Video Poker Strategy Guide 2026
Video poker offers some of the highest RTPs in the casino — up to 100.76% with perfect strategy. Unlike slots, skill matters: which cards you hold determines your outcome.
Best RTP
100.76%
Deuces Wild full pay
JoB House Edge
0.46%
9/6 full pay
Skill Element
High
Holding strategy matters
Short Pay Penalty
2.24%
8/5 vs 9/6 difference
Video Poker Variants Compared
Jacks or Better (9/6)
Best for BeginnersThe benchmark. 9/6 = Full House pays 9×, Flush pays 6×. Best starting point for beginners.
RTP
99.54%
House Edge
0.46%
Difficulty
Easy
Deuces Wild (Full Pay)
Expert ChoiceAll 2s are wild. Full-pay version has positive EV — you can beat the house with perfect strategy.
RTP
100.76%
House Edge
-0.76%
Difficulty
Hard
Bonus Poker
Good All-RoundLike JoB but with enhanced four-of-a-kind payouts. Good balance of RTP and entertainment.
RTP
99.17%
House Edge
0.83%
Difficulty
Easy
Double Bonus Poker
High VarianceEnhanced four-of-a-kind payouts. Higher variance — bigger swings, bigger potential wins.
RTP
99.11%
House Edge
0.89%
Difficulty
Medium
Double Double Bonus
High ExcitementBonus for four Aces with 2/3/4 kicker. More volatile than JoB but potentially huge wins.
RTP
98.98%
House Edge
1.02%
Difficulty
Medium
Jacks or Better (8/5)
AvoidShort pay version with reduced Full House (8×) and Flush (5×) payouts. Much worse than 9/6.
RTP
97.30%
House Edge
2.70%
Difficulty
Easy
Joker Poker (Kings or Better)
Positive EV (Expert)Adds a Joker wild to the 53-card deck. Full-pay version has positive EV. Minimum qualifying hand is Kings or Better (higher than Jacks). Expert strategy only.
RTP
100.65%
House Edge
-0.65%
Difficulty
Hard
Tens or Better
Beginner FriendlyJacks or Better variant where pairs of Tens also pay 1×. Slightly lower full-house/flush payouts to compensate. Good beginner-friendly variant with high frequency of small returns.
RTP
99.15%
House Edge
0.85%
Difficulty
Easy
Jacks or Better Pay Table (9/6 Full Pay)
Based on 5-coin bet. Royal Flush pays 4,000 coins on max bet.
Jacks or Better — Optimal Holding Order
When your hand matches multiple categories, hold the highest-ranked option in this list. This is the complete priority order for optimal 9/6 JoB strategy:
| # | Hold This | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal Flush | Always hold — no discard |
| 2 | Straight Flush | Always hold — no discard |
| 3 | Four of a Kind | Always hold — no discard |
| 4 | 4 to a Royal Flush | Break any hand except SF or Quads for 4 to Royal |
| 5 | Full House | Always hold — no discard |
| 6 | Flush | Always hold — no discard |
| 7 | Three of a Kind | Hold the three, discard the other two |
| 8 | Straight | Always hold — no discard |
| 9 | 4 to a Straight Flush | Break a paying hand of less than SF for 4 to SF |
| 10 | Two Pair | Hold both pairs, discard the fifth card |
| 11 | High Pair (JJ, QQ, KK, AA) | Hold the pair, discard three |
| 12 | 3 to a Royal Flush | Beats a low pair and most lower draws |
| 13 | 4 to a Flush | Hold four suited cards, discard the fifth |
| 14 | Low Pair (22–TT) | Hold the pair over individual high cards |
| 15 | 4 to an Open Straight | 4 consecutive cards that can extend both ways (e.g., 5678) |
| 16 | 2 High Cards (J, Q, K, A) | Hold 2 high cards of same suit over mixed-suit highs |
| 17 | 3 to a Straight Flush | Hold 3 suited consecutive-ish cards |
| 18 | Single High Card (J, Q, K, A) | Hold one high card, draw four new cards |
| 19 | Nothing — Redraw All 5 | If no holding above applies, redraw all five cards |
How to use: After your deal, identify which categories your hand fits. Hold the option with the lowest rank number. Example: if you have a low pair (rank 14) and 3 to a Royal (rank 12), hold the 3 to Royal.
Full Pay vs Short Pay
Full Pay (Play This)
Jacks or Better 9/6:
Short Pay (Avoid)
Jacks or Better 8/5:
The difference of just 1 unit on Full House and 1 unit on Flush costs you 2.24% in expected return over time. Always check these two numbers before playing.
