Gambling Online 101
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12 min readOptimal Video Poker Strategy
The only casino game where perfect play can yield 100%+ RTP. Hand-by-hand strategy, pay table analysis, and why the math actually favors the player.
BonusBell Team
Video poker is the only standard casino game where a skilled player can achieve a positive expected return. Full-pay Deuces Wild returns 100.76% with perfect strategy. Full-pay Jacks or Better (9/6) returns 99.54% — and when you factor in casino comp programs, you can push the total value above 100%. Every other casino game takes your money on expectation. Video poker, played correctly, gives it back.
Why Video Poker Is Different
Slots are pure RNG with fixed RTP — your decisions don't matter. Video poker uses the same 52-card deck as table poker, and you choose which cards to hold. That choice is the entire game. A computer can solve every possible 5-card deal and determine the single optimal hold for each one. There are 2,598,960 possible initial deals, each with 32 possible hold combinations. The math is finite and solved.
Good to Know
Solved game. Unlike table poker where you play against opponents with hidden information, video poker is a game against a pay table and a known probability distribution. Every hand has exactly one correct play, and the correct play never changes.
Pay Table Analysis: Small Changes, Massive Impact
The name "9/6 Jacks or Better" refers to the payouts for a full house (9-for-1) and flush (6-for-1) at max coin. These two numbers define everything. Casinos adjust them to change the house edge:
Jacks or Better Pay Table Variants
| Variant | Full House | Flush | RTP | House Edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9/6 (Full Pay) | 9 | 6 | 99.54% | 0.46% |
| 9/5 | 9 | 5 | 98.45% | 1.55% |
| 8/6 | 8 | 6 | 98.39% | 1.61% |
| 8/5 | 8 | 5 | 97.30% | 2.70% |
| 7/5 | 7 | 5 | 96.15% | 3.85% |
| 6/5 | 6 | 5 | 95.00% | 5.00% |
Dropping from 9/6 to 8/5 nearly sextuples the house edge
The Cost of a Bad Pay Table
Edge difference = 2.70% - 0.46% = 2.24%=On $1.25/hand at 800 hands/hour: $22.40/hour more in losses
At quarter-denomination max bet ($1.25), playing 800 hands per hour, the difference between 9/6 and 8/5 costs you an extra $22.40 per hour. Over a 4-hour session, that is $89.60 in additional expected losses — just from sitting at the wrong machine.
Strategy Insight
Before you sit down at any video poker machine, check the full house and flush payouts. If the machine is not 9/6 for Jacks or Better (or the equivalent full-pay table for your chosen variant), walk away. The strategy charts assume full-pay tables — they do not apply to short-pay machines, where hold priorities shift.
Jacks or Better 9/6: The Strategy
The optimal strategy for 9/6 Jacks or Better can be expressed as a ranked list. When you are dealt 5 cards, scan from the top of the list and hold the first combination you find. This is the computer-derived perfect play for every possible hand:
9/6 Jacks or Better — Optimal Hold Rankings (Simplified)
| Priority | Hand to Hold | Expected Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal Flush | 800.00 |
| 2 | Straight Flush | 50.00 |
| 3 | Four of a Kind | 25.00 |
| 4 | Full House | 9.00 |
| 5 | Flush | 6.00 |
| 6 | Three of a Kind | 4.30 |
| 7 | Straight | 4.00 |
| 8 | Two Pair | 2.60 |
| 9 | 4 to a Royal Flush | 2.40+ |
| 10 | High Pair (Jacks+) | 1.54 |
| 11 | 3 to a Royal Flush | 1.29+ |
| 12 | 4 to a Flush | 1.10+ |
| 13 | Low Pair | 0.82 |
| 14 | 4 to an Outside Straight | 0.68 |
| 15 | 2 High Cards (suited) | 0.59 |
| 16 | 3 to a Straight Flush | 0.54+ |
| 17 | 2 High Cards (unsuited) | 0.49 |
| 18 | J-Q-K suited | 0.46 |
| 19 | 1 High Card (J, Q, K, A) | 0.46 |
| 20 | Draw 5 new cards | 0.36 |
Scan from top to bottom. Hold the first match you find.
Warning
The counterintuitive plays are where money is made or lost.
Notice that a low pair (priority 13) beats an open-ended straight draw (priority 14). Most casual players break up a low pair to chase straights — this is a costly mistake. Also: four cards to a royal flush (priority 9) beats a made flush (priority 5? No — it does not, because the flush is already a guaranteed 6x payout). But four to a royal DOES beat a made straight (priority 7), which is the play most people get wrong. You break a made straight to chase a royal.
