Video Poker Strategy: How to Play Every Hand with Confidence

Video poker comes down to five cards and one decision: which cards to hold. Unlike other casino games, this key decision has a big impact on your returns. Nail down a few priorities, and you’ll maximize the game’s incredible potential.

This video poker strategy guide shows you which cards to hold in any situation, how to read a video poker pay table, the differences between video poker variants, and how to pace your bankroll. Then, we hand you the reins.

(Before diving in, if you need to brush up on video poker rules, take a minute to review our guide on how to play video poker, then come back with a fresh cup of coffee.)

Why Video Poker Rewards Strategy

First of all, let’s make one thing clear: Your decisions really do matter in video poker. The cards you choose to hold have a massive impact on how often you win a payout.

Compare video poker vs. slots. You don’t make any real decisions in slots aside from how to manage your bankroll. But in video poker, you manage both your bankroll and your card decisions.

We’ll be discussing strategy today, which is a fantastic way to maximize your returns. However, keep in mind that no strategy can control or predict the cards you receive; that is still absolutely, which-Skittle-will-I-get-next random.

How a Video Poker Round Plays Out

Hit “Deal” to start the video poker game. You’ll receive five cards. Tap/click the ones you want to keep and hit “Draw.” If you have the minimum qualifying hand, you win a payout based on the pay table.

Strategy comes in when you decide which cards to hold. There’s no telling which cards you’ll receive upfront, but the decisions you make can maximize your chances of forming a winning hand and improving your overall return.

Start with the Pay Table

We’ll put our foot down on this point: Before your mouse or finger so much as hovers over the “Deal” button, look at the paytable.

The pay table lists how much each winning hand pays at each bet size. Most video poker games display the paytable as the primary visual, front and center.

Why is looking at the pay table so important? Because the payouts have a direct impact on your holding decisions and long-term returns.

A “9/6” paytable is the standard. This is shorthand for the payout for a full house (9) and flush (6) per coin wagered. If you see this, you’re golden. But many tables skimp and offer less, such as 9/5, 8/6, 7/5, and so on. You want to avoid those tables because the smaller payout reduces your overall return.

This affects your strategy because at a lower-paying table, you might not hold cards you otherwise would on a higher-paying table. For instance, holding cards to shoot for a full house or flush is no longer worth it.

You can also see the difference in the house edge. The standard 9/6 game has a theoretical return of 99.54%, while a 7/5 paytable would return 96.15%.

The Video Poker Strategy Chart: What to Hold and When

A video poker strategy chart ranks the cards you should keep in order of importance. To use it, scan from the top of the chart and assess your hand. Hold the first combination you have in your dealt hand, and discard the rest.

How a strategy chart works

The order of holds you see on the chart reflects each hold’s average return. It also accounts for the chance of drawing each possible final hand and its payout. As you’ll see, sometimes a promising draw outranks a paying hand. Sometimes.

Learn the order, and you can easily apply it to whatever hand you’re dealt.

The hold order for Jacks or Better

The video poker basic strategy below applies to standard 9/6 Jacks or Better with the maximum-coin royal flush payout.

“High cards” means jacks, queens, kings, and aces; “suited” means the same suit.

1. Royal flush, straight flush, or four of a kind: Keep the winning combination; you did it. You’re the boss.
2. Four cards toward a royal flush: Keep the four royal flush cards and discard the fifth.
3. Full house, flush, straight, or three of a kind: Keep the paying combination.
4. Four cards toward a straight flush: Hold the cards that aim toward the hand.
5. Two pair: Keep both and draw toward a full house.
6. A high pair (Jacks or Better): Hold the pair cards to preserve the payout and draw for improvements.
7. Three cards toward a royal flush: Keep the valuable suited trio.
8. Four cards toward a flush: Hold the four and draw for the missing suit.
9. A low pair (10s or lower): Keep them and draw toward three of a kind or better.
10. Four cards toward an outside straight: Hold them and draw two cards to complete it.
11. Two suited high cards: Keep these two and draw, aiming to form a paying pair.
12. Three cards toward a straight flush: Hold the three cards to aim for a five-card sequence.
13. Two unsuited high cards: Hold two cards ranked Jack or higher. If more than two high cards qualify, keep the two with the lowest ranks.
14. Suited JT, QT, KT: Keep the suited pair and discard the other three.
15. One high card: Draw toward a paying pair.
16. None of these: Discard all five.

Using a chart while you play

Keep your Jacks or Better video poker strategy chart open beside the game and check it before each draw. Repetition cements the order into habit. Nobody’s confiscating your notes, so take your time.

How Strategy Changes by Variant

There are multiple video poker variations, and each pays differently and has different rules. Make sure you’re looking at the correct video poker strategy chart for your game.

Jacks or Better

Jacks or Better video poker is the baseline game that all others are built on. You need only a pair of jacks or better to earn a payout. Learn this hold order first.

Double Double Bonus

In Double Double Bonus, you can add a “kicker,” or a fifth card, to certain four-of-a-kind hands for a huge payout. Because you can earn these unique four-of-a-kind payouts, the optimal video poker strategy for Double Double Bonus tells you to break hands you would have kept in Jacks or Better.

Wild card games: Joker Poker and Deuces Wild

In these variants, a wild card can substitute for another card to complete a hand. Joker Poker uses a joker, and Deuces Wild designates 2s as wilds.

With these, your pair of Jacks loses its usual safety net. In Joker Poker and Deuces Wild video poker strategy, you might prioritize holding wild cards even if it means discarding a pair of Jacks, if your other cards can develop into a straight, flush, or wild-assisted four of a kind.

