Return to Video Poker General Strategy
Jacks or Better
Pay Tables
First thing to know about Jacks or better strategy is how to read the pay tables. The pay table is the screen that will tell you what exactly you will win for every possible five card combination. Keep in mind, that not all pay tables are created equal. In order to achieve the best possible results, you are going to need to find a 9 – 6 machine.
These number can be found by looking at the Full House and Flush rows under the one credit bet. Tables that show that you can make 9 credits for a Full House and 6 credits for a Flush, that is going to give you the best possible odds at having a successful session. If the winning show anything less 9 – 6 for the Full House/Flush rows, such as 9 – 5, or 8 – 6, your odds of winning go down a small amount, but it can be detrimental in the long run. If played with perfect strategy, this is how your chances would look.
- 9 / 6 Jacks or Better = 99.54% payback
- 9 / 5 Jacks or Better = 98.45% payback
- 8 / 6 Jacks or Better = 98.39% payback
What to Hold
The fun part is deciding what cards your going to hold and what cards you are going to replace. In order of priority, these are the hands that you are going to attempt to get if at all possible. If none of these hands are attainable, it may be necessary to swap out all five cards.
Best Hands
- Four of a kind, straight flush, royal flush
- 4 to a royal flush
- Three of a kind, straight, flush, full house
- 4 to a straight flush
- Two pair
- High pair
- 3 to a royal flush
- 4 to a flush
- Low pair
- 4 to an outside straight
- 2 suited high cards
- 3 to a straight flush
- 2 unsuited high cards (if more than 2 then pick the lowest 2)
- Suited 10/J, 10/Q, or 10/K
- One high card
- Replace all 5
Much of the time in Jacks or Better strategy, you are only going to have a high card, but keep in mind that a potential Flush or even higher combination will often come along. Don’t get in a pattern of just looking for the high card and miss out on the big wins.
