Jacks or Better simple strategy

At the first glance it may look like a slot machine, but Video Poker is a game of skill, where the player’s decisions and luck are the only that can influence the result of the game and the chances to win. There are many versions of Video Poker games both on land and casino games, but Jacks or Better is the original Video Poker game and one of the most popular casino games.

Although the hands ranking are the same as table poker, Video Poker strategies are very different. Because Jacks or Better is a single player game the goal is to get the best-paying hand.

Once you made the bet you receive five cards. Next is up to you to hold the best cards and to throw away worst cards. The discarded cards are then replaced with new ones and if you hit a winning combination you get paid, or if not, you lose.

The simplest Jacks or Better strategy is based on a list that suggest how to play every hand. All you need to do is to check out what cards to discard and what cards to hold depending on the initial cards dealt. If you have more options in the list you must choose the one higher in the list.

Jacks or Better strategy – cards to keep (discard the rest)
-    Four of a kind, straight flush, royal flush
-    4 to a royal flush
-    Three of a kind, straight, flush, full house
-    4 to a straight flush
-    Two pair
-    High pair
-    3 to a royal flush
-    4 to a flush
-    Low pair
-    4 to an outside straight
-    2 suited high cards
-    3 to a straight flush
-    2 unsuited high cards  (if more than 2 then pick the lowest 2)
-    Suited 10/J, 10/Q, or 10/K
-    One high card
-    Discard everything

The high card term refers to the jack, queen, king, or ace cards. An outside straight is a four cards straight that can be completed at either end, like 8, 9, 10, J. An inside straight is a straight with a gap inside like 6, 7, 9, 10.

To understand how this strategy works let’s take an example.

You have the following initial hand: 5s, Qs, Ks, 5s, 3h. According to the list you have three options: keep the 2 suited high cards, keep the low pair or keep the four spades to a flush. The highest on the list is to keep the four to a flush so you should discard the 3h.

The strategy is very easy to follow and you can keep it handy when you play online Jacks or Better. In time you will eventually learn it and will get easier to use it.
If you want to give it a try the easiest way is to play in an online casino. For the Jacks or Better game you have several online casinos to choose from, like This is Vegas, Rome Casino, Europa Casino and Sun Palace.