Video Poker Strategy Calculator: Perfect Every Decision

Video poker rewards skill—proper card holds can reduce house edge below 0.5% on full-pay machines. Our calculator shows the optimal hold for any hand, comparing expected values to maximize your return.

What Is Video Poker Strategy?

Unlike slots, video poker involves decisions that affect outcomes. After the initial deal, you choose which cards to hold and which to discard. Optimal strategy maximizes expected value (EV) by holding the combination with the highest average return.

Quick Answer: Always hold made hands (pairs+) unless drawing to better. Never hold a kicker. Four to a flush beats low pair. Four to an open-ended straight beats low pair. High cards (J-A) have value alone. Full-pay Jacks or Better with perfect strategy has 99.54% RTP (0.46% house edge). Each mistake costs money—a single wrong hold can reduce return by 1-5%.

How to Use Our Calculator

Use the Video Poker Strategy Calculator →

Enter your dealt hand to see optimal holds.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Enter Your 5 Cards: Dealt hand

2. Select Game Type: Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, etc.

3. View Hold Options: All possible combinations

4. See EV Rankings: Best to worst holds

5. Follow Optimal Strategy: Highest EV play

Input Fields Explained

Field	Description	Example
Dealt Hand	Your 5 cards	K♠ K♦ 9♣ 7♥ 3♠
Game Type	Variant	Jacks or Better
Optimal Hold	Best cards to keep	K♠ K♦
Hold EV	Expected return	1.54
Alternative EVs	Other options	Various

Jacks or Better Strategy

Hand Rankings (Payout)

Hand	Full-Pay (9/6)
Royal Flush	800× (max coins)
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×

Strategy Hierarchy (Simplified)

1. Royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind
2. Four to royal flush
3. Full house, flush, straight, three of a kind
4. Four to straight flush
5. Two pair
6. High pair (J-A)
7. Three to royal flush
8. Four to flush
9. Low pair (2-10)
10. Four to open-ended straight
11. Two high cards
12. Three to straight flush
13. One high card (J, Q, K, A)
14. Draw five new cards

Complete Strategy Table

Hand	Optimal Hold
Pat hand (straight+)	Keep all 5
4 to royal	Draw 1
Made full house	Keep all 5
Made flush	Keep all 5
3 of a kind	Keep 3
4 to straight flush	Draw 1
Two pair	Keep both pairs
High pair (J-A)	Keep pair
3 to royal	Draw 2
4 to flush	Draw 1
Low pair (2-10)	Keep pair
4 to open straight	Draw 1
2 suited high cards	Keep 2
3 to straight flush	Draw 2
2 high cards	Keep 2
1 high card	Keep 1
No high cards	Draw 5

Expected Value Analysis

EV by Hold Type

Starting Hand	Optimal Hold	EV
K♠ K♦ 9♣ 7♥ 3♠	K-K	1.54
A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 2♣	A-K-Q-J suited	18.66
9♣ 9♥ 8♦ 7♠ 6♣	9-9	0.82
J♥ T♥ 9♣ 5♦ 2♠	J-T suited	0.54
7♣ 5♥ 3♦ 2♠ 9♦	Draw all 5	0.36

Marginal Decision Example

Hand: K♥ Q♥ J♣ T♠ 5♦

Options:

Hold K-Q-J-T (open straight): EV = 0.87
Hold K-Q suited: EV = 0.60
Hold K-Q-J (high cards): EV = 0.51

Best play: Keep four to straight

Real-World Examples

Example 1: Pair vs Flush Draw

Hand: J♠ J♦ 9♠ 7♠ 2♠

Analysis:

Option A: Keep J-J
P(improve pair) + pair value
EV = 1.54

Option B: Keep four spades
P(flush) × 6 + other outcomes
EV = 1.22

Better play: Keep the pair

Key insight: Made pair beats flush draw

Example 2: Low Pair vs Straight Draw

Hand: 6♣ 6♥ 7♦ 8♠ 9♣

Analysis:

Option A: Keep 6-6
EV = 0.82

Option B: Keep 6-7-8-9 (open-ended)
EV = 0.68

Better play: Keep the pair

Key insight: Low pair beats open-ended straight

Example 3: Three to Royal

Hand: A♠ K♠ Q♠ 7♣ 2♦

Analysis:

Option A: Keep A-K-Q (unsuited highs)
EV = 0.48

Option B: Keep A-K-Q suited
EV = 1.29

Better play: Keep three to royal

Key insight: Suited royals have huge value

Example 4: Garbage Hand

Hand: 7♣ 5♦ 3♠ 2♥ 9♣

Analysis:

No pairs, no draws, no high cards
Best option: Draw all 5 cards
EV = 0.36

Any other hold: Lower EV

Key insight: Sometimes you draw 5

Common Mistakes

1. Holding Kickers

Mistake: Keep A-K when you have K-K-A Correct: Hold K-K only Cost: ~3% EV loss

K♠ K♦ A♣ 9♥ 3♠
Wrong: K-K-A (limits draws)
Right: K-K (maximum improvement chance)