Top 3 Variants: Full-Pay Returns
Highest-RTP Video Poker Games
| Game | Full-Pay Notation | RTP (Perfect Play) | Key Strategic Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deuces Wild | NSUD (Not So Ugly Ducks) | 100.76% | All 2s are wild — never hold kickers, never hold a single high card without a deuce |
| Double Bonus | 10/7 | 100.17% | Quad aces pay 800 coins — aggressively hold aces even breaking pairs |
| Jacks or Better | 9/6 | 99.54% | Balanced strategy, best for beginners, most available full-pay game |
Deuces Wild and Double Bonus exceed 100% RTP — the casino expects to lose per hand
Multi-Play Variance
Multi-play video poker (3-play, 5-play, 10-play, 50-play, 100-play) does not change the RTP. Each hand is independent. What it changes is variance:
Variance Multiplier in Multi-Play
Standard Deviation ∝ √(number of hands)=100-play has 10x the SD of single-play per round
Playing 100 hands simultaneously amplifies short-term swings dramatically. You will see more royal flushes per hour, but your bankroll requirement scales up significantly. Single-play requires a smaller bankroll for the same expected hourly loss.
Strategy Insight
If you are playing for comps and aiming for near-breakeven play, single-hand or 3-play is optimal. Multi-play burns through your bankroll faster even though the expected return is identical. The speed means you need a substantially larger bankroll to survive variance.
Casino Comps: Turning 99.54% Into 100%+
Casinos offer comp programs based on "coin-in" — the total amount wagered, not the amount lost. A typical comp rate is 0.1% to 0.3% of coin-in returned as cash back, free play, or meals/rooms.
Total Value with Comps
Total EV = Game RTP + Comp Rate = 99.54% + 0.50% = 100.04%=Net positive: +$0.50 per $1,000 wagered
At 9/6 Jacks or Better with a 0.50% comp rate, your total expected return exceeds 100%. You are being paid to play. This is real — many advantage players grind video poker for comps as their primary income stream. The hourly rate is low, but the edge is genuine and sustainable.
Good to Know
This only works with perfect strategy on full-pay machines.
If you play 8/5 JoB with imperfect strategy and a 0.2% comp rate, your total return might be 96.5% — you are bleeding money. The comp math only works when the base game return is within 0.5% of 100%. This is why pay table selection and strategy accuracy are non-negotiable prerequisites.
Bankroll Requirements
Even with a positive expected return, video poker has high variance. Royal flushes account for roughly 2% of total RTP in Jacks or Better but occur only once every ~40,000 hands. Between royals, you are playing at an effective RTP of about 97.5%.
Recommended Bankrolls (1% Risk of Ruin)
| Game | Denomination | Max Bet | Bankroll Needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9/6 JoB | Quarter ($0.25) | $1.25/hand | ~$2,000 |
| 9/6 JoB | Dollar ($1.00) | $5.00/hand | ~$8,000 |
| FPDW (Deuces) | Quarter ($0.25) | $1.25/hand | ~$1,600 |
| 10/7 Double Bonus | Quarter ($0.25) | $1.25/hand | ~$3,500 |
Double Bonus requires larger bankroll due to higher variance despite higher RTP
Common Mistakes
Costly Errors in Video Poker
| Mistake | Correct Play | Cost per Error |
|---|---|---|
| Holding a kicker with a pair | Never hold a kicker | ~5% of hand EV |
| Not playing max coins | Always max bet (royal bonus) | ~1.5% RTP reduction |
| Keeping suited J-10 over a low pair | Hold the low pair | ~0.30 per hand |
| Breaking a flush to chase a straight flush | Hold the flush (unless 1 card to royal) | ~5.00 per hand |
| Playing short-pay tables | Only play full-pay | Up to 5% RTP difference |
Pro Tip
Practice for free before playing for real.
Use our Video Poker practice game to drill strategy until every hold decision is automatic. Track your accuracy and only move to real money when you are making fewer than 1 error per 100 hands.
Key Takeaways
- 1Full-pay Deuces Wild (100.76%) and Double Bonus (100.17%) have positive RTP with perfect play — the only standard casino games where the math favors the player
- 2Pay table selection is the single biggest factor: 9/6 Jacks or Better has a 0.46% house edge, while 6/5 has a 5.00% house edge — same game, 10x the cost
- 3Every 5-card hand has exactly one optimal hold — learn the strategy chart by priority rank and scan top-to-bottom
- 4Casino comps of 0.3-0.5% on coin-in can push 9/6 JoB total return above 100%, making it a legitimate advantage play
- 5Play the qualifying max-coin stake when the royal-flush bonus is what makes the pay table viable
Sources & References
- Video Poker Optimum Play by Dan Paymar (ConJelCo, 2004). Computer-derived optimal strategy tables and RTP calculations for all standard video poker variants. Verified independently by multiple analysts.
- Wizard of Odds video poker analysis (wizardofodds.com). Pay table RTP values calculated from exhaustive combinatorial analysis of all 2,598,960 possible 5-card deals and 32 hold combinations per deal. These are mathematically exact, not simulated.
- Bankroll requirements derived from risk-of-ruin calculations using standard deviation per hand and desired survival probability. Methodology is independently verifiable from the game mathematics.
- Casino comp rate ranges (0.1%-0.5% of coin-in) based on published slot club terms from major Nevada and Atlantic City properties.
Mathematical claims are independently verifiable. BonusBell platform analysis reflects our tracked platform directory and dated source reviews as of March 2026.