Video Poker Guide: How to Play, Rules and Best Variants

Video poker occupies an interesting position in the casino world: it has the visual simplicity of a slot machine, but the strategic depth of a card game. With the right strategy and the right variant, video poker can offer an RTP above 99% — making it statistically the best-value game available at most UKGC-licenced online casinos. Here's how it works.

The Basics: How Video Poker Works

Video poker is based on five-card draw poker. You're dealt five cards and choose which to hold and which to discard. Replacement cards are drawn for the discarded ones, and you're paid according to a pay table based on your final hand.

Unlike poker against other players, there's no bluffing, no reading opponents, and no community cards. You're playing against the pay table — the objective is to build the strongest possible five-card hand according to standard poker rankings.

Standard hand rankings from lowest to highest:

(Payouts shown are for 9/6 Jacks or Better — the best common pay table)

Jacks or Better: The Starting Point

Jacks or Better is the most common and most beginner-friendly video poker variant. The minimum winning hand is a pair of Jacks or higher — hence the name. Anything lower and you win nothing for that hand.

The "9/6" designation refers to the pay table: Full House pays 9:1 and Flush pays 6:1. This is the optimal pay table for Jacks or Better, offering a theoretical RTP of 99.54% with perfect strategy. Always look for the 9/6 variant — inferior pay tables like 8/5 (Full House 8:1, Flush 5:1) reduce RTP significantly.

Basic Video Poker Strategy

Because every possible hand combination has a mathematically correct play, optimal video poker strategy has been precisely calculated. Unlike blackjack, the strategy is too detailed to memorise fully — but these core principles cover the most common situations:

• Hold a Royal Flush, Straight Flush, or Four of a Kind if dealt one (obviously)
• Hold a complete winning hand — don't break a full house chasing a Royal Flush
• With three to a Royal Flush, discard the other two cards — the Royal Flush potential outweighs most made hands
• Hold low pairs over single high cards (e.g. two 3s beats a single King)
• Never hold a kicker with a pair — holding, say, a pair of Jacks with an Ace reduces your odds
• With no useful cards, keep any high card (J, Q, K, A) as a single hold — or discard everything

Strategy cards for each variant are freely available and using one is entirely legal at online casinos.

Other Popular Video Poker Variants

Deuces Wild — All 2s are wild cards. Minimum winning hand is three of a kind. With optimal strategy and the right pay table, theoretical RTP can exceed 100.76% — though full-pay Deuces Wild tables are rare.

Double Bonus Poker — Based on Jacks or Better with bonus payouts for specific Four of a Kind hands (particularly Aces). Higher variance than standard JoB, slightly higher theoretical maximum RTP.

Double Double Bonus Poker — Further enhanced bonus pays for Aces with specific kickers. Even higher variance.

Joker Poker — A 53-card deck with one Joker as a wild. Minimum winning hand is typically a pair of Kings or better.

Why Video Poker Suits Certain Players

Video poker appeals to players who want genuine decision-making involvement and the best possible mathematical edge. The RTP on a well-played 9/6 Jacks or Better game is higher than virtually any slot, and higher than most table games outside of blackjack with perfect strategy.

It suits players who:

• Prefer a slower, more thoughtful pace
• Want to minimise the house edge
• Enjoy card game mechanics without the complexity of live table poker
• Are comfortable using a strategy card

Bottom Line

If maximising RTP matters to you, video poker — specifically 9/6 Jacks or Better played with a strategy card — is one of the best games in any UK online casino. Find the right pay table, learn the core strategic principles, and use a strategy reference tool freely while you play. It's a game that rewards thoughtful play in a way most casino games simply don't.