Learn how to maximize your odds of winning – and how much you win – at Jacks-or-better video poker.The most important thing in video poker is learning which of your original five cards to keep or hold and which to discard. You should have a basic knowledge of what beats what and how to play five-card draw before getting into the nitty-gritty of strategy.By far, the most common question and situation I encounter is: What should you do when you are dealt a low pair (10s or lower)? While sometimes it may look tempting to draw to a straight or just try your luck with 5 entirely new cards, the answer is almost always to keep the low pair. The general exception to this rule is when you have 4 cards to a flush, straight flush, or a royal straight flush. In these cases you always want to draw to the flush or straight flush because your odds of getting at least the flush are very good and the payout is so much higher. If you can remember this one single strategy, you will be in better shape than many players.For more precise and even better odds, below is a table telling you exactly which cards to keep and which to throw away depending on your starting 5 cards. To read the table, start at the top and match your hand to the highest one on the list and follow the number listed there. In other words, while you may have both a pair and four cards to a flush, such as having the Ace of hearts and the Ace, King, Queen, and Jack of spades (AAKQJ) you will discard the Ace or hearts and try to hit the royal straight flush, since “four-card royal straight flush” is higher on the chart than “High pair.”
Jacks or Better Strategy
What cards to hold and fold in Video Poker
Hand Notes No. to discard
Royal or Straight Flush
0
Four of a kind
1
Four-card royal straight flush
1
Full House
0
Flush
0
Straight
0
Three of a kind
2
Four-card straight flush (open-ended or gutshot) 1
Two Pairs
1
High pair (Jacks or better) 3
Three-card royal
2
Four-card flush
1
Low pair (10s or lower) 3
Four-card straight (open-ended) 2
Two suited high cards
2
Three-card straight flush
2
Two unsuited high cards (Jack or better) 3
One high card (Jack or better) 4
None of the above
5
Worst Starting Hands in Texas Hold’em
How to Play Jacks or Better Video Poker
Pai Gow Poker Strategies
The Best and Worst Texas Hold’em Poker Starting Hands
Poker Hands - What Beats What
Split Pots in Texas Hold’em
Three Card Poker
How To Play Four Card Poker
Which Casino Games Have the Best (and Worst) Odds?
How to Play Let it Ride
Texas Hold’em 101
How to Play Flop Poker
How to Play the Texas Hold’em Bonus Poker Table Game
How Powerball Works and What You Need to Know to Win
Tips for Omaha High-Low
How to Play Five Card Draw
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Learn how to maximize your odds of winning – and how much you win – at Jacks-or-better video poker.The most important thing in video poker is learning which of your original five cards to keep or hold and which to discard. You should have a basic knowledge of what beats what and how to play five-card draw before getting into the nitty-gritty of strategy.By far, the most common question and situation I encounter is: What should you do when you are dealt a low pair (10s or lower)? While sometimes it may look tempting to draw to a straight or just try your luck with 5 entirely new cards, the answer is almost always to keep the low pair. The general exception to this rule is when you have 4 cards to a flush, straight flush, or a royal straight flush. In these cases you always want to draw to the flush or straight flush because your odds of getting at least the flush are very good and the payout is so much higher. If you can remember this one single strategy, you will be in better shape than many players.For more precise and even better odds, below is a table telling you exactly which cards to keep and which to throw away depending on your starting 5 cards. To read the table, start at the top and match your hand to the highest one on the list and follow the number listed there. In other words, while you may have both a pair and four cards to a flush, such as having the Ace of hearts and the Ace, King, Queen, and Jack of spades (AAKQJ) you will discard the Ace or hearts and try to hit the royal straight flush, since “four-card royal straight flush” is higher on the chart than “High pair.”
Jacks or Better Strategy
What cards to hold and fold in Video Poker
Hand Notes No. to discard
Royal or Straight Flush
0
Four of a kind
1
Four-card royal straight flush
1
Full House
0
Flush
0
Straight
0
Three of a kind
2
Four-card straight flush (open-ended or gutshot) 1
Two Pairs
1
High pair (Jacks or better) 3
Three-card royal
2
Four-card flush
1
Low pair (10s or lower) 3
Four-card straight (open-ended) 2
Two suited high cards
2
Three-card straight flush
2
Two unsuited high cards (Jack or better) 3
One high card (Jack or better) 4
None of the above
5
Worst Starting Hands in Texas Hold’em
How to Play Jacks or Better Video Poker
Pai Gow Poker Strategies
The Best and Worst Texas Hold’em Poker Starting Hands
Poker Hands - What Beats What
Split Pots in Texas Hold’em
Three Card Poker
How To Play Four Card Poker
Which Casino Games Have the Best (and Worst) Odds?
How to Play Let it Ride
Texas Hold’em 101
How to Play Flop Poker
How to Play the Texas Hold’em Bonus Poker Table Game
How Powerball Works and What You Need to Know to Win
Tips for Omaha High-Low
How to Play Five Card Draw
When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Cookies Settings Reject All Accept Cookies
Learn how to maximize your odds of winning – and how much you win – at Jacks-or-better video poker.The most important thing in video poker is learning which of your original five cards to keep or hold and which to discard. You should have a basic knowledge of what beats what and how to play five-card draw before getting into the nitty-gritty of strategy.By far, the most common question and situation I encounter is: What should you do when you are dealt a low pair (10s or lower)? While sometimes it may look tempting to draw to a straight or just try your luck with 5 entirely new cards, the answer is almost always to keep the low pair. The general exception to this rule is when you have 4 cards to a flush, straight flush, or a royal straight flush. In these cases you always want to draw to the flush or straight flush because your odds of getting at least the flush are very good and the payout is so much higher. If you can remember this one single strategy, you will be in better shape than many players.For more precise and even better odds, below is a table telling you exactly which cards to keep and which to throw away depending on your starting 5 cards. To read the table, start at the top and match your hand to the highest one on the list and follow the number listed there. In other words, while you may have both a pair and four cards to a flush, such as having the Ace of hearts and the Ace, King, Queen, and Jack of spades (AAKQJ) you will discard the Ace or hearts and try to hit the royal straight flush, since “four-card royal straight flush” is higher on the chart than “High pair.”