2. Breaking Full House for Royal

Mistake: Break full house to draw to royal Correct: Keep full house Cost: Significant EV loss

K♠ K♦ K♣ Q♠ Q♦
Wrong: Hold K♠ Q♠ (4 to royal)
Right: Keep full house (guaranteed 9×)

3. Holding Low Card with High Cards

Mistake: Keep 2-J when dealt J-2-7-9-K Correct: Hold J-K only Cost: ~1% EV loss

J♣ 2♦ 7♠ 9♥ K♣
Wrong: J-2 or K-2
Right: J-K (two high cards)

4. Ignoring Four to Flush

Mistake: Keep small pair over four to flush Correct: Depends on pair value

Low pair + 4 flush: Keep flush draw
High pair + 4 flush: Keep pair

9♦ 9♣ A♦ K♦ 3♦
Wrong: Keep 9-9
Right: Keep A-K-3-9 diamonds (flush draw)

Pay Table Impact

Full Pay vs Short Pay

Pay Table	Full House	Flush	RTP
9/6 (full pay)	9×	6×	99.54%
9/5	9×	5×	98.44%
8/6	8×	6×	98.39%
8/5	8×	5×	97.29%
7/5	7×	5×	96.15%
6/5	6×	5×	95.00%

Strategy Adjustments

Short pay tables:
Flush draws worth less
Some borderline holds change
Overall: Play full pay when possible

Finding Full Pay Machines

Location	Availability
Las Vegas off-strip	Common
Online casinos	Common
Las Vegas Strip	Rare
Local casinos	Variable
Airports	Almost never

Game Variants

Deuces Wild

All 2s are wild
No pair payout
Different strategy

Key adjustments:
- Keep any deuce
- Three of a kind minimum payout
- Wild royals common
- RTP: 100.76% with perfect strategy!

Double Bonus

Enhanced four-of-a-kind payouts
Lower two pair payout

Key adjustments:
- More aggressive draws to quads
- Two pair worth less
- RTP: 100.17% (10/7 variant)

Bonus Poker

Better four-of-a-kind payouts
Same Jacks or Better base

Strategy similar to JoB
RTP: 99.17% (8/5 variant)

Practice Approach

Learning Perfect Strategy

1. Start with major decisions
2. Memorize hand hierarchy
3. Learn exception cases
4. Practice with trainer
5. Review mistakes

Common Decision Points

Frequency	Decision Type
30%	Clear pat hand or pair
40%	Standard draw situations
20%	Marginal high-card decisions
10%	Complex EV comparisons

Perfection Target

Perfect strategy: 0 errors
Expert: <1 error per hour
Good: 1-2 errors per hour
Average: 3-5 errors per hour

Each error costs ~2-5% of bet

Bankroll Considerations

Variance Profile

Video poker: Medium variance
100-300 hands per hour
Royal flush: ~40,000 hands

Standard deviation: ~4-5 units per 100 hands

Recommended Bankroll

Session Goal	Bankroll
1 hour	200× max bet
2 hours	350× max bet
4 hours	500× max bet

Royal Flush Impact

Royal = 800× bet (max coins)
Occurs every ~40,000 hands
Without royal, RTP drops ~2%

Short sessions: May never hit royal
Long term: Royals crucial for return

Frequently Asked Questions

Does it matter which cards I hold position-wise?

No. Only card values matter, not positions. Hold the best combination regardless of where cards appear.

Should I always play max coins?

Yes, if the royal flush bonus is proportionally higher (800× vs 250×). Otherwise, bet within your comfort zone.

Is video poker better than slots?

Usually yes. Full-pay video poker offers 99%+ RTP with perfect strategy. Most slots are 90-96%. You have control over video poker outcomes.

Can I count cards in video poker?

Not effectively. Each hand is a fresh deal from a full deck. No information carries between hands.

What's the biggest strategy mistake?

Holding kickers (extra cards with a pair) is the most common costly error. Always hold only the pair.

How do I find the pay table?

Look at the full house and flush payouts. 9/6 = 9× for full house, 6× for flush. It's displayed on the machine.

Pro Tips

• Always play max coins: Royal bonus makes it essential

• Find full-pay machines: 9/6 Jacks or Better minimum

• Use a strategy card: No shame in perfect play

• Practice before betting: Free trainers available

• Track your results: Verify you're playing correctly

Related Calculators

• Video Poker Jacks or Better Calculator - Specific strategy
• Video Poker EV Calculator - Hand values
• Poker Odds Calculator - Draw probabilities
• Expected Value Calculator - EV analysis
• House Edge Calculator - Edge comparison

Conclusion

Video poker strategy is learnable and valuable—perfect play can reduce house edge to under 0.5% on full-pay machines. Our calculator shows optimal holds for any hand, comparing expected values so you always make the mathematically best decision.

Calculate Optimal Holds Now →

Every hold matters in video poker. Our calculator reveals the EV of each option, training you to recognize optimal plays instantly. Learn the hierarchy, avoid common mistakes, and transform video poker from gambling into skilled play with one of the lowest house edges in the casino.