Video poker is unique among casino games: skill actually matters. With proper strategy, you can reduce the house edge to under 0.5%—and on some machines, even gain an advantage. This guide teaches you how.
Why Video Poker?
Low house edge: Full-pay Jacks or Better has a 99.54% return rate. That's a 0.46% house edge—better than almost everything else in the casino.
Skill-based: Your decisions determine outcomes. Hold the wrong cards, and you leave money on the table.
Transparent odds: Unlike slots, you can see the pay table and calculate exact returns.
Solo experience: Play at your own pace without dealer or player pressure.
Understanding Pay Tables
The pay table determines everything. Two identical-looking machines can have vastly different returns.
Jacks or Better Pay Tables
Full Pay (9/6): 99.54% return
| Hand | Payout |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 800 |
| Straight Flush | 50 |
| Four of a Kind | 25 |
| Full House | 9 |
| Flush | 6 |
| Straight | 4 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 |
| Two Pair | 2 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 |
Short Pay (8/5): 97.30% return
| Hand | Payout |
|---|---|
| Full House | 8 |
| Flush | 5 |
| (all else same) |
That 9→8 and 6→5 drop costs you 2.24% per hand. Always check the full house and flush payouts.
How to Identify Good Pay Tables
Look at the full house and flush payouts:
- 9/6: Best standard Jacks or Better
- 8/6: Acceptable (98.39%)
- 8/5: Marginal (97.30%)
- 7/5: Avoid (96.15%)
- 6/5: Terrible (95.00%)
Rule of thumb: If full house pays less than 8, find a better machine.
Jacks or Better Basic Strategy
This simplified strategy captures about 99.5% of optimal play.
Hand Rankings (What to Hold)
Always hold:
- Royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind
- Full house, flush, straight
- Three of a kind
- Two pair
Strategic decisions:
Four to a royal flush: Hold, even over a made flush or straight.
High pair (J-A): Hold the pair, discard three.
Three to a royal: Hold, discard two.
Four to a flush: Hold, discard one.
Low pair (2-10): Hold the pair.
Four to an outside straight: Hold (four consecutive cards that can be completed on either end).
Two high cards: Hold the two highest cards (keep suited if possible).
Three to a straight flush: Hold with no gaps or one gap.
One high card: Hold it, discard four.
No high cards, no draws: Discard all five.
The Complete Strategy List
From highest to lowest priority:
- Royal flush
- Straight flush
- Four of a kind
- Full house
- Four to a royal flush
- Flush
- Three of a kind
- Straight
- Four to a straight flush (open-ended)
- Two pair
- High pair (J-A)
- Three to a royal flush
- Four to a flush
- Low pair (2-10)
- Four to an outside straight
- Two suited high cards
- Three to a straight flush (one gap, 1-2 high cards)
- Two unsuited high cards (lowest two if three)
- Suited J-A with 10
- One high card
- Three to a straight flush (two gaps)
- Discard everything
Common Mistakes in Jacks or Better
Holding a kicker with a pair: Wrong: Keep Q-Q-K Right: Keep Q-Q, discard K
Breaking up two pair for a flush draw: Two pair pays 2. Flush draw has low odds. Keep the two pair.
Not breaking a straight for royal flush draw: Holding 10♠-J♠-Q♠-K♣-A♠ = break it for the royal draw (four to royal flush).
Keeping three high cards: With K-Q-J unsuited, hold only two (Q-J preferred—more straight possibilities).
Deuces Wild Strategy
Deuces (2s) are wild and substitute for any card. This changes everything.
Full Pay Deuces Wild (100.76% return)
| Hand | Payout |
|---|---|
| Natural Royal | 800 |
| Four Deuces | 200 |
| Wild Royal | 25 |
| Five of a Kind | 15 |
| Straight Flush | 9 |
| Four of a Kind | 5 |
| Full House | 3 |
| Flush | 2 |
| Straight | 2 |
| Three of a Kind | 1 |
Note: Pairs and two pair pay nothing. You need at least three of a kind.
Deuces Wild Strategy Overview
With four deuces: Hold all five cards.
