Video Poker Jacks or Better Strategy

Calculated Return – 99.5%

Video poker - jacks or better strategy is based on a combination of the number of possible winning hands, the odds of making those hands and their payouts. The hand rankings provided, when applied with the payout table listed, will enable a player to achieve optimum play.

To utilize the hand rankings, a player compares the cards that have been dealt with the rank of the hands provided. From this, a player determines exactly what to keep and what to discard.

For example; you are dealt the 9 10 J Q of diamonds and the Q of clubs. Analysis of the hand shows that you have:

3 to a royal flush – rank 13
A high pair – rank 12
4 to an open ended straight flush – rank 9

With the rank of 9 being the better of the 3 you keep the diamonds and throw away the Queen of clubs. By comparing each hand against the hand ranks you should over time achieve a return of 99.5% which, when combined with good deposit bonuses and loyalty bonuses should provide a profit.

It is recommended that when starting with this strategy, a player has a printout of the hand rankings beside them and refer to it for all hands. Over time a player will need to refer to the chart less and less, eventually being able to discard the rankings chart entirely.

This strategy works for both in-casino and online Jacks or Better video poker though it may be easier to become familiar with the strategy using the online version of the game. Whether you intend to use this strategy online or at a casino it is important to ensure that the payout table of the machine you are playing matches the video poker - jacks or better strategy payout table below.

Payout Table

Hand Ranks

1. --- Pat Royal Flush
2. --- Pat Straight Flush
3. --- Pat Four of a Kind
4. --- 4 to a Royal Flush
5. --- Pat Full House
6. --- Pat Flush
7. --- Three of a Kind
8. --- Pat Straight
9. --- 4 to an Open Ended Straight Flush, 2345 suited - 9TJQ suited
10. --- Two Pair
11. --- 4 to an Inside Straight Flush
12. --- High Pair JJ-AA
13. --- 3 to a Royal Flush
14. --- 4 to a Flush
15. --- TJQK
16. --- Low Pair 22 - TT
17. --- 9TJQ
18. --- 89TJ
19. --- QJ9 suited
20. --- JT9 suited
21. --- 4 to an Open Ended Straight, 2345 - 789T
22. --- QJ8 suited
23. --- 3 to an Open Ended Straight Flush, 345 suited - 89T suited
24. --- KQ9 suited, KJ9 suited
25. --- QT9 suited, JT8 suited, J98 suited
26. --- QJ suited
27. --- AKQJ
28. --- KQ suited, KJ suited
29. --- AK suited, AQ suited, AJ suited
30. --- 4 to an Inside Straight, 3 High Cards
31. --- 3 to a Straight Flush, 2 Gaps, 1 High Card
32. --- 3 to a Straight Flush, 1 Gap, 0 High Cards, +234 suited
33. --- KQJ
34. --- QJ
35. --- JT suited
36. --- KQ, KJ
37. --- QT suited
38. --- AK, AQ, AJ
39. --- KT suited
40. --- Jack
41. --- Queen
42. --- King
43. --- Ace
44. --- 3 to a Straight Flush, 2 Gaps, 0 High Cards
45. --- Redraw

Notes:

High Cards - Jack to Ace
Low Cards – 2 to 10
1 Gap – when an inside straight is missing 1 card e.g. 2,3,5,6 has 1 Gap (for the 4)
2 Gaps - when an inside straight is missing 2 cards e.g. 2,3,6 and 2,4,6 both have 2 gaps

Recommended Casinos for Playing Jacks or Better Video Poker

The following online casinos have the game jacks or better with the payout table in the strategy above. They have been thoroughly checked out by the Zen Gambling team and are highly reputable. We recommend them for trying out our jacks or better video poker strategy, whether you want to play for free/fun, or if you want to play for real money. Good luck!

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