Multi-hand Play

While your strategy would still be the same for whatever variant you’re playing, multi-hand play means each of your hold decisions is repeated across multiple hands, and the draw replaces new cards across each hand.

	Jacks or better	Double double bonus	Joker poker
What makes it different	A pair of jacks or higher is the lowest qualifying hand	Four aces and certain other four-of-a-kind hands pay extra, sometimes with a specific fifth card called a kicker.	A joker acts as a wild card, substituting for another card to complete a hand.
Key hold priority	Hold high pairs. Keep low pairs unless a stronger draw is available.	Prioritize Aces. EX: With a full house with three Aces, break up the full house and hold only the Aces.	Prioritize straight and royal flush draws over other hands; hold low pairs and suited A-K.
Swing size	Relatively steady, with frequent smaller payouts.	Larger swings, with more return concentrated in premium four-of-a-kind hands.	Varies by pay table, with substantial payouts tied to rarer hands.
Best for	Learning hold orders	Larger bankroll swings that could lead to larger payouts	More advanced strategy with an added element

Bankroll and Swings: Making a Session Last

Your bankroll is the money you set aside for play. Before you start, calculate how many wagers that budget can cover. That’ll tell you more about how long your session can last than merely the dollar amount of a single bet.

Then, adjust your stake to match the game’s expected bankroll swings. For example, with a $20 budget and $1 bets, two pair returns $2 in Jacks or Better but only $1 in Double Double Bonus, which has larger bankroll swings.

Those smaller payouts help sustain your balance in Jacks or Better, while Double Double Bonus concentrates more of its return into rarer four-of-a-kind wins. Lower your stake to give that $20 more room to breathe.

Play only with money you’re comfortable losing, and set your budget before you start. For support, visit ncpgambling.org.

Five Mistakes That Cost Video Poker Players Money

A few small changes to how you choose cards, check payouts, and pace your play can help you avoid these five common mistakes in standard 9/6 Jacks or Better.

Holding a low pair over a stronger draw. Let’s say you have a pair ranked 2 through 10 and four cards toward a flush. Keep the four cards toward a flush and ditch the pair; don’t sacrifice a promising draw just to hang on to a pair that doesn’t even pay.

Chasing a draw over a better combination. Suppose you’re dealt 5-5-6-8-9 in mixed suits. You could keep 5-6-8-9 and hope to draw a 7 to complete an inside straight draw, but that’s a trap and one of the least likely hands to complete. Instead, keep the pair and draw.

Breaking a paying hand for a long shot. If you’re already holding a paying hand, like the two Jacks in J-J-Q-K-A or the flush in 3-7-J-Q-K, all hearts, keep the J-J in the first example and the whole flush in the second. There’s no point in breaking up a sure thing to risk something better.

Ignoring a reduced pay table. Check the full house and flush payouts before playing any Jacks or Better game. Yes, we’ll die on this hill! Choosing a lower-paying table is giving money up before you even start.

Playing too quickly and missing the hold decision. It happens. You settle into a rhythm and rush through a hand, accidentally discarding cards you meant to keep. Take time to choose your holds and check your selections before pressing “Draw.”

Practice Before You Play for Real Money

If any of this feels overwhelming, you can practice video poker without spending a dime when you use Practice Play or Demo mode. It’s the same exact game, but no real money is involved.

Keep a chart open on another tab or printed out next to you. Refer to it whenever you need, and you’ll get the hang of it in a jiff.

If you’re into all of the video poker variants, that’s great! You’re a real jack of all trades. But work on ingraining Jacks or Better into your skill set first, then branch out to other video poker games when you’re comfortable.

Pull Up a Chair and Put It into Play

Funny how the same five cards look a bit different now that you know what to do with them, right? That’s what we’re here for!

You now know why you’d hold a pair, break a paying hand, or draw three new cards. Every hold follows a plan, even when the next draw doesn’t go according to said plan. It’s okay, video poker. We still love you.

Make sure you solidify these two habits before any session:

• Check the pay table before you wager
• Work down the hold order before selecting your cards

Keep your chart nearby and take the time to check your choices. It helps to print a video poker strategy chart PDF for easy access.

Put those decisions into practice with video poker games online at Cafe Casino. We’ll save you two chairs: one for you and one for your chart.

FAQs

Is there really a best strategy for video poker?

Yes. The cards you receive will vary, but a correct hold order tells you which cards to keep for the highest long-term return. Still, no hold order or strategy will guarantee a win on any hand.

Can I use a video poker strategy chart while I play online?

Absolutely. You can keep a video poker strategy card nearby to reference the highest-ranked combination your cards match as you play.

What does 9/6 Jacks or Better mean?

The numbers mean a full house pays nine coins, and a flush pays six coins for each coin wagered. This is called a full-pay table, and it offers higher long-term returns.

Should I always bet max coins?

Generally speaking, yes. Betting on max coins unlocks the highest possible royal flush payout, which improves the game’s overall return. That said, choose a coin value that keeps the total wager within your budget. A possible royal flush doesn’t justify betting outside your limits.

Does the same strategy work for every video poker game?

No. The pay table changes which hands are more valuable, and some variations include wild cards, which change the combinations you can complete. Use a chart that matches the video poker game you’re playing.

How long should I practice before playing for real money?

Practice until you recognize common holds without hesitating and can use your chart confidently for unfamiliar hands. Focus on one game and pay table first. You don’t need a fixed number of practice hands. Speed matters less than consistently choosing the correct cards.