Canonical: https://www.playbookrg.com/brand/content/games/video-poker/ Description: In draw video poker, the cards you hold affect the distribution of final hands. > Static reading copy of the published page, including authored disclosures. Interactive controls, personalized state, and account data are not reproduced. Use the canonical page for interaction and citations, and the dedicated content feeds for complete resource inventories. Source terms still apply; this format does not extend the Brand CC0 license to other products or third-party material. # Video Poker In draw video poker, the cards you hold affect the distribution of final hands. The specified 9/6 Jacks or Better schedule returns about 99.54% with optimal play, giving about 0.46% house edge. That figure needs the entire paytable, including an 800-for-1 royal, and the matching strategy. It is not a guaranteed session result or a percentage for every game called video poker. Guide text revised September 6, 2026. Sources and assumptions are linked below. [Download guide text (.md)]() [Download quick reference (.md)]() House-edge example 0.46% 9/6 Jacks or Better, optimal play The cited full-pay schedule returns about 99.54% with optimal holds and the 800-for-1 royal payout. Different paytables, reduced royal payouts and different holds change the result. - [Shackleford: Jacks or Better paytables and return counts]()Mathematical analysis [Compare all ten games →]() ![The complete stated 9/6 Jacks or Better payout schedule and its optimal-play return]() From the Playbook Brand system · Free to copy and adapt · CC0 01 ## How the game works ### The model used here The player receives five cards from a standard 52-card deck with no wild cards. They choose any subset to hold, then replace the discarded cards from the remaining 47 cards. All five initially dealt cards stay out of that draw, including the discarded cards. Replacement cards are drawn without replacement. This is a specified fair-deal model, not a certification of every electronic game. Read the actual product’s deck, draw mechanism, wild-card, bonus and multi-hand rules before applying a probability or strategy. ### Follow a hand 1. **Read the game and paytable.** The name alone does not supply all the payouts or card rules. 2. **Check the full stake.** Multiply denomination by credits per hand and by the number of paid hands, then include any extra feature cost. 3. **Deal and inspect all five cards.** Suit, rank and cards that would be discarded can all matter to a hold decision. 4. **Confirm the holds before drawing.** Under this model, the selected cards stay and the others are replaced once from the remaining deck. 5. **Read the final category and total return.** A payout equal to the stake returns the spend; it does not create net profit. ### Variants need separate calculations Video Poker — How the game works — Variants need separate calculations: Variant or feature, What can change | Variant or feature | What can change | | --- | --- | | Jacks or Better | The minimum paying pair is jacks; read every other category and payout too. | | Deuces Wild | Twos act as wild cards; categories, payouts and hold decisions change. | | Joker variants | A joker and the specified wild-card rules can change deck size and ranking. | | Bonus variants | Different four-of-a-kind or kicker payouts can change which cards should be held. | | Progressive or enhanced payouts | The offered award and any extra cost can affect expected value and strategy. | | Multi-hand play | Count the stake for every hand and check how initial cards and replacement draws are shared. | No one return percentage is assigned to each of these broad names. A multi-hand feature may reuse initial cards, so the final hands should not automatically be treated as unrelated independent outcomes. 02 ## Bet types ### Credits, denomination and total cost Video Poker — Bet types — Credits, denomination and total cost: Setting, What it means, What to read | Setting | What it means | What to read | | --- | --- | --- | | Denomination | Monetary value of one credit. | A credit is not always one dollar. | | Credits per hand | Number of credits risked on each paid hand. | The selected payout column and any non-proportional award. | | Number of hands | How many hands the purchase covers. | Total cost and the feature’s deal/draw rules. | | Additional feature | A separately priced option or altered award. | Whether the payment and rules change the return calculation. | For an illustrative denomination of $0.25, five credits cost $1.25 for one hand. Ten paid hands at that amount cost $12.50. These are arithmetic examples, not a recommended stake or an assertion of available settings. ### Read payout units This guide’s paytable uses **total-return units per unit staked**. An award of 1 returns the stake; 2 returns twice the stake and creates a net gain of one unit. An 800-for-1 award includes the original stake in those 800 units. Do not add the stake a second time. A hypothetical payout column might award 250 credits for a one-credit royal and 4,000 credits for a five-credit royal. Those normalize to 250 and 800 per credit, respectively; the payout rate changes, rather than merely the money scale. Check the actual columns instead of assuming all awards scale proportionally or that every maximum is five credits. An advertised maximum is not a spending target. Both the total cost and the paytable at the chosen setting belong in the decision. 