We like to speak about video poker. This game has a return to player rate of about 99.5%. This assumes that the gamer has absorbed the best strategy for every hand of every video poker variation he or she chooses to play.
In this article, we would like to talk about Jacks or Better as the minimal winning hand in most video poker games. It is not by chance that the lowest hand a gamer can have in video poker and win is a pair of jacks.
Jackpot Capital Carries several Video Poker Variations
If a casino, be it an online casino or a land-based casino hopes to be known as a “slots casino”, it has to have a big collection of slots on offer. Jackpot Capital is widely known as a slots casino for the large library of slots we offer.
The same is true for a casino that wishes to be known as a Jacks or Better Casino. Jackpot Capital offers a wider range of video poker options and they are primarily Jacks or Better games each with its own special twist.
What is the Difference between Tens or Better, Jacks or Better, and Queens or Better?
First of all, there is a video poker variant called Tens or Better where a pair of tens is the lowest hand that wins money. There is no Queens or Better variant in video poker!
Why is that?
The Key is the Return to Player Rate
In Tens or Better, there will be many more winning hands than in Jacks or Better. That means that many more hands would have a 1-1 payout. So, in order to maintain a return to player rate under 100%, payouts for all higher hands would have to be reduced by a coin.
As much as the casino would like to keep the 99.5% return to player rate, the rate would likely fall a percent or two to make up for the greater frequency of minimum winning hands!
Why is There No Queens or Better in Video Poker?
That is because we as a top online casino and SpinLogic, our exclusive game provider, both want the return to player rate to be about 99.5% in all video poker games.
If the lowest hand were a pair of queens, there would have to be fewer gamers who could enjoy the 99.5% return to player rate. So, in order to have a return to player rate of close to 100% and for as many gamers as possible to share that rate, it has been discovered that Jacks or Better is the perfect minimum hand in video poker!
Jacks or Better and the Anomalies of Strategy
We encourage all gamers to become as well versed in Jacks or Better strategy before they play for real money. Free Jacks or Better video poker game time is the best way to do this. Jackpot Capital is able to offer unlimited free play in any game we carry. Playing free poker games - Jacks or Better, or any of the multiple varieties of video poker that the casino offers - allows gamers the chance to learn to play better video poker at no risk.
We urge gamers to use our free play mode to learn the nuances of any game that is new to them, even if it is a classic game that has been around for decades!
Many Aspects of Video Poker Strategy are Obvious
Now you are ready for a few video poker strategy tips.
If a player has a full house, a straight, or a flush, it is obvious that they should stand with those winning cards. If a player has two pair, the clear best play is to go for a full house.
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Some Aspects of Video Poker Strategy are Not Obvious At All!
What happens when a player has a wining pair and also the chance for a much better hand such as a straight, flush, or straight flush? In many such cases, the best strategy is to give up the winning pair!
The reason is that the chance for a much bigger payout is too great to give up on. If the player has at least one high card, there is also the chance to get another pair of that card. Even if the straight that a player is pursuing has no high cards, it is better to give up the pair and go for the straight if it is an open-ended straight.
The Odds Tell the Tale
If you have four cards to a straight and one of the cards is paired, you might have 2, 3, 4, 5, 5 with the fives paired. If you hold onto the pair and take three cards, you could get three of a kind, four of a kind, two pair, or a full house!
However, the odds of getting such powerful hands are not good. The get three of a kind, you need to get one of two cards in a deck that has 47 cards left. The odds are 23.5-1. The odds of getting an even better hand are even worse.
Going for an Outside Straight Presents Much Better Odds
On the other hand, if you can go for an outside straight, there will be 8 cards that can give you the straight. In a deck with 47 cards left, the odds of getting one of 8 winning cards are a bit less than 6-1.
If you can go for a flush, there will be 9 cards that can give you the flush! If even one of the cards is a jack or better, you might pair it and win also!
Go for a Straight Flush
With four to an outside straight flush, there will be 9 cards that can give you a flush, two cards that can complete the straight flush, six cards that can give you a straight but not a straight flush, and if you have at least one high card, three cards that can give you a winning pair!
There is some overlap here and some cards could give you a small win while other cards can give you a big win. Still, with 18 cards out of 47 cards still in the deck, the odds of getting a win of any sort are about 2.5-1 against.
Some Gamers Never Give up a Winning Pair
We can only point out that this is not the best strategy to follow. When a player has four to a Royal Flush, the clearly best strategy is to go for the Royal Flush since there is a big extra payout for a Royal Flush with the important proviso that the player bet the maximum on the hand.
We also would like to point out that are many areas of life that offer several options one of which can be described as the “best strategy” for that area. We make many decisions every day and in many if not most of them we automatically follow the best strategy for that decision.
Here are a Few Examples
We cross the street on green at a cross walk. We look both ways when we cross. We chew our food well and take small bites. We might take a piece of cake but not two. We appoint one of the gang to be the designated driver.
We fasten the seat belt when we are in a car. We wear a helmet when we ride a bicycle or motorcycle. We double check the gas before we leave the house for a weekend or longer vacation.
We make sure that we are secure when we have to climb a ladder. We put milk and almost every other food product in the refrigerator as soon as possible. We take seriously the idea that a food product such as peanuts or a toy may present a choking hazard to little kids.
Here is a Great Strategy Idea
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