Video Poker Strategy: Jacks or Better Explained for 2026

Video poker is the most underplayed game in the casino. While slots dominate floor space and table games attract recreational players, video poker sits in a relatively quiet corner offering something genuinely unusual in gambling: the ability to make decisions that measurably improve your expected returns. In Jacks or Better — the most common and most analysed variant — perfect basic strategy produces an RTP of 99.54%. That is a house edge of 0.46%, which compares favourably with virtually every other casino game and exceeds most slot machines by several percentage points.

How Jacks or Better Works

Jacks or Better is a five-card draw poker game played against the machine rather than other players. You are dealt five cards, choose which to hold, draw replacements for the discarded cards, and are paid according to the final hand ranking. The minimum winning hand is a pair of Jacks or better — hence the name. Higher hands pay progressively more, with the Royal Flush paying the maximum payout (typically 800:1 for a maximum bet on a 9/6 machine).

The Importance of Playing 9/6 Jacks or Better

Not all Jacks or Better games are equal. The 9/6 designation refers to the payout table: 9 coins for a Full House and 6 coins for a Flush per coin wagered. Some machines offer 8/5 or lower payout tables, which reduce the RTP to 97.3% and 96.1% respectively. Always verify the payout table before sitting down. The difference between 9/6 and 8/5 may seem small; over an extended session it represents a meaningful difference in expected return.

The Core Strategy Decisions

Unlike blackjack, which has a relatively limited number of decision points, video poker strategy involves choosing which cards to hold from 32 possible combinations of each five-card hand. The complete strategy table is extensive, but the most important decisions reduce to a hierarchy: always hold a made winning hand (with specific exceptions for hands that offer higher EV broken), always hold four cards to a Royal Flush over a made hand below a straight, and never break a flush or straight unless you hold four cards to a Royal.

The Most Important Strategy Rules

• ·Royal Flush draw: 4 cards to a Royal Flush beats everything except a made Royal Flush or Straight Flush.
• ·Straight Flush draw: 4 cards to a Straight Flush beats a made pair, two pair, and three of a kind.
• ·Never hold a kicker with a pair: a pair of aces with an ace-kicker is worse EV than holding just the pair.
• ·Low pairs beat high-card draws: a pair of 2s is better than holding AKQ unsuited.
• ·Always draw to an inside straight if you hold 4 to a Royal: the Royal Flush premium justifies the inferior straight draw.

“Video poker is the one casino game where the house edge is genuinely low enough that skill makes a real difference. The players who win long term are the ones who study the strategy.”

— Bob Dancer, video poker professional and author

For the platforms offering 9/6 Jacks or Better at decent stakes, see our casino selection guide. All strategy content and operator reviews at the Casino Arena home.