Video Poker Strategy
You probably already know how video poker works, so we'll not waste time here writing about basic video poker game play. But if you're unsure, or are a beginner video poker player we recommend you to read our video poker rules and basic video poker strategy articles.
The most popular video poker type is Jacks or Better, which is also the base to other video poker games. In this video poker variant if a player has a pair of Jacks or higher in his hand, then the payout will be considerably larger than usual.
In this guide, we'll focus on this game variant, because understanding Jacks or Better a requirement to learn other video poker types, as well. The most effective video poker strategy is to analyze your initial hand and try to guess with which card combination you are most likely to end up after the next round.
Video Poker Starting Hands
Two Pair or Better - This term applies if your initial hand already contains a Two Pair, Three of a Kind, Straight, Flush, Full House, Four of a Kind, Straight Flush or Royal Flush. If it does, you should keep your hand until the end of the game, since you've already won.
Pay Pair - You have a Pay Pair starting hand, if your hand contains two Jacks, Queens, Kings or Aces. You should keep these cards and discard the others, since it's highly likely you'll manage to create a better winning combination after the next round.
Non-Pay Pair - The term Non-Pay Pair denotes an initial hand of cards that contain pairs 2's through 10's. This hand doesn't pay you out, but if you keep the pairs it's highly likely that, in the next round, you'll get cards that will create a winning combination.
Lowest Two Pay Cards - The pay cards are any Jack, Queen, King or Ace. It's advised to keep these cards in your hand, because it's remarkably easy to combine them with others and create a winning combination. You have a Two Pay Card hand when you have two pay cards that aren't already paired.
Tip: If your starting hand contains two or more pay cards, then it's recommended keeping the lowest two pay cards. Also, the lowest two suited pay cards value more than the lowest two unsuited pay cards.
One Pay or No Pays - A One Pay hand is when you only have one pay card in your initial card combination. It's somewhat hard to build a winning combination, but it's still recommended keeping the pay card and discard the others. If you have no pay cards in your hand, then you should discard each of the 5 cards.
Video Poker Draws
After you've analyzed your starting hand, you should also check if you have one of the below combinations. If one of the combinations listed below is present in your hand, then you should keep those cards, no matter what.
Four Royal Flush Cards - This is a combination of four cards that would qualify for a Royal Flush. You should keep these four cards and discard the other one, hoping to create a Royal Flush, which is the highest paying video poker card combination.
Four Straight Flush Cards - Similar to the previous card-combination, if you see four Straight Flush cards, then you should keep them and discard the other one.
Any Four Flush Cards - Likewise, the same rules apply like in the previous two cases. Keep these cards and discard the other one.
Three Royal Flush or Straight Flush Cards - This combination contains three cards that qualify either as a Royal Flush or Straight Flush. Keep these three and discard the other two.
Open-Ended Straight Draws - This is a sequence of four cards that can create a straight at either of its ends. An example would be 5-6-7-8, where in case, if the discarded fifth card will be a 4 or a 9, you'll win. Keep these four cards and discard the other one.
Ten-Paint Suited - This is a combination of two cards of TJ, TQ or TK. In this situation, it's recommended keeping the Ten and the pay card, because it offers slightly better odds than if you would just keep the pay card alone.
In order to use these strategies, you must understand how video poker hand combinations work and look like. Check out our additional articles for further guidance.