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Video Poker Guide
Video Poker is one of the most popular games when you make your way into a casino. There are many variations of video poker games with the most popular being Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild and Double Bonus Poker.
It is based on a 5-card draw poker game and rewards strategy and skill since you will be able to decide which cards you should hold or throw away on any given hand.
The rules are quite simple, you will place your bet, the machine will give you five cards and you will then choose which to hold and discard, your discarded cards will be replaced and you will be paid off according to the value of your hand.
The most popular Video Poker game is Jacks or Better. Just as the name suggests your objective is to get a pair of Jacks or better, if you do you should at most casinos be paid off as according to the list below:
Video Poker Strategy
The way of playing Jacks or Better is to identify the best card combination in your initial hand that could give you the best chance of getting the highest paying combination after the redraw.
Simply put you can reduce the house edge considerably by following these simple tips:
- Do not keep a kicker. If you have pair, discard all other cards and you will increase your chances of getting a three of a kind or four of a kind.
- Keep all pairs unless you have three or four cards to a Royal Flush or Straight Flush.
- Never draw to an inside straight.
- Never keep three cards to a straight or flush.
- Hold two pairs and draw one card.
- Don’t break a full house and try to get four of a kind.
If you want to take Jacks or Better playing seriously you can use our chart below. When you are dealt your hand simply start at the top and go down until you find the hand that matches the one you’ve been dealt and keep the cards in the chart:
| Hand | Draw |
| 4 of a Kind | 1 |
| 4 Cards to a Royal Straight Flush | 1 |
| 3 of a Kind | 2 |
| 4 Cards to a Straight Flush | 1 |
| Two Pairs | 1 |
| A Pair of Jacks or a Higher Pair | 3 |
| 3 Cards to a Royal Straight Flush | 2 |
| 4 Cards to a Flush | 1 |
| Ten – jack – Queen – King (Unsuited) | 1 |
| A Pair of 10’s or lower | 3 |
| Nine – Ten – Jack – Queen (unsuited) | 1 |
| Eight – Nine – Ten – Jack (unsuited) | 1 |
| Nine – Jack – Queen (Same suite) | 2 |
| Nine – Ten – Queen (Same Suite) | 1 |
| 4 Cards to a Straight – open ended – no high Cards | 1 |
| 3 Cards to a Straight Flush, two gaps, two high cards | 2 |
| 3 Cards to a Straight Flush, one gap, one high card | 2 |
| 3 Cards to a Straight Flush, open ended , no high cards | 2 |
| Jack – Queen – King – Ace (Unsuited) | 2 |
| 2 Cards to a Royal Straight Flush, two high cards | 3 |
| 4 Cards to a Straight, one gap, three high cards | 1 |
| 3 Cards to a straight flush, one gap, no high cards | 2 |
| Jack – Queen – King (Unsuited) | 2 |
| 2 High Cards (Unsuited). If you have 3 high cards don’t keep an ace. | 3 |
| 2 Cards to a to a Royal Flush with a 10 and no Ace | 3 |
| 1 High Card | 4 |
| 3 cards to a Straight Flush, Two gaps, no high Cards | 2 |
| None of the above | 5 |