Jacks Or Better Basic Strategy
Let’s look at a sample of a video poker strategy chart. Here is a partial view of a strategy chart for a full pay (9/6) Jacks or Better game. VIDEO POKER STRATEGY CHARTS #1: As you can see, there are many different combinations of cards that can be held. Depending on the type of video poker game, there can be as many as 60 or 70 lines of. Betting the Maximum of 5 Coins Is the Only Way to Score Premium Payouts on a Royal.
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Video poker is the second most popular game in casinos behind slot machines. It hit the casino floor in the late 1970’s and by 1980, video poker was available in all Nevada and Atlantic City casinos. The first video poker game was called Draw Poker. That game is known as Jacks or Better today. The title changed as video poker grew in popularity and more games evolved in the 80’s and 90’s.
While Jacks or Better was the first video poker game, its popularity has diminished over the years. It does not offer the high variance most other video poker games offer. For that same reason, Jacks or Better is more popular among Las Vegas locals and savvy tourists, as long as the pay table is reasonable. You can practice for free below, or read on to learn more about how to play Jacks or Better.
How to Find the Best Jacks or Better Video Poker Machine
The best Jacks or Better game has the following pay table:
– Royal Flush: 800 (250 is fewer than five coins wagered)
– Straight Flush: 50
– Four of a Kind: 25
– Full House: 9
– Flush: 6
– Straight: 4
– Three of a Kind: 3
– Two Pair: 2
– Pair of Jacks or Better: 1
This game may not be available at all casinos. This is especially true at casinos that have geographical monopolies or are on the Las Vegas Strip. If 9/6 Jacks or Better is not available, the next best pay table is one that pays eight on a full house while still awarding six on a flush. The next best is nine on a full house but only five on a flush. Anything lower than those pay tables is unplayable.
There are some casinos that make it appear that the game is full pay but when you look closer, the game is not. The difference is that some gaming establishments will spread the full-pay table but require 10 or more coins for the 800-coin royal flush. This is common on nickel machines but also at convenience casinos like Dotty’s in Nevada where 100 coins are required for an 800-1 royal flush on Game King machines.
How to Increase Your Return on Jacks or Better
One way to increase your return at Jacks or Better video poker is to only play the 9/6 version described above. That is easy on the Internet as most casino websites offer this version. In a casino, it is not as common.
In Las Vegas, the best places to find this game are downtown at Plaza, Main Street Station, Fremont and El Cortez. Locals casinos like Red Rock Resort, Green Valley Ranch, Sunset Station, Palace Station, Santa Fe Station, South Point, Westgate and many other off-strip properties. Some Strip resorts offer this game at $5 and higher denominations. Treasure Island has it at $.50 and higher.
Using A Casino Players Card
Using a players card will also add to the return of Jacks or Better video poker. This is automatic at online casinos. At live casinos, a player must go to the rewards center and give a photo ID if they do not already have a card. A players card is issued and must be inserted into the card reader on the machine. This will keep track of the amount wagered by the player.
The instant return when using a players card is between 0.05% and 0.3%, depending on the casino’s reward program. This is often issued in comps but some locals casinos in Las Vegas and regional markets will allow players to convert it to free play or straight cash.
The best benefits when using a players card usually come after you leave. Casinos will mail offers in an attempt to lure you back. This comes in the form of free play, hotel rooms or food comps. It is based on previous play but is often more generous after the first visit when using a players card. The free play may be taken directly from a slot or video poker machine at casinos that have a modern loyalty program.
Jacks or Better Basic Strategy
Finding the best pay table and using a players card only get you so far if you do not play the game properly. Every mistake lowers the Jacks or Better video poker return.
This list shows what a player should look for before discarding. Keep the cards or dealt hands listed and discard the others. The exception is when four of a kind is dealt. The kicker does not matter in Jacks or Better. It is better to hold the odd card than risk making an error on the draw. The list goes from top to bottom in terms of the hand that should be held.