Multi-Hand Video Poker
Multi-hand variants play multiple simultaneous hands from the same initial deal. You decide holds once; each hand gets unique draw cards. The same strategy applies, but bankroll requirements scale with the number of hands:
3-Hand Poker
3× stake3 handsPlay 3 hands simultaneously from the same 5-card deal. You choose holds once; the same holds apply to all 3 hands, each dealt unique draw cards. Good stepping stone from single-hand.
5-Hand Poker
5× stake5 handsMost popular multi-hand format. 5 simultaneous hands. Hit a Royal Flush in the deal and all 5 hands are pre-locked in. Variance is lower per hand than single-play but session variance is similar.
10-Hand Poker
10× stake10 hands10 hands at once. Very fast action — good for players with significant bankroll depth. One dealt Quads becomes 10 Quads payouts. Popular with advantage players using player points systems.
50-Hand Poker
50× stake50 handsExtreme version for very large bankrolls. The same holds produce 50 unique draws. Enormous variance — bad sessions hit very hard. Requires 50× the minimum to match single-hand stake.
100-Hand Poker
100× stake100 handsRarely found at standard casinos. Used almost exclusively by high-rollers and comp-rate exploiters. One royal flush in the deal = 100× royal flush payouts.
25-Hand Poker
25× stake25 handsA mid-point between 10-hand and 50-hand. Good for players who want higher action than 10-hand but cannot sustain 50-hand swings. Each session produces more data points to verify strategy correctness.
4-Hand Poker
4× stake4 handsLess common but available at some providers. Ideal transitional format between single-hand and 5-hand — bankroll impact is limited while giving an initial feel for multi-hand variance.
Bankroll warning: Multi-hand poker requires proportionally larger bankrolls. A 5-hand game at £1/hand = £5/deal. Downswings hit 5× harder. Start with single-hand play until your bankroll and strategy are solid.
7 Common Video Poker Mistakes
1. Not betting max coins
The Royal Flush pays 800× for max coins vs 250× for 1 coin. Single-coin play permanently locks you out of the top payout and reduces RTP by ~1.2%.
2. Playing an 8/5 short-pay machine
The difference between 9/6 and 8/5 pay tables is 2.24% in house edge. Many casinos bury short-pay machines next to full-pay. Always check the Full House and Flush payouts.
3. Breaking a made hand to chase a Royal
You should break a pair, two pair, or straight/flush for 4 to Royal — but NOT break a full house, quads, or straight flush. The expected value rarely supports destroying made hands.
4. Holding all 5 cards on a non-paying hand
If you have nothing (no pair, no 3 to flush, no 3 to straight flush, no high card), you should redraw all 5. Holding unconnected low cards never improves your EV.
5. Applying JoB strategy to Deuces Wild
Deuces Wild strategy is completely different — minimum paying hand is Three of a Kind. Using JoB strategy on Deuces Wild adds 2%+ to the house edge. Learn each variant separately.
6. Holding a low pair over 3 to a Royal
A low pair (22–TT) is outranked by 3 to a Royal Flush in proper JoB strategy order. 3 to Royal has higher expected value than a guaranteed 1× return from a low pair.
7. Not using a strategy card
Video poker has published optimal holding tables. Memorising them takes time — printing a strategy card while learning is accepted at every online casino. It is not cheating; it is correct play.
8. Ignoring kicker requirements in Bonus Poker variants
Double Bonus and Double Double Bonus pay different rates for four Aces depending on the kicker card held. Discarding the wrong fifth card can cost you the enhanced payout — learn which kicker each variant rewards.
9. Playing multi-hand without understanding bankroll requirements
10-hand video poker needs 10× the bankroll of single-hand for the same stake. A bad dealt hand on 10-play produces 10 losing hands simultaneously — short bankrolls bust fast at multi-hand.
10. Claiming casino bonuses on video poker without checking contributions
Video poker typically contributes 0–10% towards bonus wagering at most casinos, compared to 100% for slots. Playing video poker while a bonus is active means nearly all play is wagering-ineligible, extending the cycle hugely.
Strategy Tips
→ Always Bet Max Coins
Royal Flush pays 800× for 5 coins vs 250× for 1 coin. Always bet 5 coins per hand for full RTP.
→ Hold Any Paying Hand
Always hold a made hand (Jacks or better pair) unless you have 4 cards to a Royal Flush.
→ Find Full-Pay Machines
Always verify the pay table: 9/6 for Jacks or Better, not 8/5. Short-pay can mean 2–3% worse RTP.
→ Use Perfect Strategy Charts
Each variant has a published optimal strategy. Memorize the holding order or use a printed chart.
→ 3 to Royal Beats a Low Pair
3 cards to a Royal Flush has higher EV than a low pair (2s–10s) in Jacks or Better.
→ Learn Deuces Wild Separately
Deuces Wild strategy is completely different from JoB. Practice it in free play mode first.
