Jacks or Better Video Poker strategy tips that will help you increase your win rate and enjoy more this exciting casino game.
Jacks or Better is known as being the first variation of video poker games. The goal in the game is to get the card Jacks or a card higher in rank than Jacks. The game combines both strategy and chance, which makes it an ideal game to play for a wide range of casino players. Jacks or Better is one of the most popular video poker variations available in both land based casinos and in online casinos. It’s also often listed as one of the best games to play if you want to play a low house edge game. But Jacks or Better games are found with a wide variety of pay tables.
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.
However, to play successfully, a good Jacks or Better strategy is a must.
That’s why today you are going to find out a few important things:
- How to reduce the house edge
- How to make the best out of the cards you get
- How to maximize your chances to win
The Importance of Poker Hands at Jacks or Better Video Poker Strategy
If you want to become good at Jacks or Better video Poker, you need to understand its card combinations.
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)
Hearts (h)
Diamonds (d)
Clubs (c)
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
- 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 trust friend when it comes to beating Jacks or Better.
Source:@PokerNews
Video poker has several variants, but the oldest is Jacks or Better, also known as Draw Poker. Is a great game and easy to play if you already know how to play five-card draw poker. It has an element of skill in addition to luck, compared with the pure luck of playing slot machines. Your chances of winning are improved if you use a good strategy to play the machine.
Rules for Jacks or Better Video Poker
The rules for Jacks or Better video poker are the same as for five-card draw poker. However, there is no raising or bluffing and you're not really playing 'against' other players. You just make a single bet at the beginning and your goal is to have a hand that includes a pair of jacks or better. Otherwise, the house wins.
- To play, you select a number of credits you want to wager from one to five on the hand. The credits can be worth $0.25, $1 or more apiece, depending on the machine.
- The computer deals you five cards and you select which you want to keep and which you want to discard to draw new cards, just as in five-card draw.
- Then you are dealt replacement cards and your final hand decides whether you win or lose, and how much.
- You will win more the better your hand is, so make sure you know the ranking of poker hands.
Like all games you play against the house in a casino, it is nearly impossible to actually win in the long term. However, video poker offers some of the best payouts for a slots-type machine when played well. In fact, when combined with a good casino comp schedule, you can actually make a profit due to the freebies given out.
Tips for Playing Jacks or Better Video Poker
Spela casino online gratis. Your game will be improved by using a strategy chart prepared by expert players according to the rules of probability. You can buy a strategy card at many casino gift shops or use a chart from an online site. These charts will show you how many cards to hold or discard based on what you are dealt in your initial video poker hand.
For example:
Play Video Poker Jacks Or Better
- Draw four cards if you have only one high card.
- Draw three cards if you have any pair.
- Draw two cards if you have three of a kind or three cards to a straight flush
- Draw one card if you have four of a kind, two pairs, or four cards to a straight or flush.
- Do not draw any cards if you have a straight, flush, full house, straight flush, or royal straight flush.
Those are tips you likely already guessed. It is for the hands in between where a strategy chart can help guide you.
You can also practice playing Jacks or Better online or with a mobile app to hone your game. By practicing and consulting a strategy chart, you will be able to remember the best selections to make for each starting hand. This will improve your odds of winning at video poker.
Jacks Or Better Poker Games
Edited by Adam Stemple, December 2015