Jacks or Better Strategy and Where to Play Video Poker (2024)

Jacks or Better Strategy and Where to Play Video Poker (2024)

Jacks ot Better Strategy & Tips - What You Should Know Before You Play

Video poker is one of the best games that you can play in an online casino. It is one of those titles that offer such a low house edge that it manages to produce more winners, on average, than many other of the most popular games in the online casino industry.

Not only that, but video poker is extremely fun as much as it is very easy to play. If you’re a fan of poker but you also love the fast-paced gameplay of online slots, then we can assure you that you’ll want to try video poker the next time you visit one of your favorite online casinos.

Jacks or Better Video Poker is easy to play and it provides people with the best odds out of any other game in the video poker market. In this article, we’ll explore strategies that will allow you to win more at the game and we’ll also tell you where to play it to win a fortune and have a world of fun along the way!

Jacks or Better Video Strategy & Tips

Now, if you really want to make the best of your experience playing Jacks or Better Video Poker, it’s time for you to take a look at some tips that have worked wonders for us. We know that the game is extremely fun regardless of the strategies that you put into practice, but you need to understand that some strategies will work better than others.

With that said, there’s a limited number of things that you can do, as the game basically works like a virtual slot machine. Since you can make certain in-game decisions, these tips will help you make the best of your time and money while playing the game:

  • Bet the maximum number of coins if you have the budget for it: One of the tricks that most people don’t know about Jacks or Better Video Poker is that the game gives you the best odds of winning if you have the budget to place bets with the max number of coins allowed.
  • Always play with bonuses if given the chance: If you ever come across an online casino that gives you the chance to play with bonus money, make sure to make the best use of the money and spend it on video poker games. This is especially true if you come across a casino that provides you with a video poker stake weight of more than 20%, as the return rate of video poker makes you likely to make a profit.
  • Take advantage of the game's pace and think about your next move: Another advantage of playing video poker over any other casino game is that you have more than enough time to think about what to do. Make sure that you make the best of your money and think about every play as much as you can. That’s the best way to ensure that you won’t consume your budget unnecessarily quickly.
  • Play in machines with progressive payouts to maximize your Jacks or Better strategy effectiveness: There are some fantastic Jacks or Better Video Poker slot machines that come with variations of progressive jackpots. If you happen to come across any of these machines, don’t let doubts cloud your mind: make the best use of them. Playing regular video poker hands could allow you to build up your chances to earn even more cash than you would win in a normal machine!
  • Prioritize playing Jacks or Better video poker: We know that there are many video poker variants out there, but few will offer good odds of winning as much as Jacks or Better does. This is the closest to 100% RTP that you’ll get in a game of video poker, with a staggering 99.59% return rate at best.

Jacks or Better Odds - The Hands that You Should Always Play

As well as knowing basic playing tips and knowing how to use a Jacks or Better strategy card, it's important that you memorize the following plays so you can always make them when given the chance. These plays are part of the optimal strategy guide and will help you create a jacks or better perfect strategy to maximize your wins:

  • If you have a pair, discard the other three cards and keep the pair;
  • If you have a high card, keep it and discard the rest;
  • If you have a three of a kind or three cards to a straight flush, keep either and discard the other two;
  • Only draw one card if you have two pairs, four cards of a royal flush, straight flush, or flush.

When to Hold a High or Low Pair?

Having a pair whilst also being on the verge of something great, such as a straight flush, will have you thinking very seriously about what to do. Thankfully, if using this jacks or better cheat sheet, you'll always know when to keep the pair and when to let it go. Remember that we call anything below a pair of Jacks a low pair because it does not qualify for the payout in a game of Jacks or Better.

