high cards |
| 12 | Three to a straight flush |
| 13 | Two unsuited high cards (with three, keep the lowest two) |
| 14 | Suited 10-J, 10-Q or 10-K |
| 15 | One high card |
| 16 | Nothing: draw five new cards |
The plays people get wrong
- Low pair beats a four-card straight. Dealt 7-7-8-9-10, hold the sevens. The pair makes two pair, trips, a full house or quads often enough to be worth more than the straight draw.
- Four to a flush beats a low pair. Dealt 4-4 with three other hearts and one of the fours a heart, hold the four hearts.
- A high pair beats three to a royal. Dealt J-J with Q-K of one suit, keep the jacks. The sure money beats the chase.
- Never hold a kicker. With a pair, hold the pair and draw three. Keeping an ace next to a pair of nines costs you.
- Four to a royal beats a made flush or straight. This is the one exception where you break a paying hand: the royal is worth it.
- Don't draw to an inside straight unless it has three or more high cards. A single high card is a better hold.
Why the pay table changes the strategy
Every line in the chart is a comparison of expected payouts, and the payouts come from the pay table. Change the table and some lines swap places. Deuces Wild and Double Double Bonus each have their own chart: Deuces Wild strategy, Double Double Bonus strategy.
Learn it by playing
The fastest way to learn the chart is to play with it checked. Our machine grades every hold against the exact best play for the hand you were dealt and shows you the costliest misses in My Stats. In Practice mode you can turn on "show me the best hold" and see the chart in action. The free trainer.
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Questions
How much does perfect strategy matter?
In 9/6 Jacks or Better, perfect play returns 99.54% of what you bet over the long run. Typical guessing returns around 97%. That gap is two to three percent of every dollar bet, which adds up fast at casino speed.
Is the chart the same for every video poker game?
No. The chart depends on the pay table. Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild and Double Double Bonus each have their own ranked list, because the hands pay differently.
Should I ever break a full house?
In Jacks or Better, no. In Double Double Bonus, a full house with three aces is broken to hold the three aces, because four aces pays 160 for 1.
What is a kicker?
A fifth card held next to a pair or three of a kind, hoping it pairs up. In Jacks or Better a kicker always costs you. Hold the pair alone.
More: How to play video poker · Jacks or Better · Deuces Wild · Double Double Bonus · Video poker pay tables · Video poker odds · Video poker hands, ranked · Video poker trainer · How to win at video poker