Video Poker Strategy Guide
Video poker is one of the few casino games where skill genuinely matters. You're dealt five cards, you decide which to keep, and you draw to replace the rest — and choosing the right cards to hold is the whole game.
On a full-pay 9/6 Jacks or Better machine, near-perfect strategy returns 99.54%, better than almost anything else on the floor. The pay table is everything: a '9/6' machine (full house 9, flush 6) is far better than the common short-pay 8/5 or 7/5 versions.
How to Play
- You're dealt five cards. Choose which to hold, then draw new cards to replace the rest — your final five-card hand is paid per the pay table.
- The lowest paying hand is a pair of Jacks or better (pays 1×). It climbs through two pair, trips, straight, flush, full house, quads, straight flush, and the royal flush (800×).
- This is a 'full-pay' 9/6 machine: a full house pays 9 and a flush pays 6. With perfect play that returns 99.54% — one of the best games in the casino.
Pay Tables
9/6 Jacks or Better payouts (per unit bet)
- Royal Flush800
- Straight Flush50
- Four of a Kind25
- Full House9
- Flush6
- Straight4
- Three of a Kind3
- Two Pair2
- Jacks or Better1
Strategy
- Keep any made paying hand, but break it when a draw is worth more — e.g. hold four to a royal flush over a made flush or straight.
- A high pair (Jacks+) beats holding two or three high cards; a low pair beats holding a single high card.
- Always keep four to a flush or an open-ended straight; keep three to a royal flush over a high pair only in specific spots.
- Never hold a kicker with a pair, and never keep three cards to a straight or flush. Turn the coach on — it grades each draw so you learn the exceptions.
Want the correct play for a specific hand? Look up every Video Poker hand →
Each hand shows the optimal decision and the reasoning behind it.
House Edge
With optimal strategy a 9/6 Jacks or Better machine returns 99.54% (a 0.46% house edge). Short-pay tables cut the return sharply — 8/5 returns about 97.3% — so always check the full house and flush payouts before you play.
Tips
- Always play a machine that pays 9 for a full house and 6 for a flush; lower pays cost you real money.
- Hold a made paying hand unless a draw is clearly better — four to a royal beats a made flush or straight.
- A high pair beats holding multiple high cards; a low pair beats a single high card; never keep a kicker.
- Use the built-in coach — it computes the exact-EV best hold for every deal and grades your choice.
For entertainment only. No real-money gambling. 21+