Video Poker Has 99.5% RTP — But Only If You Use the Correct Strategy

Full-Pay (9/6) Jacks or Better video poker has a 99.54% RTP with perfect play — making it one of the lowest house-edge casino games available. The problem is that suboptimal hold decisions can reduce your effective RTP to 95% or lower.

What "Full Pay" means

Full-Pay 9/6 Jacks or Better pays 9 coins for a Full House and 6 coins for a Flush per coin wagered. Inferior pay tables (8/5, 7/5, 6/5) pay less on these common hands, reducing RTP significantly. Always check the Flush and Full House payouts — if it is not 9/6, you are not getting the maximum RTP.

Always play maximum coins

Royal Flush pays 250:1 at 1–4 coins, but jumps to 800:1 at 5 coins (maximum). This Royal Flush bonus is calculated into the published 99.54% RTP. Playing 4 coins instead of 5 effectively means you are playing a reduced-RTP version of the game.

The optimal hold hierarchy (in priority order)

1. Hold a made Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, or Three of a Kind.
2. Hold four cards to a Royal Flush (break a made Straight or Flush to chase a Royal).
3. Hold Two Pair.
4. Hold a High Pair (Jacks, Queens, Kings, or Aces).
5. Hold three cards to a Royal Flush.
6. Hold four cards to an Outside Straight, or a low pair.
7. Hold two suited high cards.
8. Hold one high card (J, Q, K, or A).
9. Draw five new cards if nothing qualifies.

The most common mistakes

- Holding a low pair over four cards to a Flush: wrong in most situations at 9/6 JoB. Four to a Flush is usually correct.
- Breaking Two Pair to chase a Full House: never do this.
- Not holding the highest single high card when no other combination qualifies.

Print the full strategy chart (available at /video-poker) and keep it visible while playing — using strategy cards in online video poker is completely permitted.