Video poker variants
Each variant comes with its own pay table and its own strategy. The returns below assume the best table and perfect play; check the actual table in the game, because casinos often run lower ones.
Jacks or Better
Return: 99.54% on a 9/6 table. The standard game and the best place to start. You need a pair of jacks or better to win, and the strategy is the simplest of all the variants.
Deuces Wild
Return: about 100.76% on the full-pay table. All four 2s are wild. Three of a kind is the lowest paying hand, five of a kind exists, and the strategy depends mostly on how many deuces you hold. Never keep a plain low pair hoping it beats trips.
Double Double Bonus
Return: about 98.98% on the full-pay table. Fours of a kind pay extra, and four aces with a low kicker pays 400 for 1. The minimum hand is still jacks or better, but the swings are much larger than in the base game.
Joker Poker
Return: about 98% to 100%, depending on the table. A 53-card deck with one joker that counts as any card. The lowest paying hand is usually a pair of kings, and a natural royal flush pays more than one made with the joker.
All American
Return: depends heavily on the table. Full houses, flushes and straights all pay the same, 8 for 1, while straight flushes pay far more than in Jacks or Better. Draws to straights and flushes become more valuable as a result.
Multi-hand
Return: same as the base game. You play 3, 10, 52 or 100 hands from the same five starting cards. Each hand draws its own replacements. The return does not change; the variance does, a lot.
Variants: frequently asked questions
Can Deuces Wild really pay more than 100%?+
The full-pay version returns about 100.76% with perfect play. It is rare online; most casinos run tables in the 98% to 99% range, so check the four-of-a-kind line before you sit down.
What is Double Double Bonus Poker?+
A Jacks or Better variant with big extra payouts for certain fours of a kind. Four aces with a 2, 3 or 4 kicker pays 400 for 1, against 160 for four aces alone. The trade-off is lower payouts on two pair and much bigger swings.
Is multi-hand video poker riskier?+
The return per hand does not change, but you bet on 10, 50 or 100 hands at once, so your bankroll moves much faster in both directions. Plan for a bankroll many times larger than for single-hand play.