Video Poker

How to Play Video Poker

Video Poker Strategy

Get more control in video poker by deciding which of your cards you get to hold or to fold.  

The strategy for making the most money from those decisions is actually quite complex, but if you’re willing to take the time to memorize some tables, you’ll benefit from these video poker tips:

Jacks or Better Strategy

Here is the average payoff for various hands is on a Jacks or Better machine:

• Royal Flush: 800
• Straight Flush: 50
• Four of a Kind: 25
• Full House: 9
• Flush: 6
• Straight: 4
• Three of a Kind: 3
• Two Pair: 2
• Jacks or Better: 1

Obviously, you want to wind up with a hand as high up on that list as possible, as that’s where the big money is. But it isn’t always as easy as just aiming for the best possible hand. 

Strategy in Jacks or Better boils down to one simple decision — after you’re dealt your five-card hand, do you:  

• keep up to five of your cards 
• or discard up to five cards to receive new ones 

Sometimes, your choice is pretty easy — if you’re dealt four of a kind, for example. there isn’t any situation where you’d want to swap any of those four cards. 

When to Keep and When to Discard 

Things aren’t always so clearcut. Let’s look at another example:  

• You’re dealt a hand that includes a pair of 3s, but also has a face card, like a King. 
  • Your natural inclination might be to hold onto that pair to ensure a payou 
  • but you’re actually going to get a higher average payout by keeping the King, and discarding your other four cards 

It’s decisions like that that will get you as close as possible to even odds with the machine. 

Of course, in dropping one or both of your paired cards and going for a picture card, you swap a bird in the hand for two in the bush, so to speak. But doing so or not depends on your strategy and appetite for risk.  

In Jacks or Better, you’re going to want to make the swap. 

The Basics 

The basics are:  

• analyze your initial five-card hand 
• identify the best hand you can strive for based on the order of the hands listed below with each hand’s average payout listed next to the hand 

If you can keep this list handy — or even better, memorize it — then you’re giving yourself the best chance to win in video poker.

Deuces Wild Strategy

The video poker winning strategy for Deuces Wild is similar to Jacks or Better, but the fact that all the 2s are wild cards adds an extra layer: 

• If you don’t have any 2s, the game is essentially the same 
• If you do have a 2, though, things get a little crazy 

If you have four deuces, obviously you want to keep them all for five of a kind. Depending on your fifth card, and how many swaps you have, you may want to swap out a low card in the hope of getting a picture card — but this would only matter if playing with multiple decks or Jokers included.  

And if you get three deuces, you’ll generally want to keep just those three cards, unless you are dealt a royal flush. Things are more complicated if you’re dealt either one or two deuces. 

Two deuces 

1. Any pat four of a kind or higher 
2. 4 to a royal flush 
3. 4 to a straight flush with 2 consecutive singletons, 6-7 or higher 
4. 2 deuces only 

One deuce 

1. Any pat four of a kind or higher 
2. 4 to a royal flush 
3. Full house 
4. 4 to a straight flush with 3 consecutive singletons, 5-7 or higher 
5. 3 of a kind, straight, or flush 
6. All other 4 to a straight flush 
7. 3 to a royal flush 
8. 3 to a straight flush with 2 consecutive singletons, 6-7 or higher 
9. deuce only 

Double Bonus Strategy

Double bonus poker is very similar to Jacks or Better, with the twist that A, 2, 3 and 4 cards have a little extra value.

You can get really specific with your hand preferences — but if you already have the Jacks or Better table handy and/or memorized, you’d be well served to simply give hands featuring multiple A, 2, 3 or 4 cards a bump up a few rungs – check out Royal Vegas offer.

Joker Wild Strategy

Joker Wild and Deuces Wild poker are going to be very similar.

The key difference is this: there are four deuces in a standard deck of cards, but just two Jokers. This means your return on investment isn’t going to be quite so strong as in Deuces Wild, but the rarity with which the Jokers turn up makes it a more fun game to win, if that makes sense.

That said, if a Joker does show up in your initial five-card hand, refer to the Deuces Wild table above and basically you can follow that to the T. If you don’t get dealt a Joker, treat the game as if you’re playing a regular Jacks or Better hand.

Online Video Poker Advantages

Video poker is a cross between classic poker and an online video slots game. While it is less skill-dependent than poker, it is less luck-dependent than slots. Playing video poker online requires that you learn your bets, but the game itself is simple and has several advantages over slots or traditional poker games.

When you combine a liberal pay table and a player’s skill, you get a thin advantage and a great rate of return. Some games return more than 100% of your original bet!

Online video poker is unique—unlike other popular casino games, the pay table indicates the return on your gambling dollar. Consider it a rare chance to stay informed.

Video poker is a skill game though. One with simpler rules than you’ll find elsewhere in the casino. The game is in your hands, and with practice and a wise betting strategy you can only improve.

Types of Video Poker