Best Tips and Tricks On Jacks or Better Poker Basic Strategy

Author of article: Denis Anipchenko
Published: 27 July 2010 The latest update: 23 June 2022
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6 min.

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video poker jacks or better

A video poker variation called Jacks or Better is supposed to be the first in this row of games. Its appearance dates back to the early seventies of the last century. However, Jacks or Better Poker is still prevalent.

It is also considered to be the best version for the first acquaintance with video poker games.

The point is that this game has no intricacies in its rules and is easy to learn.

Brief History of Jacks or Better Poker

At the dawn of video poker machines, payouts were for two pairs and better, and players' chances of winning were so low that the majority of fans of gambling games refused to play them. So, manufacturers changed their policy.

Initially, the probability of winning increased.
Then the principle of crediting payouts was updated.
Payouts were provided for a pair of jacks and better. This rule gave a title to Jacks or Better video poker.

Gamblers appreciated such an approach. It significantly increased the popularity of this video poker game worldwide. The appearance of online casinos made Jacks or Better more popular and accessible.

jacks or better poker paytable

Jacks or Better has gradually become widely known. Many variations of this game have appeared. The best versions of this video poker have a very low house edge, which can be less than half a percent. There are a few casino games with such a low house advantage. To be sure, you should follow the most effective strategy and exclude mistakes.

Jacks or Better Poker Basic Strategy

So, let's discuss in an accessible form the basic principles of the strategy for Jacks or Better video poker. The most common situations observed as soon as the cards are dealt will be discussed in this article.

Dealt Cards	Player's Actions
Royal flush, straight flush	Hold all cards.
Four of a kind	Keep four cards of one rank and draw one left card.
Full house	Keep all cards.
Four cards to a royal flush	Hold cards to a royal flush and draw one left card even if it is necessary to split a flush.
Four cards to a straight flush	Hold cards to a straight flush and draw one left card even if it is necessary to split a pair (a flush is not split).
Flush	Hold all cards.
Straight	Hold all cards.
Three of a kind	Keep a three of a kind and exchange two other cards.
Two pairs	Keep two pairs and exchange one card.
KQJ or JQT suited	Keep these cards and draw two others, hoping to collect a royal flush or the other hand.
JJ or a higher pair	Hold only a pair and exchange other cards.
Three to a royal flush not in sequence	Hold these cards and exchange the remainder even if it is necessary to exchange a low pair.
Four to a flush	Keep these cards and draw the other cards even if it is necessary to exchange a low pair.
KQJT unsuited	Keep these cards and exchange one card, even if it is T.
Any low pair	Hold only a pair and exchange the remainder.
Four to a straight without a pair	Hold these four cards and exchange one card.
Three suited cards in sequence without a pair	Hold these three cards and exchange two others.
QJ suited without a pair and other variants	Keep QJ and exchange three cards.
AKQJ unsuited	Hold these cards and draw one left card, trying to collect a straight or high pair.
Two suited cards that are higher than T	Keep only these two cards and draw the remainder.
Three cards to a straight flush not in sequence	Keep these cards and exchange two others.
JT suited	Keep these cards and exchange three others.
QT suited (if there are no other cards of this suit)	Keep these cards and exchange others.
One card from J, Q, K, and four low-ranking different cards	Hold only one card and draw four low-ranking cards.
Other low-ranking cards without high cards or with an ace	Exchange all cards without trying to collect a three-card flush or inside straight.

It is not that difficult to memorize this table. It is enough to understand the rank of all hands, starting with the highest-ranking ones, and find out when to collect them. Then you can proceed to the consideration of cases with different pairs and various cards.