Video poker looks like a pokie machine but plays like five-card draw poker, and that difference is the whole point. Because you choose which cards to keep, the maths is knowable in advance and your decisions change the result. A sound video poker strategy comes down to two habits: picking a machine with a generous pay table (the chart of what each hand pays), then holding the right cards on every deal. This guide explains how pay tables set your odds, which hands pay what, and a practical holding order that gets a full-pay game close to break-even.
What video poker is and how it works
Each round you are dealt five cards from a standard 52-card deck. You decide which to hold and which to discard; the discarded cards are replaced in a single draw, and the machine pays out according to your final five-card hand. There is no dealer and no bluffing — you are simply trying to build one of the paying hands listed on the machine.
The cards come from a random number generator, so every card is equally likely and past results tell you nothing about the next deal. What you can control is the hold decision, and that is where strategy lives. Two figures describe how a machine treats you over the long run:
- Return to player (RTP): the percentage of all money wagered that the game pays back over millions of hands. A 99.5% RTP means the machine keeps about 50 cents of every $100 cycled through it, on average.
- House edge: the flip side of RTP — here, about 0.5%. Among casino games, a full-pay video poker machine played correctly has one of the smallest edges you will find.
Those numbers only hold if you play the best cards every time and bet the maximum coins. Play loosely, or sit at a stingy pay table, and the real return is far lower.
Why the pay table decides your odds
The single most important decision happens before you deal a card: which machine you sit at. Two Jacks or Better machines can look identical and run the same strategy, yet pay back very different amounts, because their pay tables differ on two hands — the full house and the flush.
That is why players name the games by those two payouts. A “9/6” machine pays 9 coins per coin bet for a full house and 6 for a flush; an “8/5” machine pays 8 and 5. It sounds minor, but it moves the return a long way:
- 9/6 Jacks or Better returns 99.54% with perfect play — the full-pay benchmark.
- 8/5 drops to about 97.30%.
- 6/5 falls to roughly 95.00% — the same game paying back five dollars less per hundred.
No amount of skill recovers what a bad pay table takes away, so reading the paytable first is the most valuable habit in video poker. The table below compares the main games and their best commonly available pay tables.
Comparison
| Game / pay table | Full house / flush | Return (RTP) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacks or Better 9/6 | 9 / 6 | 99.54% | The full-pay benchmark; easiest to learn |
| Jacks or Better 8/5 | 8 / 5 | 97.30% | Common short-pay version — worth avoiding |
| Jacks or Better 6/5 | 6 / 5 | 95.00% | Worst common Jacks or Better table |
| Bonus Poker 8/5 | 8 / 5 | 99.17% | Jacks or Better with bigger four-of-a-kind payouts |
| Double Bonus 10/7 | 10 / 7 | 100.17% | Full-pay version; needs its own strategy |
| Double Double Bonus 10/6/4 | 10 / 6 | 100.07% | Kicker quads; high volatility |
| Deuces Wild (full pay) | — | 100.76% | All four 2s wild; rare and needs a different chart |
Returns assume perfect strategy and five coins bet. Most machines you will find use reduced pay tables that return less, so always read the paytable before you play.
The nine paying hands in Jacks or Better
Jacks or Better is the clearest game to learn because it has no wild cards and a simple rule: the smallest hand that pays is a pair of Jacks, Queens, Kings or Aces (hence the name). Here is the full-pay 9/6 schedule, shown as coins paid per coin bet:
- Royal flush — 800 per coin (a flat 4,000 coins on a five-coin bet)
- 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 (a pair of Js, Qs, Ks or As) — 1
A pair of tens or lower pays nothing on its own, which is a trap for beginners used to table poker. The hand only becomes useful if it grows into three of a kind, a full house or quads on the draw.
Bet the maximum coins — the royal flush bonus
Notice the royal flush line. At one to four coins the royal pays a proportional 250 coins per coin bet, but at five coins it jumps to a flat 4,000 — the equivalent of 800 per coin. That bonus at max bet is a large slice of the game’s total return, and skipping it quietly cuts your RTP.
The rule that follows is simple: always bet five coins. If five coins at a given denomination is more than you want to risk, move down a denomination rather than betting fewer coins — for example, five coins at a lower stake instead of one coin at a higher one. That keeps the royal-flush bonus in play while controlling your spend.
Jacks or Better strategy: which cards to hold
Optimal play means always keeping the most valuable combination hidden in your five cards. Published charts rank dozens of situations exactly, but a simplified order captures almost all of the value — a basic strategy returns about 99.46%, an intermediate one about 99.52%, and the full optimal chart 99.54%. For everyday play, hold the highest option on this list that your deal contains:
- A dealt royal flush, straight flush or four of a kind — keep all five.
- Four cards to a royal flush — break a made flush or straight to draw for it.
- A dealt full house, flush, straight or three of a kind.
- Four cards to a straight flush.
- Two pair.
- A high pair (Jacks or better).
