Video Poker Strategy for Jacks or Better Machines
Although a video poker machine may look like a slot machine, there's a huge difference. Video poker is a game of skill in which the player has an influence on the win or lose outcome. Luck plays a part in which cards are dealt, but the ones you keep and the ones you throw away are very important to your overall chance of winning.
For each version of video poker machine out in casinos or online, there is an optimal strategy for playing video poker. The good news is that computer wizards have figured out the best strategy by calculating the expected value of each hand. The bad news is that for a 52 card deck there are 134,459 unique poker hands and potential decisions to be made, and that's way too many to try to memorize. With that many possible outcomes, it comes down to more of an art than a science to distill the most accurate rules and strategy. There isn't always total agreement on the best plays, but what we present below is a combination of three popular systems. We'll use a Jacks or Better 9/6 machine for this example.
One term that might need explaining is the idea of a gap. This term was first introduced by Jeff Lotspiech on his video poker pages in 1995. Here's how he described this concept in the original article:
“Now would be as good a time as any to discuss how to count gaps in three-card straight flushes. These hands are a bit of a dilemma, because the standard terminology of poker no longer suffices to describe the possibilities. In the table game, where the only interesting hand is a four-card straight, you have inside straights and outside straights. When you only hold three cards, there are two types of "inside" straights, and almost all video poker books use the ugly term double inside to distinguish them. Not here. I prefer to distinguish straights by the number of gaps in the cards you hold. For example, holding a 6-7-8 you have no gaps, whereas holding 6-7-9 (or 6-8-9) you have one gap, and 6-7-10 (or 6-8-10 or 6-9-10) you have two gaps.”
The way to use the chart below is to look up the hand you've been dealt and make he appropriate discards. Be sure to hold the cards that you've found on the chart.
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Jacks or Better 9/6 Strategy Card
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Hand Dealt
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Discard
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Royal flush
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0
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Straight flush
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0
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4 of a kind
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1
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4-card royal
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1
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Full house
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0
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Flush
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0
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3 of a kind
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2
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Straight
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0
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4-card straight flush
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1
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Two pair
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1
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Pair of jacks or better (high pair)
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3
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3-card royal
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2
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4-card flush
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1
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10-J-Q-K: unsuited
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1
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Pair of 10s or less (low pair)
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3
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9-10-J-Q: unsuited
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1
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8-9-10-J: unsuited
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1
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9-J-Q suited
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2
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9-10-J suited
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2
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Four-card straight, open, no high cards
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1
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Three-card straight flush, two gaps, two high cards
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2
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J-Q-K-A: unsuited
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1
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2-card royal
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3
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Four-card straight, one gap, three high cards
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1
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Three-card straight flush, two gaps, one high card
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2
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Three-card straight flush, one gap, no high cards
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2
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J-Q-K: unsuited
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2
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Two high cards: unsuited
(when you have three don't keep the ace) |
3
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Two-card royal flush with 10 and no ace
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3
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One high card
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4
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Nothing (draw five cards)
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5
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The real trick here is to remember these rules. It will take a while to master them all, but concentrate on the ones that have always bothered you first. For example, I was never clear as to whether or not I should hold one or two if I'm dealt only two high cards (jacks or better). The chart tells me to hold two high cards.
Another good example is when you are dealt two pair. There are 21 rules below this one. That means there are 21 other possibilities you don't have to consider. If you look above two pair, there are 9 rules that would beat two pair. However, there are only two other hands you may not have considered keeping without this chart – the 4 card straight flush and a 4 card royal flush. All of the other hands above two pair are pat hands (you don't have to draw any cards) that pay more than two pair.
So the idea is to take this chart piece by piece until you have it mastered. Even if you make a mistake, the consequences aren't dire. If you have a normal ability to recognize poker hands, but don't play expert strategy, you're probably only down 1.0% over those who do. Just don't throw away a royal flush by accident. That's a mistake you'll kick yourself for.
Here at ReadyBetGo!, we have a large selection of articles by some of the best writers in the field on the different varieties of Jacks or Better poker. If you are beginner, we would suggest you start with Basil Nestor's ReadyBetGo's Guide to Video Poker. Basil will give you a thorough introduction to this entertaining game. For a more advanced perspective, we recommend Bob Dancer and his strategy articles, including his discussions on the difficulty of learning jacks or better and comparing the difference between 9/6 to 8/5 machines. John Grochowski offers great insights on Jacks or Better variations like Double Bonus Poker and Gayle Mitchell will give you the lowdown on Super Aces machines.