Poker players compete against others in an arena where outcomes are determined partly by chance and partly by the quality of decisions made along the way. Improving your strategy leads to a direct uptick in your expected win rate, at least in the long run.
This is completely different to casino games like slots and roulette, which are games of chance played against the house.
Somewhere in the middle, video poker provides a bridge between these two worlds. It is ultimately a game of chance in which the house always has a small edge. Strategy still matters, though.
How to Play Video Poker
Video poker is a casino game that follows a similar set of rules to Five Card Draw. After placing a bet, you’ll be dealt an initial starting hand. You can then choose to keep or discard any of the cards. Discards are replaced with new cards, which are then used to form your final hand.
If you make a qualifying hand, you’ll be paid out according to a fixed paytable. For example, in Jacks or Better, the minimum qualifying hand is a pair of jacks, which pays 1:1, while a Royal Flush typically pays 800:1 on your bet.
Why Strategy Still Matters in Video Poker
As you can see, video poker is nowhere near as complex as Texas Hold’em, or even Five Card Draw. There are no betting rounds, no other players to read or bluff, and no need to hide your own hand strength. It’s just you and the cards.
In other words, the strategy in video poker is not at all psychological. It’s purely mathematical, based on the probabilities and payouts of making hands. The main decision you’ll be making as a player is which cards to redraw in any given situation.
Game selection is also important, as paytables vary drastically between one variation of video poker and another, and even between casino venues. Combining game selection and correct video poker strategy can dramatically reduce the house edge from around 5% to 0.5%.
Video Poker Strategy Concept #1 – Paytable Selection
The first strategic decision you’ll make in video poker happens before the cards are dealt. First, you’ll want to choose a favorable paytable, one that pays out fairly based on the odds of making poker hands.
| Video Poker Variant | Example Paytable Key Feature | RTP | House Edge |
| Jacks or Better (9/6) | Full House pays 9, Flush pays 6. | 99.54% | 0.46% |
| Jacks or Better (8/5) | Full House 8, Flush 5. | 97.30% | 2.70% |
| Bonus Poker (8/5) | Higher payouts for four-of-a-kind. | 99.17% | 0.83% |
| Double Bonus Poker | Even larger bonuses. | 98.98% | 1.02% |
| Deuces Wild (Full Pay) | Deuces act as wild cards | 100.76% | -0.76%* |
When playing at physical casinos, you might not have much choice, as it’s up to the venue to set the paytable, at least within certain parameters. At online casinos, you can play bitcoin video poker, explore multiple variations, and find the most generous paytables possible by scanning a wider selection.
The Return to Player (RTP) and house edges shown here are based on playing optimal strategy. In reality, the best odds usually come from Jacks or Better, as this is the game you’ll commonly find at physical and online casinos.
Video Poker Strategy Concept #2 – Probabilities and Draws
Optimal strategy in video poker relies on probability. You have no control over the cards you are dealt, but you can maximize your chances of hitting a winning hand by knowing which cards you should discard.
Thankfully, video poker decisions can be distilled into a handful of basic rules. Other variations of video poker offer different paytables, which may require an alternative drawing strategy. The following applies to Jacks or Better:
- Always hold high pairs, unless you have four cards to a royal flush.
- Don’t break high pairs to play for a flush, straight, or even a low straight flush.
- Keep any made hand like trips or better.
- Hold four cards to a flush or a straight unless you have a high card.
- Keep low pairs unless you have a stronger draw as they can improve to trips or better.
- Keep high cards (jacks or better) if you have nothing else.
- Discard low, unconnected cards.
Beginner’s mistakes include chasing draws that are unlikely to hit, or splitting pairs to chase flushes and straights. Stick to the rules above and you won’t be far off achieving the best possible house edge in video poker.
Applying Optimal Video Poker Strategy
Once you begin to recognize the patterns in video poker hands, your decisions will become almost automatic. You’ll know which cards to hold and which to discard without so much as a second glance.
Until then, you can follow this guide as a reminder during play. Remember to select your game carefully by either finding a casino that offers fair paytables, or by browsing online casino and crypto casino sites for a full range of video poker variations.
It might be tempting to always play for the big hands, but doing so will drop your RTP and ramp up the house edge. Apply the drawing rules we outlined above so that your strategy is optimal.