03 ## The math ### The complete 9/6 schedule in this example The shorthand 9/6 describes only the full-house and flush payouts. The cited return also requires every other entry below, the specified deck/draw model and optimal holds for that schedule. Video Poker — The math — The complete 9/6 schedule in this example: Final hand, Meaning in this no-wild-card model, Total return per unit staked | Final hand | Meaning in this no-wild-card model | Total return per unit staked | | --- | --- | --- | | Royal flush | A, K, Q, J, 10 of one suit | 800 | | Straight flush | Five consecutive ranks in one suit, excluding the royal | 50 | | Four of a kind | Four cards of the same rank | 25 | | Full house | Three of one rank plus two of another | 9 | | Flush | Five cards of one suit, excluding higher categories | 6 | | Straight | Five consecutive ranks, excluding higher categories | 4 | | Three of a kind | Three equal ranks, without a full house or quads | 3 | | Two pair | Two cards of one rank and two of another | 2 | | Pair of jacks or better | Exactly one pair of J, Q, K or A | 1 | | Other hand | No listed paying category | 0 | An ace can complete A–2–3–4–5 or 10–J–Q–K–A; the sequence does not wrap through Q–K–A–2–3. The final hand receives its applicable highest category under this paytable rather than adding every overlapping category. ### Four fully specified schedule examples In each row below, royal/straight flush/quads/straight/trips/two pair/high pair/nonpaying payouts are **800 / 50 / 25 / 4 / 3 / 2 / 1 / 0**. Only the stated full-house and flush entries differ. Returns use optimal play for the respective complete schedule. Video Poker — The math — Four fully specified schedule examples: Full house / flush, Theoretical return, House edge | Full house / flush | Theoretical return | House edge | | --- | --- | --- | | 9 / 6 | 99.54% | 0.46% | | 8 / 5 | 97.30% | 2.70% | | 7 / 5 | 96.15% | 3.85% | | 6 / 5 | 95.00% | 5.00% | Source: [published Jacks or Better payout and outcome-count tables](). The figures are recalculated from those published weighted counts and rounded for display. This is not a new exhaustive optimization of every starting hand, a ranking of every available machine, or a promise that an abbreviated strategy reaches the optimum. The source also lists other schedules with 9/6 full-house/flush entries but different royal, straight-flush or other payouts. Two numbers therefore cannot establish a game’s complete return. Nor does a familiar term such as full-pay mean the best possible offer across every product. ### House edge and total action Theoretical return is the expected total amount paid divided by stake under the specified model. House edge is 100% − theoretical return. On the 9/6 example, a fixed $100 of total action has about $0.46 expected net loss under optimal play. The stated 6/5 schedule instead has about $5.00 per $100. Total action includes money wagered again after a payout. These expectations are not the amount deducted from every hand, the chance of any prize or a promise of what happens to a particular starting balance. ### How a hold is compared Five cards have 32 possible hold subsets, including keeping none or all five. For each hold, list its legal draws, classify each final hand and average the paytable returns. The largest average identifies the greatest expected return under that specific hand, paytable and draw model; ties between holds are possible. The [published analysis methodology]() explains how complete hand and hold calculations support a game return. The [optimal 9/6 strategy reference]() includes detailed exceptions: even a card you plan to discard can change which future draws remain. A short list of familiar-looking hands is not a complete optimal strategy for every variant. ### A checked one-card example Suppose the initial hand is **K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠ 2♠**, using the complete 9/6 schedule above. - Keeping all five cards locks in a flush returning 6 units per unit initially staked. - Holding K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠ and discarding 2♠ leaves 47 equally likely replacement cards. The discarded 2♠ cannot be drawn again in this model. Video Poker — The math — A checked one-card example: Final category after that one-card draw, Replacement cards producing it, Total return for each outcome | Final category after that one-card draw | Replacement cards producing it | Total return for each outcome | | --- | --- | --- | | Royal flush | 1 | 800 | | Straight flush | 1 | 50 | | Flush | 6 | 6 | | Straight | 6 | 4 | | High pair | 9 | 1 | | Nonpaying | 24 | 0 | These counts total 47. The expected total return for that hold is (800 + 50 + 6×6 + 6×4 + 9) / 47 = 919/47, or about **19.55 units**. It exceeds the made flush’s 6 in this particular comparison. A nonpaying draw remains possible. Now change only the royal award to a **hypothetical 100-for-1**, retaining all other payouts. The same draw counts give 219/47, or about **4.66 units**, below the held flush’s 6. Among these two choices, the preferred hold reverses. This counterexample is not a claim about a particular machine’s offer. These are conditional values after being dealt a strong hand, not the whole game’s theoretical return. The examples compare two specified holds; they are not a complete strategy chart or an excuse to apply the same decision to a different five-card hand. ### Rare awards and session variation The cited optimal 9/6 outcome counts put the royal frequency at about one in **40,391 hands** under that model. Its reciprocal is an average frequency, not a schedule or a guarantee that playing that many hands produces a royal. In a fresh independent-hand model with unchanged rules and strategy, previous missed royals do not make the next hand due. Within one hand, by contrast, knowing the dealt and held cards changes the remaining possibilities. A one-in-47 royal draw from the specific hand above is not the same probability as a royal across all initial hands. An average return near 100% can coexist with many nonpaying hands and widely varying session results. There is no number of hands after which a person’s experience must equal the theoretical percentage. Compare definitions in [the game comparison](). 04 ## Tips for informed play 1. **Read every payout, not only 9/6.** Include the royal, other bonuses, wild-card rules and the selected wager column. 2. **Calculate the full cost before dealing.** Denomination, credits, paid hands and added features can all multiply the spend. 3. **Match a strategy to the exact game.** An optimal chart for one paytable need not be optimal for another; read its exceptions and whether it is simplified. 4. **Check your holds before drawing.** A missed card selection changes the decision actually played. Check the venue or product’s rules before using any strategy aid. 5. **Treat rare awards as uncertain.** A long interval without a royal does not create an obligation to continue or raise the next wager. 6. **Set time and spending limits.** A favorable-looking percentage or maximum-credit bonus does not guarantee a session outcome or justify exceeding those limits. 05 ## Sources and scope - [Jacks or Better paytables and weighted outcome counts](): published optimal-play analyses for the complete schedules used here. - [Optimal 9/6 strategy and exceptions](): detailed strategy scope, including the effect of discarded cards. This guide’s two-hold example is not a substitute for the full reference. - [Video poker analysis methodology](): how starting hands, legal hold/draw choices and their values relate to a full-game analysis. Checked September 5, 2026. The full-game returns use the cited counts; the 47-card draw and spending exercises are independently calculated. No universal study-time benefit, non-optimal-play loss range, strategy-aid permission, machine availability or session pace is asserted. 06 ## Key terms Paytable The complete set of payouts and their units at the selected wager setting. 9/6 Here, full-house and flush return amounts of 9 and 6; other payouts still need checking. Full-pay A conventional label for a named schedule, not proof of the best available product or a complete return calculation. Hold Keep selected dealt cards for the final hand. Draw Replace the cards not held according to the game’s deck and replacement rules. Discard A dealt card not held; in this model it remains unavailable for replacement. Royal flush A, K, Q, J and 10 of one suit. Wild card A card that can substitute according to a variant’s rules. Credit The game’s accounting unit; its monetary denomination and wager count determine cost. Total return All units paid under the stated paytable, including the stake where applicable. Expected value The probability-weighted average return of a choice under specified inputs. Optimal hold A hold with the greatest expected return for the exact hand and model; more than one hold can tie. Penalty card A dealt card whose absence from the replacement deck can change a draw’s value. Kicker A card outside a pair or other principal grouping; its value depends on the variant and full hand. Theoretical return Expected total payout divided by stake under the specified game and strategy. House edge Expected net loss divided by stake; here the complement of theoretical return. 