video poker is one of the oldest forms of electronic casino entertainment. It’s similar to slot machines and simple to play; however, winning video poker requires some skill, strategy, and luck. Jacks or better is one of the most popular video poker games you can play in person or online today. Learn about this top game and more as we review different types of video poker and how to play them to win.

Classic Video Poker

Classic video poker is the original version of the game. It’s a single-player game based on five-card draw — a simple version of poker that’s a great option for new players. The object of the game is to hold the highest ranked five-card poker hand possible at the end of the game. Winning hands, ranked from highest to lowest, are:

• Royal flush: Ace, king, queen, jack, 10 all the same suit
• Straight flush: Five consecutive cards of the same suit up to king
• Four of a kind: Four cards of the same value
• Full house: Three of a kind plus one matching pair
• Flush: Any five cards of the same suit not in a sequence
• Straight: Five consecutive cards of any mixed suits
• Three of a kind: Three cards of the same value
• Two pair: Two sets of two cards of the same value

Here’s a basic overview of how to play video poker online:

• Place your bet and click the “deal” button. You will then be dealt five cards.
• Decide which cards to keep and which to replace. You can keep some, all, or none of your cards. Click on the cards you want to hold.
• Discard the cards you don’t want and receive new cards. Click the “draw” button to draw new cards. You can only draw once.
• Receive a payout if your hand qualifies. You win if your hand is one of the combinations listed on the game’s payout table. The table shows how much you can win per type of hand.

Classic video poker uses a 52-card deck. It’s reshuffled each round, so players can’t use card counting as a strategy to win. There are complex and basic strategies when it comes to playing video poker to win. For example, one key principle is to always keep a winning hand — don’t discard in hopes of drawing something better for a bigger payout.

Jacks or Better Video Poker

Jacks or better video poker slightly changes the rules of the classic game. Basically, another winning hand is added to the bottom of the classic payout table below two pair. When you play jacks or better, you must have at least a pair of jacks in your hand to win a payout.

You can refer to strategy charts when playing video poker to try to increase your odds of winning. Here’s an example of a five-card strategy chart for jacks or better. It shows how many cards to hold and how many to discard based on what you were dealt.

Strategy charts help to guide your game and increase your chances of winning video poker.

Expected Value

In addition to strategy charts, you can use a complex strategy based on mathematical equations to guide your actions. It’s more complicated but luckily there are computer software programs to help you. Multiple websites and mobile phone apps offer expected value (EV) calculators. EV is how profitable a certain play is expected to be in the long run.

EV calculators return the strategy decision with the highest EV ranking. They may even show other possible strategies with lower EVs for comparison. For the best chance of winning, choose the play with the highest-rated EV strategy. This play strategy helps you understand the most profitable way to play your hand.

Deuces Wild Video Poker

One of the most popular wild card video poker games is deuces wild. In this version, all cards with a value of two are wild cards. Players can use a 2 card, or deuce, as a substitute for any other card that’s needed to make a winning hand. Winning hands in this game, from highest to lowest, include:

• Royal flush no deuces: Ace, king, queen, jack, 10 of all the same suit with no wild cards
• Four deuces: Four wild cards
• Wild royal flush: Ace, king, queen, jack, 10 of all the same suit with at least one wild card
• Five of a kind: Five cards of the same value
• Straight flush: Five consecutive cards of the same suit up to king
• Four of a kind: Four cards of the same value
• Full house: Three of a kind plus one matching pair
• Flush: Any five cards of the same suit not in a sequence
• Straight: Five consecutive cards of any mixed suits
• Three of a kind: Three cards of the same value

Wilds create more card combination possibilities and make winning hands more likely. Your strategy should depend on how many wilds you’ve been dealt. For example, if you hold:

• Four deuces: You should keep all your cards and collect your winnings.
• Three deuces: You should hold the three wilds and draw two cards. An exception to this strategy is if you’ve been dealt a royal flush. If this happens, keep all five cards and collect the jackpot.
• Two deuces: You should hold the two wilds and draw three cards. However, if you’ve been dealt a four of a kind, five of a kind, straight flush, or royal flush with wilds, keep all your cards and collect your winnings.
• One deuce: Keep the wild and any other cards that could produce a winning hand. Draw as many new cards as you see fit.
• No deuces: If you have no wilds and a poor selection of cards, it’s best to discard all your cards since there are still four wilds in the deck that may be drawn.

Remember that pairs and two-pair hands hold no value in this version of the game. The payouts in deuces wild may be much lower compared to other video poker games without wilds, but you have a higher chance of creating a winning hand and hitting major jackpots.

Other Types of Video Poker Games

There are many types of video poker games to play for free or for money. Be sure to check each game’s rules and payout table before beginning to play. This simple step ensures you’ll know how to play and will help you decide whether you’re playing a version of the game with the best return for your money spent.

Additional types of video poker include:

• 2 ways royal video poker is a variation of jacks or better where the low straight flush, from 2 to 6, pays out the same as the royal flush.
• Aces and eights video poker is a game that offers lucrative payouts for any four of a kind. Four aces or 8s beat a straight flush.
• Aces and faces video poker is very similar to jacks or better but ranks a hand of four aces or four face cards higher than a straight flush.
• All American video poker is like jacks or better except it uses a different pay table.
• Deuces and joker video poker is a version where cards with a value of two and a joker can be used as wild cards.
• Double bonus video poker generously awards players with four of a kind.
• Four of a kind video poker plays like jacks or better but has a big four-of-a-kind bonus.
• Jokers wild video poker includes one joker in the deck that can be used as a wild. The lowest winning hand in this game is a pair of kings.
• Loose deuces video poker is similar to deuces wild in which the two cards are wild. 
• Sevens wild video poker is a variation in which all cards with a value of seven are wild.
• Tens or better video poker uses standard poker rules and hand strengths. The lowest winning hand is a pair of 10s.

Play Video Poker Today

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