Video Poker Strategy

The crux of playing video poker successfully is learning which cards to discard and which cards to keep. There are many different ways to play a hand but only one mathematically optimal way. The chart below offers an easy-to-memorize guide to playing video poker hands. To use the chart, simply start at the top of the column "Dealt Hand" and work your way down until you find the hand that you currently hold. Then play according to the instructions to the right.

The strategy below is not exact because the particular composition of the hand may affect its value. A hand that is usually inferior may take priority over a hand that is usually superior hand. For example, "2 cards to a royal flush" may sometimes be superior to two high cards, but other times it won't be. Things get complicated because the value of a draw hand will vary based on different factors (such as whether the hand has 1, 2, or 3 gaps, or whether the cards are high or low).

Basic Strategy Chart

Dealt Hand	Discard
Royal flush	made hand
Straight flush	made hand
Four of a kind	made hand
Four to a royal flush	1
Full house	made hand
Flush	made hand
Three of a Kind	made hand
Straight	made hand
4 to a straight flush	1
Two pair	1
One pair (Jacks or Better)	3
3 to a royal flush	2
4 to a flush	1
low pair (a pair of 10's or lower)	1
4 cards to a straight	3
3 to a straight flush	2
2 to a royal flush	3
3 high cards	2
2 high cards	3
1 high cards	4
All other hands	5

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Video Poker - Strategy

HPG ADMIN on March 1, 2013

Video Poker Strategy