– Keep all cards on a royal flush, straight flush and four of a kind
– Draw one when you have four to a royal flush, unless a straight flush was dealt
– Keep all cards on a full house, flush or straight
– Three of a kind
– Four to a straight flush
– Two pair
– Pair of jacks or better
– Three to a royal flush
– Four to a flush
– Pair of 2’s through 10’s
– Four to an open ended straight, meaning four connected cards five or higher
– AKQJ off-suit
– Two suited cards jack or higher
– 9JQK off-suit
– Three to a straight flush
– Two off-suit cards jack or higher. Keep the lowest two if three are dealt as this will draw more straights.
– Suited 10 with a jack, queen or king
– Singleton jack or higher
– Discard everything
Common Mistakes at Jacks or Better
The most common mistakes made when playing Jacks or Better often comes from players who are not aware of the basic strategy. The single biggest one is going for inside straights that are not ace or king-high. The entire hand should be discarded in this scenario.
Some players will hold four to a flush over three to a royal flush. This is the correct play if the number of coins wagered is not enough to trigger the 800-1 royal flush payout. Otherwise, toss the flush card nine or lower and go for the three to the royal flush.
Some players make the mistake of going for a low pair over a four-card flush. The flush draw is the better play. On the other hand, a low pair should be kept over any straight draw.
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Table Of Contents
- This article is for those who don't know how to play Jacks or Better video Poker
- Read the best Jacks or Better strategy tips before you play real money games
Today, I am going to share some useful Jacks or Better video poker strategy tips that will help you increase your win rate and enjoy more this exciting casino game.
Did you know that video poker has the highest payout percentage of all casino games?
While the house edge for typical casino games varies between 90 and 97 percent, video poker can offer up to 99.54 percent.
But only if you know what you're doing.
And for that, you need a good video poker strategy.
In this article, we will delve into my favorite variation of video poker - Jacks or Better (Draw Poker). I like it because of how simple and straightforward the game is.
(Another great game to play is Deuces Wild, but we'll keep that to another article.)
To play successfully (aka. to win), a sound Jacks or Better strategy is a must.
That's why today you are going to find out a few important things like:
- how to reduce the house edge
- how to make the best out of the cards you get
- how to maximize your chances to win
In case you already know how to play Jacks or Better and want to put your knowledge into action ASAP, you can visit this Casino site and play this video Poker game online for free and for real money.
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Play NowAs for the rest of us, let's continue with the article!
The Importance of Poker Hands at Jacks or Better Strategy
If you want to become good at Jacks or Better video poker, you need to understand its card combinations.
It comes without saying that you must know the basic video poker rules for a solid start, and I recommend this article for that.
Now, let's check out the possible poker hands that result in winnings.
- Royal Flush. It can't get any better than that. This hand has to include these cards: . Most games don't require them to be consecutive. All cards must be in the same suit.
- Straight Flush. Five consecutive cards from the same suit. Example:.
- Four of a Kind. Nothing complicated here: four cards of the same value. Example: .
- Full House. You collect Full House when you receive five cards that are comprised of one pair and three of a kind. Example: .
- Flush. Five cards of the same suit. Example:
- Straight. Five cards that form a consecutive sequence. The suits are mixed.
- Three of a Kind. You get Three of a Kind when you receive three cards of the same value. Example: .
- Two Pair. Two pairs of two cards of the same value. Example: .
- Jacks or Better. The easiest one to collect, this combination includes only one pair of jacks or a higher value. Example:
Suit abbreviations:
Spades (s)
Hearts (h)
Diamonds (d)
Clubs (c)
Don't worry if you can't remember them all - these video Poker machines online include a table with the winning combinations and payouts.
And if you really want to go deeper on the subjects, here's the most complete poker hands chart on the internet.
The most important thing is to choose the casinos with the highest payment possibilities.
Tip: If a game has full payouts, it should pay two times your bet for Two Pairs.
How to Actually Play Jacks or Better Poker
If you've ever played Jacks or Better, you know that this is a casino game that depends on both luck and your choices - a characteristic, this one, that is common to all online poker machines.
