Video Poker Guide 2026 | Strategy, Variants & Best Casinos

Video poker is one of the best-value games in any casino. Unlike slots, where the outcome is entirely random and the player has no input beyond selecting a bet size, video poker requires decisions on every hand - and those decisions have a direct, measurable impact on your return. With optimal strategy applied to a full-pay Jacks or Better machine, the house edge drops to approximately 0.46%, making it one of the lowest house edge games available at any online casino. On certain Deuces Wild machines with the right pay table, the return to player can exceed 100% - meaning the mathematical edge actually shifts to the player.

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How Video Poker Works

Video poker is based on five-card draw poker. The machine deals you five cards from a standard 52-card deck (53 in Joker Wild variants). You choose which cards to hold and which to discard. The discarded cards are replaced by new cards from the same deck, and your final five-card hand is evaluated against a pay table. The stronger the hand, the higher the payout. Unlike table poker, you are not competing against other players or a dealer - you are simply trying to form the best five-card hand possible against a fixed pay table.

The key difference between video poker and slots is that in video poker you make decisions that genuinely affect the outcome. The right hold decisions, applied consistently, reduce the house edge to a fraction of what slots or roulette offer. The wrong decisions - holding the wrong cards hand after hand - increase the effective house edge significantly. This is why learning optimal strategy matters more in video poker than in almost any other casino game.

Jacks or Better – The Foundation Game

Jacks or Better is the most widely available and most studied video poker variant. It is the best starting point for any player new to video poker because its strategy is well-documented, the pay table is straightforward, and the return on a full-pay machine is among the best in the casino.

The minimum qualifying hand in Jacks or Better is a pair of Jacks. Hands below this pay nothing. The full pay table for a 9/6 Jacks or Better machine (the version with the best return) is as follows:

Always Bet Maximum Coins The Royal Flush pays 250 coins per coin bet at standard odds, but jumps to 800 coins per coin bet when you wager the maximum of five coins. This bonus payout on the Royal Flush is what pushes the 9/6 Jacks or Better return to 99.54%. Playing fewer than maximum coins on a Royal Flush drops your effective return significantly. Always bet five coins on video poker machines.

Reading the Pay Table

The pay table is the single most important thing to check before sitting down at any video poker machine. Not all Jacks or Better machines are equal. The "9/6" designation refers to the Full House paying 9 coins and the Flush paying 6 coins per coin wagered. Some machines offer 8/5 or even 7/5 pay tables, which reduce the return by over 2% and 4% respectively. The difference between a 9/6 machine and an 8/5 machine is invisible at a glance but significant over any extended session. Always identify the Full House and Flush payouts before playing.

Video Poker Variants

Deuces Wild: All four 2s (deuces) act as wild cards and substitute for any card. The minimum qualifying hand rises to Three of a Kind because the wild cards make lower hands easier to form. On a full-pay Deuces Wild machine, the return to player with optimal strategy exceeds 100.76% - the only casino game where a mathematical player advantage is achievable with perfect play. Finding a full-pay Deuces Wild machine online is rare, but the variant is available at several RTG-powered casinos.

Bonus Poker: A variation on Jacks or Better that offers enhanced payouts for specific Four of a Kind hands. Four Aces pays significantly more than standard Jacks or Better, as does Four 2s/3s/4s. The trade-off is a slightly reduced payout on Two Pair. With optimal strategy the return is around 99.17% on a full-pay machine.

Double Bonus Poker: A higher-variance version of Bonus Poker with even larger payouts for Four Aces. The increased prize for premium quads is offset by a Two Pair paying 1-for-1 rather than 2-for-1. Full-pay Double Bonus Poker returns 100.17% with optimal strategy, putting it in rare company alongside Deuces Wild for player-favourable returns.

Joker Wild: A 53-card deck with one Joker added as a wild card. The minimum qualifying hand is typically Two Pair or Kings or Better depending on the variant. The Joker's presence makes Royal Flushes and Five of a Kind hands achievable. Full-pay Joker Wild returns around 100.64% with optimal strategy.

Basic Optimal Strategy for Jacks or Better

Optimal strategy in video poker is a set of hold decisions for every possible starting hand that produces the highest possible expected return. The full strategy table covers hundreds of combinations, but the following core principles cover the most common situations:

Always hold a made hand of Two Pair or better - never break up a completed winning hand to chase a Royal Flush unless you already have four cards to the Royal.

Four cards to a Royal Flush beat everything except a made Royal Flush or Straight Flush. Break up a Full House, a Flush, a Straight or even Four of a Kind if you have four cards to the Royal.

Hold any pair of Jacks or better over an incomplete straight or flush draw, with the exception of four cards to a Royal Flush.

Three cards to a Royal Flush beat a low pair (2s through 10s). Discard the low pair and chase the Royal.

Four cards to a Flush beat a low pair. Hold the four suited cards and discard the odd one, even if it costs you the pair.

Never hold a kicker with a pair. If you have a pair of Aces and a King, discard the King. Holding the kicker reduces your expected return on every dealt hand.