How To Play Jacks Or Better Video Poker

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How To Play Jacks Or Better Video Poker

Jacks or Better is one of the most popular video poker variations available in both land based casinos and in online casinos.

It’s also often listed as one of the best games to play if you want to play a low house edge game. But Jacks or Better games are found with a wide variety of pay tables.

Jacks or Better Video Poker is the most popular of video poker games. The rules are simple make the best hand and payouts start at Jacks or better, Queens, Kings and Aces. To begin, you have to do is choose a coin size for each bet from 1 to 5 and then choose how many coins you wish to wager on each hand. This version of video poker is sometimes referred to as Jacks Poker. Jacks or Better is almost identical to Tens or Better Video Poker however the pay table for Jacks or Better pays our higher amounts for getting a Full House or a Flush, this is offset by the fact you need to get a pair of Jacks or Better to win. Bonus Poker is a variation of Jacks or Better video poker which offers bonus payouts for a 4 of a Kind. The amount of the bonus for the 4 of Kind is based on which rank the cards are in that hand. This is one of the best video poker games to play in most casinos. On this page, we cover Bonus Poker in quite a bit of detail.

In this post, I show you the most popular pay tables, how to read them, and what all of the numbers mean, and how they change the payback percentage.

With this information, you can make sure you’re playing on a machine that offers the best possible pay table.

It’s important to compare several different Jacks or Better pay tables side by side to see how one small change can alter the payback percentage. I’ve done this in the chart below. But before getting to the chart let’s cover a few other important things.

Payback Percentage

Before moving on, I want to make sure you understand exactly what payback percentage means and how it relates to the house edge.

The payback percentage is the average amount the machine returns for every dollar wagered. This percentage is based on hundreds of thousands of hands and also includes the elusive royal flush.

This means that in the short term, which can consist of thousands of hands, your return may be higher or lower than the numbers listed below.

To get the house edge simply subtract the payback percentage from 100.

Here’s an example:

The 9 / 6 game in the chart below shows a payback percentage of 99.54%. This means the house edge is .46%.

Most Jacks or Better players show a larger house edge because remember the payback percentage includes the large pay out for a royal flush. According to the mathematical calculations done on Jacks or Better you hit a royal flush on average one out of every 40,391 hands.

What this means is to achieve the actual payback percentages listed in the chart below you’re going to need to play 40,391 hands on average.

And worse than the thought of playing that many hands to reach the payback percentage is that it’s entirely possible to play that many hands and still not hit a royal flush.

Of course, it’s also possible to hit two or three royal flushes in that many hands.

Every hand of Jacks or Better you play has a one in 40,391 chances to hit a royal. So, a machine is never due to hit a royal, even if it hasn’t hit one in years. And if a machine has just hit a royal flush it has the same chances of hitting another one the net hand as it did the previous hand.

Video Poker Machine Memory

Video poker machines have no memory so each hand has the same odds and chances as any other hand played.

Unlike slot machines, video poker machines are specifically based on a deck of playing cards so the chances of getting any particular card is one in 52. This is specific to Jacks or Better and other video poker machines that don’t use jokers.

This information is useful in determining the exact payback percentages listed in the chart and is also useful when making strategy decisions.

Here’s an example:

If you get four to a flush on your starting five card hand you know the deck still has nine cards to complete your flush. You’ve seen five cards so the rest of the deck consists of 47 cards. This means that if you play this hand 47 times discarding your non-flush card and drawing one, on average you’ll win nine times and lose 38.

Here’s another example:

If you have four cards to a royal flush you know that only one card will complete it. This means that one time out of 47 you’re going to get the card you need on average.

I keep saying on average because you can’t actually play the exact same situation 47 times at once. But over time the correct percentages work out.

The Chart

I’ve put together a chart listing the six pay tables you’re most likely to find in a casino and three special pay tables that offer higher returns. The most common ones are the first six and the special ones are the last three.

The best pay table I’ve played on is the regular 9 / 6, but if you ever run across one of the last three in the chart you should jump at the opportunity to play.