→ Practice in Demo Mode Before Real Money
All video poker variants are available in free-play mode. Build muscle memory for the holding order before risking real funds — mistakes with real money are immediately expensive.
→ Track Session Results per Pay Table
Keep a simple log of your sessions at each pay table variant. Over time this shows whether you're making strategy errors (results significantly worse than theoretical RTP) or experiencing normal variance.
→ Do Not Play Video Poker Under a Wagering Bonus
Video poker typically contributes 0–10% to bonus wagering at most casinos. Playing it while a bonus is active will barely reduce your wagering requirement — clear wagering on slots first, then switch to video poker for pure play.
Video Poker FAQ
What is the highest RTP in video poker?
Full Pay Deuces Wild has a theoretical RTP of 100.76% — one of the very few casino games with a positive expected return for the player under perfect strategy. However, this version is rare and often hard to find at online casinos. The more common 8/5 Deuces Wild variant returns 97.58%. Full Pay Jacks or Better (9/6 payout table) returns 99.54% under perfect strategy. The key distinction is the pay table: always look for 9/6 Jacks or Better (full house pays 9:1, flush pays 6:1) rather than 8/5 (full house 8:1, flush 5:1) which drops RTP to 97.3%.
How hard is it to learn video poker strategy?
Video poker strategy is more complex than slots but significantly more learnable than blackjack card counting. The optimal strategy for Jacks or Better can be summarised in a hierarchy of roughly 30–35 hand rankings. The most critical rules are: never break a made hand (pair or better) to chase a royal flush draw unless you have 4 cards to a royal; keep high pairs (Jacks or better) over four-card straights and flushes; keep any two cards to a royal flush over a low pair. A printed strategy card is legal to use at most online video poker games — refer to it until the decisions become automatic.
What is the difference between Jacks or Better and Deuces Wild?
Jacks or Better requires a minimum winning hand of a pair of Jacks — pairs below Jacks lose. It uses a standard 52-card deck with no wild cards. Deuces Wild uses a 52-card deck where all four 2s (deuces) are wild, meaning they can substitute for any card. Because wilds are frequent, minimum winning hands start at Three of a Kind (pairs of any rank lose in Deuces Wild). The best hands in Deuces Wild — Natural Royal Flush and Five of a Kind — pay high premiums to compensate for wild card availability. Deuces Wild strategy is more complex but the game can offer higher RTP under Full Pay rules.
Does video poker use RNG or real cards?
Online video poker uses a certified RNG to simulate a 52-card (or 53-card with Joker) virtual deck. Each deal shuffles the deck randomly using the RNG, and the cards you see are determined by this algorithm. The RNG is independently certified (eCOGRA, BMM, GLI) and the mathematical probability of each hand combination matches real-deck probabilities. The key difference from real card rooms is that online video poker deals from a freshly shuffled virtual deck each round — there is no card counting advantage possible, and discard cards are returned to the virtual deck after each hand.
How long does it take to hit a Royal Flush in video poker?
A Royal Flush occurs statistically once every 40,000 hands in Jacks or Better. If you play 600 hands per hour, that is once every 66 hours of play. This frequency is why the Royal Flush is always assigned such a large payout (800×) — without it, the math for the game would not work. In practice, some players hit multiple Royals in a session while others play thousands of hands without seeing one. The 40,000-hand average is a statistical expectation, not a guaranteed interval. Never make holding decisions based on "being due" for a Royal — each hand is independent.
Can video poker be used to earn casino comps and player points?
Yes. Because video poker wagering is at full-hand value (you bet the full coin amount on each round), it accumulates player comp points faster than many other games at equivalent stakes. High-volume video poker players at casinos with generous comp programmes can sometimes earn enough cashback or reward credits to push the net RTP above 100% at video poker games already at 99.5%+. This technique (called "advantage play" or "comp whoring") is well-documented but requires strict discipline, large bankrolls to absorb variance, and casinos where the comp rate math works. Most online casino loyalty programmes are less generous than land-based venues for this purpose.
What is the expected number of dealt hands before hitting Four Aces?
Four Aces (without kicker) occurs statistically about once every 5,000 hands in Jacks or Better. In Bonus Poker and Double Bonus Poker, where Four Aces pays a premium, this is the most valuable "goal" hand for players working through sessions. The kicker variant (Four Aces with a 2, 3, or 4 kicker) in Double Double Bonus Poker pays 400× for 5 coins and occurs roughly once every 16,000 hands. Holding the correct kicker when you have three Aces is one of the advanced strategy points — Double Double Bonus strategy dictates holding a 2, 3, or 4 as kicker with three Aces rather than drawing two cards for maximum kicker-bonus potential.