Video Poker Jacks or Better Strategy

The video poker variant, Jacks or Better, is the most common and basic of video poker games. Like Texas Holdem Poker, the best hand, or in this case, the best payoff is the Royal Flush. The Royal Flush is a five card hand, all of the same suit, in sequence from Ace to 10.

Unlike slot machine games which are based on luck, video poker games like Jacks or Better require a strategy. Two main online casino gambling strategies exist for winning this game: the basic strategy and the more complicated strategy.

Basic strategy

Similar to online poker games, the goal of this strategy is to try win any size pot. The amount is not important. What matters is that you don’t lose your money. Listed below are the basic strategies for cards dealt on first hand (cards noted on the left side should be kept):

Three cards to a Royal flush – discard 2 cards
Four cards to a straight flush – discard 1 card
Four cards to a straight – discard 1
Four cards to a flush – discard 1
Low pair (10’s or lower) – discard 3 non-paired cards
Two high cards of same suit – discard other 3
Three cards to a straight flush – discard other 2
J, Q, K, or A (don’t need to be suited) – discard other cards
J, Q, or K with a 10 of the same suit – discard other cards
No high cards or anything listed above – discard all 5 cards and draw 5 new cards.

More complicated strategy

This strategy is used if you want to focus on getting a Royal Flush – it pays out the most money. Unlike other games such as free online bingo games, video poker games have several strategies to choose from. Shown below are some of the common strategies for playing Jacks or Better (cards dealt are listed on left side):

Four cards to a Royal Flush – discard 1 card
Three cards to a Royal Flush – discard 2 other cards
Two cards to a Royal Flush – discard any non-paying hands except for low pairs
Four cards to a straight flush – discard 1 card
Three cards to a straight flush – discard 2 other cards except low pair
Two cards to a straight flush – discard 3 other cards except low pair
Four cards to a flush – discard 1 card unless it’s part of a high pair
Three cards to a flush – discard 2 cards except for pairs
Two cards to a flush – discard 3 cards except any winning combination
Three of a kind – discard other 2 cards
Two pairs – discard 1 other card
High pair – discard unless you have 4 to a Royal Flush
Low pair – discard all 5 cards if you don’t have at least 3 to a straight flush or royal
High cards – discard all non-high cards
None of the above – discard all 5 cards

The above strategies are easy to master. All it takes is practice and soon you’ll be on your way to winning money by playing video poker games. It’s much easier than playing Texas Holdem Poker.