Video Poker Guides: Paytables, Odds & Strategy
Video poker combines the speed of slots with real poker decisions – and some versions pay back more than 99% with correct play. Learn how to read paytables, which variants offer the best odds and the strategy that makes the difference.
How to Play Video Poker
Choose a game and set your coin size and number of coins (usually 1–5).
Press Deal to receive five cards.
Choose which cards to hold.
Press Draw to replace the rest.
Your final hand is paid according to the paytable.
Unlike table poker, you don't play against anyone – you simply try to make the best hand possible from the draw.
How to Read a Video Poker Paytable
Games with the same name can pay very differently. In Jacks or Better, the payouts for a full house and a flush tell you the version: "9/6" means a full house pays 9 and a flush pays 6 per coin.
| Jacks or Better version | Full house / Flush | RTP with optimal strategy |
|---|---|---|
| 9/6 (full pay) | 9 / 6 | 99.54% |
| 8/6 | 8 / 6 | 98.39% |
| 8/5 | 8 / 5 | 97.30% |
| 7/5 | 7 / 5 | 96.15% |
| 6/5 | 6 / 5 | 95.00% |
One small change in the paytable can cost you over 4% in return, so always check it before you play.
Popular Video Poker Variants
| Variant | Key feature | Best paytable RTP |
|---|---|---|
| Jacks or Better | Pays from a pair of jacks; low volatility | 99.54% (9/6) |
| Deuces Wild | All 2s are wild; minimum hand three of a kind | Over 100% on rare full-pay versions |
| Bonus Poker | Extra payouts for four of a kind | Around 99% |
| Double Double Bonus | Big bonuses for four aces with kickers; high volatility | Around 100% on the best paytables |
| Joker Poker | A joker acts as a wild card | Varies widely |
| Multi-hand | Play 3, 10, 50 or 100 hands at once | Same as the base game |
Full-pay versions with RTP above 100% are rare, especially online, and require perfect strategy.
Video Poker Strategy Tips
Use a strategy chart for the exact game and paytable you are playing.
Bet maximum coins when the royal flush pays a bonus for max coins (often 4,000 coins instead of 1,250) – choose a smaller coin size if needed.
Never hold a kicker with a pair in Jacks or Better.
Keep a low pair rather than drawing to a high card in most situations.
Break a flush or straight only to go for a royal flush when you hold four cards to it.
Practise for free – many casinos offer demo video poker with strategy hints.
Video Poker vs Slots
| Video poker | Slots | |
|---|---|---|
| Skill involved | Yes – decisions affect RTP | No |
| Typical RTP | 95%–99.5%+ | 94%–97% |
| Transparency | Paytable shows the exact maths | RTP listed in game info |
| Bonus wagering | Often counts 10%–20% or is excluded | Usually 100% |
Want to learn the poker side too? See our poker guides.
Video Poker Hand Rankings and Payouts (9/6 Jacks or Better)
| Hand | Pays per coin (1 coin) | Pays for 5 coins |
|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | 250 | 4,000 |
| Straight flush | 50 | 250 |
| Four of a kind | 25 | 125 |
| Full house | 9 | 45 |
| Flush | 6 | 30 |
| Straight | 4 | 20 |
| Three of a kind | 3 | 15 |
| Two pair | 2 | 10 |
| Jacks or better | 1 | 5 |
Notice the jump for a royal flush with five coins – that bonus is why max-coin play is recommended.
Where to Play Video Poker Online
Many online casinos offer video poker from providers such as Microgaming and Play'n GO. Before playing, open the paytable and compare it with the full-pay versions above – the same game name can hide very different returns. Remember that video poker usually counts little towards bonus wagering.
Full-pay 9/6 Jacks or Better is the best-known high-return game at 99.54% with optimal strategy. Full-pay Deuces Wild and some Double Double Bonus versions can return even more but are rare.
Yes. The listed RTP assumes optimal play. Mistakes such as holding kickers or breaking pairs reduce your return.
It means a full house pays 9 coins and a flush pays 6 coins per coin bet. It identifies the most generous Jacks or Better paytable.
In most games, yes – the royal flush pays a bonus only on maximum coins. Lower your coin size rather than playing fewer coins.
For return, usually yes: good video poker paytables return more than most slots when played correctly. Slots offer bigger jackpots and require no decisions.
Both. The cards are dealt randomly, but your decisions about which cards to hold change the long-term return.