Video poker strategy
Every hold has an exact average return – perfect strategy means picking the highest one on every hand.
Every hold has an exact return
Five cards give thirty-two ways to hold, and each one has an exact average return. Perfect play picks the hold with the highest return on every hand.
| Hold | Average return | Cost vs best |
|---|---|---|
| J♠ J♥ | 1.537 | best |
| J♠ Q♠ K♠ | 1.488 | 4.8% |
| J♠ Q♠ J♥ | 1.416 | 12.0% |
| J♠ K♠ J♥ | 1.416 | 12.0% |
| J♠ J♥ 4♦ | 1.416 | 12.0% |
Here the pair of jacks and three cards to a royal flush both look good. The box shows the five best holds and their exact returns.
Common decisions in Jacks or Better
- Low pair or four to a flush? Hold the four hearts.
| Hold | Average return | Cost vs best |
|---|---|---|
| 5♥ 9♥ Q♥ 2♥ | 1.213 | best |
| 5♥ 5♣ | 0.824 | 38.9% |
| 5♥ 5♣ 9♥ | 0.675 | 53.7% |
| 5♥ 5♣ Q♥ | 0.675 | 53.7% |
| 5♥ 5♣ 2♥ | 0.675 | 53.7% |
- High pair or four to a flush? Hold the pair of kings.
| Hold | Average return | Cost vs best |
|---|---|---|
| K♥ K♣ | 1.537 | best |
| K♥ K♣ 9♥ | 1.416 | 12.0% |
| K♥ K♣ 3♥ | 1.416 | 12.0% |
| K♥ K♣ 6♥ | 1.416 | 12.0% |
| K♥ K♣ 9♥ 3♥ | 1.213 | 32.4% |
- Low pair or two high cards? Hold the pair of sevens.
| Hold | Average return | Cost vs best |
|---|---|---|
| 7♣ 7♦ | 0.824 | best |
| 7♣ 7♦ Q♠ | 0.675 | 14.8% |
| 7♣ 7♦ K♥ | 0.675 | 14.8% |
| 7♣ 7♦ 2♣ | 0.675 | 14.8% |
| Q♠ K♥ | 0.495 | 32.9% |
- No pair, only high cards? Check which high cards the box keeps.
| Hold | Average return | Cost vs best |
|---|---|---|
| A♥ K♦ | 0.478 | best |
| K♦ | 0.463 | 1.5% |
| A♥ | 0.458 | 2.0% |
| A♥ 9♥ | 0.389 | 8.9% |
| A♥ 4♣ | 0.344 | 13.4% |
How a video poker strategy chart works
A strategy chart lists hand types from best to worst. Find the first line that matches your cards and hold those cards.
- Royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind
- Four to a royal flush
- Full house, flush, straight, three of a kind
- Four to a straight flush
- Two pair
- High pair (jacks or better)
- Three to a royal flush
- Four to a flush
- Low pair (twos to tens)
Practice with the chart open until the top lines feel automatic.
Each game and pay table needs its own chart
| Game and pay table | Full house | Flush | Return, perfect play |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deuces Wild (full pay) | 3 | 2 | 100.76% |
| Double Double Bonus 10/6 | 10 | 6 | 100.07% |
| Jacks or Better 9/6 | 9 | 6 | 99.54% |
| Bonus Poker 8/5 | 8 | 5 | 99.17% |
| Double Double Bonus 9/6 | 9 | 6 | 98.98% |
| Deuces Wild (NSUD) | 4 | 3 | 99.73% |
| Jacks or Better 8/5 | 8 | 5 | 97.30% |
| Jacks or Better 7/5 | 7 | 5 | 96.15% |
| Jacks or Better 6/5 | 6 | 5 | 95.00% |
Exact return over all 2,598,960 deals with the best hold every time, max-coin bet.
With perfect play, 9/6 Jacks or Better returns 99.54% and 8/5 Jacks or Better returns 97.30%. The pay tables are per coin and assume the max-coin royal of 800 per coin, not 250.
In Deuces Wild every 2 is wild, so the order of the chart is completely different. Compare more games on pay tables.
Mistakes cost a share of every bet
Each wrong hold lowers the average return below the perfect-play number. Even with perfect play, most tables keep a house edge, such as 2.70% on 8/5 Jacks or Better.
- Check any hand in the video poker calculator.
- Practice holds with the trainer in Jacks or Better.
- Start with the basics in how to play.
Questions
How do you win at video poker?
No strategy can make you win, because each hand is random and most pay tables keep a house edge. Perfect strategy only gets you the highest average return the pay table allows, for example 99.54% on 9/6 Jacks or Better.
What is a video poker strategy chart?
It is a list of hand types ordered from best to worst hold. You find the first line that matches your five cards and keep those cards.
Can I use one strategy chart for every video poker game?
No. Each game and pay table has its own best holds, so a Jacks or Better chart gives wrong holds in Deuces Wild or Double Double Bonus.
Should I keep a low pair or four to a flush in Jacks or Better?
In Jacks or Better, four to a flush has a higher average return than a low pair, so perfect play holds the four suited cards.
How much do strategy mistakes cost?
Each wrong hold lowers your average return on that hand. The video poker calculator shows the exact return of every hold so you can see the difference.