07 ## Common myths What people believe, and what probability tells us. - Myth Every 9/6 label means the same return The reality The rest of the paytable, deck and strategy also matter. - Myth A paying pair always creates profit The reality In this schedule, a high pair returns one unit per unit staked. - Myth Four cards toward a royal always justify breaking any flush The reality Compare the exact hand and paytable; the listed examples do not define every situation. - Myth A royal is guaranteed after its average waiting time The reality An average frequency does not put an award on a schedule. - Myth A maximum-credit setting always makes the next hand more likely to win The reality A changed award changes value; the draw probabilities and chosen holds must be considered separately. - Myth One short strategy works for every video poker variant The reality Wild cards, payout changes and hand-specific exceptions can change the choice. 08 ## Knowledge check Pick an answer to reveal the explanation. Nothing is scored or saved. 1. 01 Under the stated paytable, a high pair pays 1 unit per unit staked. What does a one-unit hand return? A Two units: one unit profit plus the stake B One unit total, returning the stake without net profit C One additional unit plus every overlapping hand payout D Nothing, because all pairs lose 2. 02 With K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠ 2♠ and the stated 800-royal 9/6 schedule, which of the two compared holds has the higher expected total return? A Keep all five for 6, because a draw can never exceed a made hand in expectation B Hold K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠: its 47 draws average about 19.55 C Both guarantee a royal on the next hand D The previous session’s results determine which hold pays more 3. 03 In that same two-hold comparison, only the royal award changes to a hypothetical 100-for-1. What changes? A The remaining deck gains extra aces B The draw must retain its earlier expected value C The draw averages about 4.66, so keeping the flush for 6 has the higher value of these two choices D The whole game’s return is necessarily 100% 1. 1. Under the stated paytable, a high pair pays 1 unit per unit staked. What does a one-unit hand return? 1. Two units: one unit profit plus the stake 2. One unit total, returning the stake without net profit 3. One additional unit plus every overlapping hand payout 4. Nothing, because all pairs lose **Answer: B.** The schedule uses total-return units. A payout of 1 on a one-unit wager returns the stake; net result is zero. This convention differs from a 1:1 net-winnings quote. Stated complete Jacks or Better paytable and payout units. 2. 2. With K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠ 2♠ and the stated 800-royal 9/6 schedule, which of the two compared holds has the higher expected total return? 1. Keep all five for 6, because a draw can never exceed a made hand in expectation 2. Hold K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠: its 47 draws average about 19.55 3. Both guarantee a royal on the next hand 4. The previous session’s results determine which hold pays more **Answer: B.** The 47 replacement cards give one royal, one straight flush, six flushes, six straights, nine high pairs and 24 nonpaying hands. Their specified payouts total 919, giving 919/47, above 6. This is an expectation for this exact hand and comparison, not a guaranteed draw or a whole-game return. Own enumeration of the remaining 47 cards under the stated paytable. 3. 3. In that same two-hold comparison, only the royal award changes to a hypothetical 100-for-1. What changes? 1. The remaining deck gains extra aces 2. The draw must retain its earlier expected value 3. The draw averages about 4.66, so keeping the flush for 6 has the higher value of these two choices 4. The whole game’s return is necessarily 100% **Answer: C.** The card counts are unchanged, but the total of their payouts falls from 919 to 219. Dividing by 47 gives about 4.66, below 6. A changed paytable can change a hold comparison without changing the available cards. Own payout-change counterexample, not a real product offer or full-game optimization. Part of the [Playbook Brand system](), the open, public-domain core for player education. You can copy and adapt it under CC0. [← All game guides]() [Playbook Brand]()