  • When you have four cards to a straight, always keep the pair that you have in your hand
  • If have four into a straight but the straight consists of at least three consecutive high cards, drop the pair and keep the high cards

Jacks or Better Video Poker Optimal Strategy

Even though there are many poker strategies that you could employ, this is the best one out there. It is the most expansive one, though, it can be quite tiring to try out if you’re just starting out with the game. Use this table and focus on betting on any of the outcomes from top to bottom. Always prioritize the ones at the top if they show up as options, and never bet on anything that isn’t on the table.

Basically, with this table, you will be able to prioritize the hands to bet on and which ones to sacrifice. It’s basically a cheat sheet that isn’t too difficult to implement, but it’s one that does take a toll on players if you’re a slow bettor. It can take a while to get used to it, but since video poker doesn’t come with any time limits, it’s one of the best tables to use and increase your chances of winning serious cash at the game.

Video Poker Strategy Charts Jacks or Better

HandPaysProbabilityReturn
Royal Flush 8000.0000250.019807
Straight Flush500.0001090.005465
Four of a Kind250.0023630.059064
Full House90.0115120.10361
Flush60.0110150.066087
Straight40.0112290.044917
Three of a Kind30.0744490.223346
Two Pair20.1292790.258558
Pair10.2145850.214585
Nothing
00.5454350
Total-10.995439

Pro Tip: Optimal strategy prioritizes low-value wins over high-value wins, as low-value wins like anything from a pair to a straight are far more likely than anything from a full house to a royal flush!

Jacks or Better Pay Table

Let's take a look at the pay table present in any game of jacks or better to help you understand how much cash you can expect per bet placed. Notice how payments get exponentially better with each coin that you bet, and notice why 5-coin bets are always the standard recommended bet when going for the optimal jacks or better strategy.

PlayPay with a 1-coin betPay with a 2-coin betPay with a 3-coin betPay with a 4-coin betPay with a 5-coin bet
Royal Flush25050075010004000
Straight Flush50100150200250
Four of a Kind255075100125
Full House918273645
Flush612182430
Straight48121620
Three of a Kind3691215
Two Pair246810
Jacks or Better12345

Jacks or Better Strategy: Possible Combinations

Video Poker is easy to play and even easier to understand if you’ve already played poker in the past. Not only does the game allows you to get the thrill of a poker round every time that you spin the wheel, but it also makes it easy for players to enjoy multiple wins at once to experience victory in many different ways. These are all the winning combinations that you can get in a game of Jacks or Better Video Poker, all of which provide you with different amounts of cash depending on how much you’ve spent per spin.

  • Royal Flush: 10♦️ - J♦️ - Q♦️ - K♦️ - A♦️
  • Straight Flush: 5♠️ - 6♠️ - 7♠️ - 8♠️ - 9♠️
  • Four of a Kind (Poker): K♦️ - K♥️ - K♣️ - K♠️
  • Full House: 4♥️ - 4♣️ - 4♠️ - 3♦️ - 3♠️
  • Flush: 3♠️ - 5♠️ - 8♠️ - J♠️ - A♠️
  • Straight: 8♠️ - 9♥️ - 10♥️ - J♣️ - Q♦️
  • Three of a Kind: 5♥️ - 5♣️ - 5♠️
  • Two Pair: 9♦️ - 9♣️ - 3♦️ - 3♠️
  • Jacks or Better: J♠️ - J♥️

How to Play Video Poker

Playing Jacks or Better Video Poker is extremely easy. Basically, it’s like playing Omaha against the house. Let's take a look at the steps to follow in order to enjoy the game:

  1. Open the version of Jacks or Better that you wish to play
  2. Select how much cash you want to bet. Generally, you'll have the option to bet up to five credits, but their value varies depending on the game
  3. You'll be dealt five cards. You decide which ones to keep and which ones to discard
  4. You will be dealt replacement cards for the ones you choose to discard
  5. Payouts are given based on how good your hand is

Look at this game as a very simple variation of Omaha that you can play 1v1 on a machine and at a much faster rate than you would be playing against a real dealer. Any poker combination pays, provided except pairs of 10s and below. There are many online sites that offer trainers for you to learn the basic strategy (when to hold on to certain cards or when to play for another hand).

