Video Poker Optimal Strategy

Video poker occupies a unique position in the casino: it is a skill-based machine game where correct mathematical play dramatically affects outcomes. Unlike slots (pure RNG), video poker displays the cards you hold and the pay table you are playing, allowing optimal decisions to be calculated precisely.

How Video Poker Works

The player is dealt five cards and chooses which to hold and which to discard. The replaced cards are drawn from the same shuffled deck. The resulting hand is paid according to the pay table, which varies significantly between machines.

The Pay Table Is Everything

Jacks or Better 9/6 (paying 9:1 for Full House, 6:1 for Flush) returns 99.54% with optimal play — the house edge is 0.46%. The same machine with an 8/5 pay table returns only 97.3%. Finding full-pay machines is the first skill of video poker.

Core Holding Principles (Jacks or Better)

Always hold: Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair.

For partial hands, the hierarchy is: 4-card Royal Flush > Full House/Flush/Straight > 4-card Straight Flush > Two Pair > High Pair (JJ+) > 3-card Royal Flush > 4-card Flush > Low Pair > 4-card Straight (open-ended) > 2 High Cards (suited) > 3-card Straight Flush > 2 High Cards (unsuited) > Suited JT, QT, KT > 1 High Card > Redraw all.

Deuces Wild and Other Variants

Deuces Wild full-pay returns 100.76% — a slight player advantage with perfect play. The strategy differs substantially: four deuces, five of a kind, and wild Royal Flush are priority holds. Tight full-pay Deuces Wild machines are rare but exist in competitive markets.

Practical Approach

Print or memorise a strategy card for your chosen variant. Mistakes in video poker are far more costly than deviations in blackjack — a single wrong hold on a Royal Flush draw can cost the equivalent of 0.3% of total RTP. Play max coins (typically 5) to access the Royal Flush bonus multiplier that funds much of the game's positive return.