- Three cards to a royal flush.
- Four cards to a flush.
- A low pair (tens or lower).
- Four cards to an open-ended straight.
- Two or three suited high cards, then unsuited high cards.
- A single high card.
- Nothing of the above — discard all five and draw fresh.
Two terms worth knowing: an open-ended (outside) straight is four in a row that can complete at either end, such as 6-7-8-9, giving eight cards that finish it. An inside straight has a gap in the middle, such as 6-7-9-10, and only four cards complete it — so you generally do not chase inside straights unless they carry extra high cards. Drawing to the open-ended version is worth it; the inside version usually is not.
Beyond Jacks or Better: variants and their best pay tables
Jacks or Better is the foundation, but several variants carry higher ceilings — at the cost of needing their own strategy chart. Using a Jacks or Better mindset on a wild-card game will cost you money.
- Deuces Wild: all four 2s are wild and can stand in for any card. The full-pay version returns about 100.76% with perfect play — a rare positive expectation — but the strategy is very different, and most machines you will actually find use reduced pay tables that return less.
- Bonus Poker: plays like Jacks or Better but pays more for four of a kind. The 8/5 full-pay table returns about 99.17%.
- Double Bonus: larger quad payouts again; the 10/7 full-pay table reaches about 100.17%.
- Double Double Bonus: pays extra for four of a kind with a specific “kicker” card. The 10/6/4 full-pay table returns about 100.07%, but these games are far more volatile, swinging hard between dry spells and big hits.
The headline percentages above 100% assume the full-pay table and flawless play with max coins — conditions that are uncommon in practice. Treat them as a ceiling, not a promise.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Playing short-pay tables. Sitting at an 8/5 or 6/5 Jacks or Better machine when a 9/6 is available throws away two to four percent of return before you touch a card.
- Not betting max coins, which forfeits the royal-flush bonus.
- Breaking a paying hand to chase a royal. Giving up a sure flush or straight for a long-shot royal usually loses value — the chart tells you the few times it is worth it.
- Using the wrong strategy. Deuces Wild, Bonus Poker and Double Double Bonus each need their own chart; one size does not fit all.
- Treating it as pure luck. The draw is random, but your hold decisions are not — they are the whole difference between a 99.5% game and a 97% game.
How video poker compares with other casino games
Played correctly at a full-pay table, video poker sits alongside blackjack as one of the lowest-house-edge games in the casino — and, like blackjack, it rewards knowing the correct play for every situation rather than guessing. If you enjoy games where your decisions matter, it is worth learning the blackjack basic strategy chart as well, since the two games share the same discipline of memorising the mathematically best move.
For context on where other games stand, baccarat is close to a coin-flip once you learn how to play baccarat and bet the low-edge side, while roulette’s odds hinge entirely on the wheel — the gap between European and American roulette odds is a clean example of how one rule change doubles the house edge. The same “know the real odds” lens applies to how to play roulette and to Keno strategy, where the house edge is far steeper and no betting pattern changes it.
Responsible gambling
Video poker results are produced by a random number generator. A good strategy lowers the house edge but never guarantees a win, and no session outcome is owed to you — each hand is independent. Online gambling in New Zealand is for adults only, and it should be treated as entertainment you can afford to lose, not a way to make money.
If gambling is causing harm for you or someone you know, free, confidential support is available 24/7 from the Gambling Helpline Aotearoa on 0800 654 655 or by texting 8006 (gamblinghelpline.co.nz). You can also read our guide to responsible gambling for self-exclusion and limit-setting options.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can you actually win at video poker?
In the short term, yes — a royal flush or four of a kind can land on any hand. Over the long run, a full-pay game played perfectly still returns a little under 100% on most variants, so the house keeps a small edge. A few full-pay machines (such as 10/7 Double Bonus or full-pay Deuces Wild) can cross 100% with flawless play, but those tables are rare and the swings are large. Strategy lowers the house edge; it does not remove it.
Is video poker better than pokies?
On odds alone, a full-pay video poker machine usually returns far more than a typical pokie, and your decisions influence the result rather than everything being automatic. The trade-off is that video poker asks you to learn a pay table and a holding strategy, whereas pokies require none.
Do I need to memorise a full strategy chart?
No. The simplified holding order in this guide captures most of the value and loses only a fraction of a percent compared with the full optimal chart. Many players practise with free-play versions or a strategy trainer first, then graduate to the complete chart if they want the last sliver of return.
Does online video poker use the same strategy as a machine in a venue?
The maths is identical because both deal from a random 52-card deck, so the same holding strategy applies. The one thing that changes between games is the pay table, so check the full-house and flush payouts on any machine — online or in person — before you start.
Which video poker game has the best odds?
Among commonly available games, full-pay 9/6 Jacks or Better (99.54%) is the easiest high-return game to learn. Full-pay Deuces Wild can edge slightly above 100% with perfect play, but it is harder to find and needs a different strategy, so most players start with Jacks or Better.