It goes like this:
You get five cards and must choose the ones that you want to keep for the next round. You click 'deal', and get your final combination.
The problem is:
Which cards should you hold?
Luckily, this choice is not as difficult as it might seem. Below, I prepared an easy Jacks or Better strategy for beginners that you should use when dealing with your cards.
Jacks or Better Strategy Made Easy
Here are the main tips for a basic Jacks or Better poker strategy:
- When you have four cards to a Straight or a Flush, hold all four of them and draw only one additional card.
- When you have three cards to a Royal Flush, keep them! Draw two additional cards and you might be lucky.
- Need only two more cards for a Straight Flush? Hold the three lucky cards you have and draw two more.
- When you get a pair of cards, hold them and draw three additional cards. However, this tip is not always applicable.
- If you have no matching cards in your hand, hold a card that is higher or equal of value to Jacks.
- No combinations and no Jacks or higher? Draw five new cards.
The Problem of Low Pair Vs. High Pair
A couple of the main questions that most video poker players have are as follows:
When is it best to hold a low pair?
When should I hold a high pair?
Let's take a look at what you should do in different situations.
Jacks or Better Poker Strategy: Low Pair
Usually, I suggest you keep all the low pairs you receive. However, there are certain situations when it's better to skip them.
Jacks Or Better Strategy
This is when you should keep a low pair:
- When you have four to a Straight, always keep the pair that you got. Example: 55678. In this case, hold 55 and discard 678.
- When you have three to a Straight Flush, keep the low pair. Example: 3h4h5h5s9c. Hold 5h and 5s.
- When you have a low pair and two cards that could result in a Royal Flush… you should still hold the low pair! Example: 6s6h2cKhAh. Hold 6s and 6h and discard the rest.
Video Poker Jacks Or Better Basic Strategy
Here are the cases when you should discard your low pair:
- When you have three to a Royal Flush. The probability to get the best outcome is simply too high to keep the low pair. Example: 2sJhJsQsKs
- In case you have four to a Flush, break that low pair! Example: 5d5h8d9dQd
Jacks or Better Game Strategy: High Pair
The crucial difference between a low pair and a high pair in video poker is that the latter is a guaranteed win.
However, there will be certain situations when you'll think that you need to break the pair for a bigger win.
BUT - a seemingly right decision can cost you your bet.
Here are the cases when you have to keep your high poker pair no matter what.
Note: A high pair consists of two cards of the same value (Jacks or higher).
- If you have four to a Flush and a high pair, hold the pair and draw three other cards. When an identical situation occurs with a low pair in hand, you should break it.
- When you have four to a Straight, keep your high pair to have a higher chance to win.
- If you have three to a Royal Flush, it is still better to hold the pair! The odds to get a Royal Flush are not high enough in this case.
- It's more beneficial to keep the high pair when you have three to a Straight Flush. Over time, this will produce better results.
On the contrary, there is one case when you should break your high pay in Jacks or Better poker game:
- When you have four to a Royal Flush. In this situation, it would be a waste not to do it as the odds are simply too high for that sweet winning sequence!
Note: As soon as you decide to use a video poker game strategy, stick to it. Whether you play online or at a land-based casino, discipline is your truest friend when it comes to beating Jacks or Better.
You Can Play Jacks or Better Video Poker Game Online For Free!
No strategy can be useful without sufficient practice.
But you don't want to bet your hard-earned money on your first try at Jacks or Better. No, you need to play this video poker game for free first!
And that's an easy task. Why?
Because you can do that on this video poker site.
Here, each Jacks or Better game variation has a demo mode that does not require real money. At all.
Activate the Bonus and Play!
Basic Strategy Video Poker Jacks Or Better
Register a free account and use the bonus to play free Jacks or Better Video poker games online.
Video Poker Jacks Or Better Strategy
So, practice online all you want - and try to win real cash as soon as you learn how to play this game flawlessly.
Jacks Or Better Strategy Simulator
May the odds be with you!