Let’s talk for a bit about basic strategy for Jacks or Better video poker. The trick to video poker is to play the hands so that they lead to the best payout but the strategy is also to try to stay in the game as long as possible to hope to hit a Royal flush and win the big payout.
When you are dealt a hand at video poker, you often have various options on how to play them. Sometimes the option is to play safe and stay in the game longer. Other times the best option may be to toss the whole hand and draw fresh.
The most basic part of a Jacks or Better strategy is to remember the name. You need at least a pair of jacks or higher (queen, king, ace) to make a minimum winning hand. A lower pair doesn’t help you at all. But a winning pair only returns your money, it doesn’t move you ahead. For that, you’re going to need two pair or better. (With two pair or three of a kind and any other hands, the cards don’t have to be just jacks or higher.)
So, the first thing to remember when playing Jacks or Better is that if the hand doesn’t have a higher potential win of a straight, flush or better, hold the Jack, Queen, King or Ace. A pair formed with one of them won’t be a big win, but it will keep you in the game. So, that’s the first lesson – hold the high card of Jack or better. Actually, just playing with that in a casino may keep you at even money for a number of hours. But we’ll improve on that strategy as we move forward.
Tags: Jacks or better
