The following is essentially the script from a Jacks or Better strategy video that will be soon be available on Youtube. It describes a very simple strategy while in sync with applicable visuals. Checkout The Mystic Gambler Channel on Youtube to see other gambling strategy videos and more. Watching the video for the Jacks or Better strategy and seeing the illustrations makes this technique one of the easiest strategies to understand.
If you’ve never played Jacks or Better video poker before or thought that learning the strategies would be too difficult, this technique is for you. It won’t make you a video poker pro, but by using these easy rules instead of guessing, you’ll be able to play longer, win more often and rack up a ton of points on your player’s card. It’s perfect if you’re going on vacation or if you just go to the casino once in a while.
And you can practice for free, anytime, at the Mysticgambler.com.
In the casino, simply look for any video poker machines that are called Jacks or Better. If you don’t see a Jacks or Better stand alone machine, you’ll often find it as a selection on most Game King machines. The strategy will also work for the game called Bonus Poker – but look at the paytable first to make sure that when you win with two pair that you’ll double your bet. So, for a five coin bet you’ll win ten coins when you get two pair. Avoid any game that doesn’t double your bet when you win on two pair.
You’ll sometimes get a winning hand on the first deal in Jacks or Better. If you do,the machine will let you know by making a sound and highlighting the the winning hand on the paytable. When that happens, hold the cards that make up the winning hand and throw away the others. If you’re dealt a pat hand, like a straight or a full house, hold all five cards.
Any winning hand could be dealt to you – even a Royal Flush – but the most commonly dealt winning hand is a pair of High Cards. High cards are the face cards Jack, Queen, King and Ace. The others are called low cards. A pair of any high cards qualifies as a pair of Jacks or Better and is a winning hand. A pair of high cards is the lowest paying winning hand as it only pays even money – the amount of your bet. Profitable winning hands begin with two pair.
If you’re not dealt a winning hand, look for a low pair. You don’t want to miss a low pair when playing Jacks or Better. A low pair is also a common hand and even though it doesn’t pay anything by itself it’s the most convertable hand that you can be dealt. A low pair can easily convert to the profitable hands of two pair, three of a kind, a full house or four of a kind. However, if you have any four cards that are the same suit, hold them whether you have a low pair or not. And also hold three or four cards that are part of a Royal Flush.Those are the only non-paying hands that are better to hold than a low pair.
Holding a low pair is crucial to winning at Jacks or Better. Keeping a low pair is much better than holding one or two high cards, regardless of whether the high cards are suited or not. The chances of a low pair converting into a profitable hand is better than just holding high cards, even though they look pretty.
So, lets say that you’re dealt a jack and a queen of hearts, a seven of diamonds, a seven of spades and and a nine of clubs. You would hold the two sevens (the low pair) and throw away the Jack, Queen and the nine. Yes, even though the Jack and the Queen are both hearts, and two cards of a Royal Flush, you throw them away when playing Jacks or Better. Your brain might fight you on this but the odds of converting the low pair to a profitable hand are better.
There is another hand that’s better than holding one or two high cards but still not as good as a low pair. That’s four cards to an open (outside) straight. Look for a four card straight if you don’t have at least a low pair. But in Jacks or Better you never draw to an inside straight.
With no low pair and no four card straight you can now look for the high cards. Hold any two suited high cards over two that are unsuited. If you happen to have three unsuited high cards, hold the lowest two.
If you don’t have two high cards to hold you can hold a single high card. However, there is a special two card hand that’s a little better than holding a single high card. That’s when you have a Ten that’s suited with a Jack, Queen or King. Notice that the Ace isn’t included. Never hold a suited 10 and Ace. You are better off throwing all your cards away – which is our final play. If you don’t have at least one high card, through all five cards away and get five new ones.
Watch for the video on Youtube so that you can see live action play and the decision making as it happens with each hand of Jacks or Better. And practice for free anytime at the Video Poker site.
I always scratch my head when I get an A with a unsuited Q J and the other two cards are small and unsuited as well. My training software sometimes tells me to hold just the A and other times it tells me to hold the Q J. Are penalty cards the key to making the correct play?
I get it all except, the following strategy, “If you happen to have three unsuited high cards, hold the lowest two.” Why hold the lowest two and not the highest two?
Thanks for the comment. The video strategy mentions that it’s only when the Ace is the highest card. “When you have 3 unsuited high cards and ACE is highest, keep the lowest two high cards.” If I said something different than that in another place I was mistaken. And the reason is that you have more opportunities below the lower cards than holding the Ace ( a dead-ender).
When I play Jacks or better, I look for the highest pay schedule I can find first, the only difference between a 25 and 50 cent machine and the dollar machine was on 4 of a kind, the dollar machine paid 25 to 1 and the other two paid 15 to 1.
I then only play 2 hands and cash out and move to the next dollar machine two hands and cash out and so on and so on !
Nothing kills your chances of making money like landing on a cold machine and I have eliminated that possibility from the equation !
Also when people are losing bad it seems like they often leave right before a pay off hand occurs so by trying to play as many dollar machines as possible, I increase my chances of walking right into a good hand including a jackpot !
One thing I’ve noticed about these machines is they often are friendly early on and that’s perfect because I’m only staying for two hands !
I did this strategy at harrahs in Cherokee on a day when people were getting their teeth kicked in and I was still able to keep my money together and walk away a 20 dollar winner in 2 hours.
I really believe this 2 hands only strategy works well but its very difficult to win a jackpot by hitting a royal flush and that’s the only draw back also when ever I hit a full house or higher I always play one more hand so occasionally I end up playing 3 hands !
Thanks for the comment. I have to confess that I’ve never heard of that particular strategy. Good luck to you! / TMG
I like your tutorial than others.never play video poker.start reading to understand how to play&win after loosing lots of money playing slots.I defeneatly follow your tutorials i follow 1&2 jackes or better i like to follow the next steps.i am looking to understand pick em poker too but never played.