With three deuces:
- Keep three deuces alone (break any wild royal)
- Exception: Keep fourth deuce if dealt
With two deuces:
- Four to a royal: Hold
- Four of a kind or better: Hold
- Otherwise: Hold just the two deuces
With one deuce:
- Four to a royal: Hold
- Paying hand (3 of kind+): Hold
- Four to straight flush: Hold
- Four to flush: Hold
- Three to a royal: Hold
- Four to outside straight: Hold
- Otherwise: Hold just the deuce
With no deuces:
- Made hands: Usually hold
- Four to a royal: Hold (break lesser hands)
- Pairs: Different—one pair holds, two pair breaks (keep one pair only)
Key Deuces Wild Concepts
Two pair is bad: Hold only one pair. Two pair pays nothing.
Never keep a kicker: Hold the wild cards and made hand, nothing else.
Three deuces beats a wild royal: Don't hold a wild royal over three deuces.
Double Bonus Poker Strategy
Higher payouts for four of a kind, but lower two pair payout creates volatility.
Full Pay Double Bonus (10/7) - 100.17% return
| Hand | Payout |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 800 |
| Straight Flush | 50 |
| Four Aces | 160 |
| Four 2s-4s | 80 |
| Four 5s-Ks | 50 |
| Full House | 10 |
| Flush | 7 |
| Straight | 5 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 |
| Two Pair | 1 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 |
The reduced two pair payout (1 instead of 2) increases variance significantly.
Double Bonus Key Adjustments
Low pairs are stronger: Four of a kind pays big, so low pairs have more value.
Four aces draw: Break a flush to draw for four aces (160 payout is huge).
Two pair strategy: Since two pair only pays 1, aggressive draws become correct.
Bankroll Management for Video Poker
Understanding Variance
Video poker has significant variance. Even with perfect strategy, losing sessions happen.
Jacks or Better: Moderate variance
- Royal flush: Once per ~40,000 hands
- Expect regular small wins from pairs and two pairs
Deuces Wild: Higher variance
- No payout until three of a kind
- Four deuces: Once per ~5,000 hands
- Longer losing streaks between big hands
Double Bonus: High variance
- Two pair pays only 1
- Big payouts from four of a kinds
- Can go long periods between wins
Session Bankroll Guidelines
| Game | Minimum Session | Comfortable |
|---|---|---|
| Jacks or Better | 100 bets | 200 bets |
| Deuces Wild | 200 bets | 400 bets |
| Double Bonus | 200 bets | 500 bets |
Example: Playing $1.25/hand Jacks or Better (quarter machine, 5-coin max bet), bring at least $125-250 for a session.
Always Bet Max Coins
The royal flush bonus is only paid at max bet. On most machines:
- 1 coin: Royal pays 250
- 2 coins: Royal pays 500
- 3 coins: Royal pays 750
- 4 coins: Royal pays 1,000
- 5 coins: Royal pays 4,000 (800 per coin)
That jump from 1,000 to 4,000 is enormous. If you can't afford max bet, find a lower denomination machine.
Finding Good Video Poker Machines
Where to Look
Las Vegas locals casinos: Station Casinos, Boyd Gaming properties, and off-strip locals casinos often have the best pay tables.
Strip casinos: Generally worse, but full-pay machines exist. Check the high-limit rooms.
Downtown Las Vegas: More competitive than the Strip.
Regional casinos: Varies wildly. Check before playing.
Online Resources
- vpFREE2 (vpfree2.com): Database of video poker pay tables by casino
- Video Poker forums
- Casino-specific review sites
Red Flags
- 8/5 or worse Jacks or Better on the main floor
- No full-pay machines in the casino
- Reduced royal flush payouts
- Mandatory progressive contribution reducing base payout
Practice and Improvement
Video Poker Trainers
Software and apps that:
- Deal hands for practice
- Show correct strategy for each decision
- Track your accuracy rate
- Identify weak areas
Building Speed
Strategy becomes automatic with practice. Aim to play correctly without hesitation. Faster play = more comp points per hour.
Tracking Results
Log your sessions:
- Machine type and denomination
- Pay table
- Session time
- Result
This helps identify if you're playing correct games and reveals variance patterns.
The Bottom Line
Video poker rewards knowledge. Learn the strategy, find full-pay machines, and play perfect basic strategy. The house edge can be under 0.5%—and with casino promotions and comp points, some video poker play becomes mathematically positive.
But remember: even perfect strategy means the house usually wins (on most games). Video poker is entertainment with excellent odds—not a guaranteed income source. Play within your means, enjoy the challenge, and appreciate having a game where skill actually matters.