Jacks or Better Strategy
What cards to hold and fold in Video Poker
Hand Notes No. to discard
Royal or Straight Flush
0
Four of a kind
1
Four-card royal straight flush
1
Full House
0
Flush
0
Straight
0
Three of a kind
2
Four-card straight flush (open-ended or gutshot) 1
Two Pairs
1
High pair (Jacks or better) 3
Three-card royal
2
Four-card flush
1
Low pair (10s or lower) 3
Four-card straight (open-ended) 2
Two suited high cards
2
Three-card straight flush
2
Two unsuited high cards (Jack or better) 3
One high card (Jack or better) 4
None of the above
5
Learn how to maximize your odds of winning – and how much you win – at Jacks-or-better video poker.The most important thing in video poker is learning which of your original five cards to keep or hold and which to discard. You should have a basic knowledge of what beats what and how to play five-card draw before getting into the nitty-gritty of strategy.By far, the most common question and situation I encounter is: What should you do when you are dealt a low pair (10s or lower)? While sometimes it may look tempting to draw to a straight or just try your luck with 5 entirely new cards, the answer is almost always to keep the low pair. The general exception to this rule is when you have 4 cards to a flush, straight flush, or a royal straight flush. In these cases you always want to draw to the flush or straight flush because your odds of getting at least the flush are very good and the payout is so much higher. If you can remember this one single strategy, you will be in better shape than many players.For more precise and even better odds, below is a table telling you exactly which cards to keep and which to throw away depending on your starting 5 cards. To read the table, start at the top and match your hand to the highest one on the list and follow the number listed there. In other words, while you may have both a pair and four cards to a flush, such as having the Ace of hearts and the Ace, King, Queen, and Jack of spades (AAKQJ) you will discard the Ace or hearts and try to hit the royal straight flush, since “four-card royal straight flush” is higher on the chart than “High pair.”
Jacks or Better Strategy
What cards to hold and fold in Video Poker
Hand Notes No. to discard
Royal or Straight Flush
0
Four of a kind
1
Four-card royal straight flush
1
Full House
0
Flush
0
Straight
0
Three of a kind
2
Four-card straight flush (open-ended or gutshot) 1
Two Pairs
1
High pair (Jacks or better) 3
Three-card royal
2
Four-card flush
1
Low pair (10s or lower) 3
Four-card straight (open-ended) 2
Two suited high cards
2
Three-card straight flush
2
Two unsuited high cards (Jack or better) 3
One high card (Jack or better) 4
None of the above
5
Worst Starting Hands in Texas Hold’em
How to Play Jacks or Better Video Poker
Pai Gow Poker Strategies
The Best and Worst Texas Hold’em Poker Starting Hands
Poker Hands - What Beats What
Split Pots in Texas Hold’em
Three Card Poker
How To Play Four Card Poker
Which Casino Games Have the Best (and Worst) Odds?
How to Play Let it Ride
Texas Hold’em 101
How to Play Flop Poker
How to Play the Texas Hold’em Bonus Poker Table Game
How Powerball Works and What You Need to Know to Win
Tips for Omaha High-Low
How to Play Five Card Draw
Worst Starting Hands in Texas Hold’em
Worst Starting Hands in Texas Hold’em
How to Play Jacks or Better Video Poker
How to Play Jacks or Better Video Poker
Pai Gow Poker Strategies
Pai Gow Poker Strategies
The Best and Worst Texas Hold’em Poker Starting Hands
The Best and Worst Texas Hold’em Poker Starting Hands
Poker Hands - What Beats What
Poker Hands - What Beats What
Split Pots in Texas Hold’em
Split Pots in Texas Hold’em
Three Card Poker
Three Card Poker
How To Play Four Card Poker
How To Play Four Card Poker
Which Casino Games Have the Best (and Worst) Odds?
Which Casino Games Have the Best (and Worst) Odds?
How to Play Let it Ride
How to Play Let it Ride
Texas Hold’em 101
Texas Hold’em 101
How to Play Flop Poker
How to Play Flop Poker
How to Play the Texas Hold’em Bonus Poker Table Game
How to Play the Texas Hold’em Bonus Poker Table Game
How Powerball Works and What You Need to Know to Win
How Powerball Works and What You Need to Know to Win
Tips for Omaha High-Low
Tips for Omaha High-Low
How to Play Five Card Draw
How to Play Five Card Draw
Home
Entertainment
Careers
Activities
Humor
About Us Advertise Careers Privacy Policy Editorial Guidelines Contact Terms of Use EU Privacy
LiveAbout is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family.
Home
Home
Entertainment
Careers
Activities
Humor
About Us Advertise Careers Privacy Policy Editorial Guidelines Contact Terms of Use EU Privacy
About Us
Advertise
Careers
Privacy Policy
Editorial Guidelines
Contact
Terms of Use
EU Privacy
Entertainment
Careers
Activities
Humor
LiveAbout is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family.
When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Cookies Settings Reject All Accept Cookies