The chart lists the payout numbers you see in the first column to the left on most Jacks or Better machines. The only exception is for the royal flush. The number in the royal flush column in my chart is the top jackpot amount divided by five.

You only qualify for the top jackpot amount by playing five coins per line. If you play fewer than five coins the payout for a royal flush is less, which in turn reduces the overall payback percentage.

On the pay tables that list 800 for the royal flush it shows 4,000 in the five coin payout spot on the actual machine. The 940 machine listed below shows 4,700 and the 976 machine shows 4,880.

The payback percentages listed in the chart are all based on you playing perfect strategy.

Key:

RF – Royal flush
SF – Straight flush
4K – Four of a kind
FH – Full house
FL – Flush
ST – Straight
3K – Three of a kind
2P – Two pair
JoB – Pair of jacks or better
% – Payback percentage

Common Tables

The most common tables are the first six in the chart. The 9 / 6 is the hardest to find, but you can still find them in many land based casinos and in most online casinos.

The other five common machines are found everywhere, with the worst ones usually in bars and illegal gambling houses. Any machine using less than the 8 / 6 pay table should be avoided, and many people won’t play on anything less than a 9 / 6.

One thing you need to watch for is on machines that offer single hand and multi hand play. Multiple hand play is the ability to play five, 10, or even 52 hands at the same time.

The way it works is you receive a five card starting hand and decide what to hold. The same cards are held for all of the hands and each hand uses its own deck to complete your draws. Each of the decks removes the same five cards you start with and then randomly draws a card or cards to replace your draws.

The thing to watch for is many of these machines offer the 9 / 6 pay table if you only play one hand but switch to a lower paying table if you play more than one hand at a time.

Many players assume all of the games are at 9 / 6 and end up playing with a higher house edge for a long time without realizing it.

Best Tables

The three best pay tables are rare. I only include them in the chart so you can see what a pay table needs to look like to be better than the 9 / 6 that’s commonly the best you can find.

Notice that in order for a machine to offer a 100% payback percentage the royal flush payout has to be 976 per coin compared to 800. And even if you find one of these machines to play, in order to achieve a break-even level of play you have to eventually hit a royal flush.

Also notice that with payback percentages of 99.9% and higher, if you get any kind of comps through a player’s club while playing these machines you’re basically playing with an edge against the casino.

Conclusion

When you see a Jacks or Better video poker machine use the chart above to determine the payback percentage. You’re fairly safe playing a 9 / 6 machine, but be wary of any other pay tables without checking their exact payback percentages.

This article is for those who don't know how to play Jacks or Better video Poker
Read the best Jacks or Better strategy tips before you play real money games

Today, I am going to share some useful Jacks or Better video poker strategy tips that will help you increase your win rate and enjoy more this exciting casino game.

Did you know that video poker has the highest payout percentage of all casino games?

While the house edge for typical casino games varies between 90 and 97 percent, video poker can offer up to 99.54 percent.

But only if you know what you're doing.

And for that, you need a good video poker strategy.

In this article, we will delve into my favorite variation of video poker - Jacks or Better (Draw Poker). I like it because of how simple and straightforward the game is.

(Another great game to play is Deuces Wild, but we'll keep that to another article.)

To play successfully (aka. to win), a sound Jacks or Better strategy is a must.

That's why today you are going to find out a few important things like:

how to reduce the house edge
how to make the best out of the cards you get
how to maximize your chances to win

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As for the rest of us, let's continue with the article!

The Importance of Poker Hands at Jacks or Better Strategy

If you want to become good at Jacks or Better video poker, you need to understand its card combinations.

It comes without saying that you must know the basic video poker rules for a solid start, and I recommend this article for that.

Now, let's check out the possible poker hands that result in winnings.