These are the best places on the internet for you to master the basic strategy that we’re showing in this guide, as our strategy guide consists of you memorizing the odds that favor you the most so you know how to properly spend your cash.

What is Jacks or Better Video Poker

There is no denying that Jacks or Better is the best type of video poker game. It provides you with the best odds out of any other type of video poker game in the industry, which also explains why it’s the most played video poker game developed by the giants of the industry. This fantastic game has payouts that start when you get anything from “Jacks or Better”, as its name suggests.

Why Play Jacks or Better Video Poker?

The main reason why you should be playing Jacks or Better Video Poker is that this is the best video poker game that you’ll find on the internet – statistically speaking, at least. The game provides you with the best odds of winning out of any other game in the video poker endeavor, allowing you to make multiple decisions that could increase the RTP to as much as 99.54% (that’s even better than blackjack).

This all means that Jacks or Better is the best video poker game to master and enjoy. If you’re going to spend your time playing a single game in an online casino, then making the best video poker strategy is a sure way to increase the chances of making a killing in rewards.

The Casino Wizard Pro Tip: The following hands are never played with optimal Jacks or Better strategy:

  • A four to an inside straight with any other cards. You should always keep the high cards or discard everything if you don't have any
  • If you 3 have unsuited high cards, you should only keep the Ace
  • A suited 10 and an Ace may look promising, but you should discard the 10 and only keep the Ace

How Is Jacks or Better Video Poker Like Omaha?

It's impossible not to draw a comparisson between Jacks or Better and the classic 5-card draw game, Omaha Poker. There are some clear similarities between the two games, and here are some of the main ones:

  • In Jacks or Better Video Poker, you will always play with a 5-card hand, much like you do in a regular game of Omaha poker.
  • Both games have a single discard round where players are allowed to get rid of any number of cards

The Easiest Video Poker Hand: Jacks or Better

Arguably the easiest hand to win in a game of video poker, Jacks or Better pays by simply having a hand that gives you jacks or anything higher than that. As such, betting on it is one of the lowest risk bets that you can place on a game of video poker.

The Best Casinos to Play Jacks or Better Video Poker

Jacks or Better Video Poker is one of the best online poker games that you can play – whether you’re a fan of video poker or of traditional poker itself. We are going to tell you all about the best online casinos in which you can play video poker, which often gives you bonuses to play the game for free if you have a budget to make a decent deposit to get started into the game. Be sure to spend some cash and get yourself sorted out in the best online casinos to play Jacks or Better Video Poker!

1 100% up to €200 + 11 Free Spins Wager-Free Claim bonus
2 100% up to €500 + 200 Free Spins Claim bonus
3 100% up to €1,000 + 200 Free Spins Claim bonus
4 €10 Free + 100% First Deposit Bonus Claim bonus

A Game Better than Slots - Start Your Journey and Win a Fortune!

The thrill of an online slot machine might be huge, but there’s no better way than combining this thrill with the chance of winning much more money, and that is something that you can get with Jacks or Better Video Poker. Not only does this game takes the best of what you can get in a slot machine and combines it with the beautiful game of poker, but your odds of making a profit are as high as they will never be in a traditional slot machine per se.

Now that you know all about this game, as well as where you can play it, it’s time for you to make the best of your time and money and spend them on this fantastic casino game. The world’s leading casinos are home to the best video poker machines in the world, so get down to business and explore the world of gambling now!

Last updated  April 1, 2024
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About the author

Marco

Marco

Chief Content Writer

Marco

Chief Content Writer

Marco is an experienced casino writer with more than half a decade of gambling-related work on his back. He took a keen interest in gambling as a young adult and started writing expert content for the casino and sports betting niche in 2015. Now, he specializes in online slots, table games, and sports betting – producing well-researched content on all fronts of the iGaming world.

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