Royal Flush. It can't get any better than that. This hand has to include these cards: . Most games don't require them to be consecutive. All cards must be in the same suit.
Straight Flush. Five consecutive cards from the same suit. Example:.
Four of a Kind. Nothing complicated here: four cards of the same value. Example: .
Full House. You collect Full House when you receive five cards that are comprised of one pair and three of a kind. Example: .
Flush. Five cards of the same suit. Example:
Straight. Five cards that form a consecutive sequence. The suits are mixed.
Three of a Kind. You get Three of a Kind when you receive three cards of the same value. Example: .
Two Pair. Two pairs of two cards of the same value. Example: .
Jacks or Better. The easiest one to collect, this combination includes only one pair of jacks or a higher value. Example:

Suit abbreviations:

Spades (s)
Hearts (h)
Diamonds (d)
Clubs (c)

Don't worry if you can't remember them all - these video Poker machines online include a table with the winning combinations and payouts.

And if you really want to go deeper on the subjects, here's the most complete poker hands chart on the internet.

The most important thing is to choose the casinos with the highest payment possibilities.

Tip: If a game has full payouts, it should pay two times your bet for Two Pairs.

How to Actually Play Jacks or Better Poker

If you've ever played Jacks or Better, you know that this is a casino game that depends on both luck and your choices - a characteristic, this one, that is common to all online poker machines.

It goes like this:

You get five cards and must choose the ones that you want to keep for the next round. You click 'deal', and get your final combination.

The problem is:

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Which cards should you hold?

Luckily, this choice is not as difficult as it might seem. Below, I prepared an easy Jacks or Better strategy for beginners that you should use when dealing with your cards.

Jacks or Better Strategy Made Easy

Here are the main tips for a basic Jacks or Better poker strategy:

When you have four cards to a Straight or a Flush, hold all four of them and draw only one additional card.
When you have three cards to a Royal Flush, keep them! Draw two additional cards and you might be lucky.
Need only two more cards for a Straight Flush? Hold the three lucky cards you have and draw two more.
When you get a pair of cards, hold them and draw three additional cards. However, this tip is not always applicable.
If you have no matching cards in your hand, hold a card that is higher or equal of value to Jacks.
No combinations and no Jacks or higher? Draw five new cards.

The Problem of Low Pair Vs. High Pair

A couple of the main questions that most video poker players have are as follows:

When is it best to hold a low pair?
When should I hold a high pair?

Let's take a look at what you should do in different situations.

Jacks or Better Poker Strategy: Low Pair

Usually, I suggest you keep all the low pairs you receive. However, there are certain situations when it's better to skip them.

This is when you should keep a low pair:

When you have four to a Straight, always keep the pair that you got. Example: 55678. In this case, hold 55 and discard 678.
When you have three to a Straight Flush, keep the low pair. Example: 3h4h5h5s9c. Hold 5h and 5s.
When you have a low pair and two cards that could result in a Royal Flush… you should still hold the low pair! Example: 6s6h2cKhAh. Hold 6s and 6h and discard the rest.

Here are the cases when you should discard your low pair:

When you have three to a Royal Flush. The probability to get the best outcome is simply too high to keep the low pair. Example: 2sJhJsQsKs
In case you have four to a Flush, break that low pair! Example: 5d5h8d9dQd

Jacks or Better Game Strategy: High Pair

The crucial difference between a low pair and a high pair in video poker is that the latter is a guaranteed win.

However, there will be certain situations when you'll think that you need to break the pair for a bigger win.

BUT - a seemingly right decision can cost you your bet.

Here are the cases when you have to keep your high poker pair no matter what.

Note: A high pair consists of two cards of the same value (Jacks or higher).

If you have four to a Flush and a high pair, hold the pair and draw three other cards. When an identical situation occurs with a low pair in hand, you should break it.
When you have four to a Straight, keep your high pair to have a higher chance to win.
If you have three to a Royal Flush, it is still better to hold the pair! The odds to get a Royal Flush are not high enough in this case.
It's more beneficial to keep the high pair when you have three to a Straight Flush. Over time, this will produce better results.

On the contrary, there is one case when you should break your high pay in Jacks or Better poker game:

When you have four to a Royal Flush. In this situation, it would be a waste not to do it as the odds are simply too high for that sweet winning sequence!

Note: As soon as you decide to use a video poker game strategy, stick to it. Whether you play online or at a land-based casino, discipline is your truest friend when it comes to beating Jacks or Better.

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