Jacks or Better is the oldest video poker game out there, and really is the game that started it all. Jacks or Better started out with almost exclusively full pay 9/6 pay tables, but now casinos have gotten a little greedier and are for the most part only offering low pay games. This article analyzes quite a few Jacks or Better pay tables, and determines the maximum payout percentage for each table (if you're using expert Jacks or Better strategy).

We'll start by providing an overview of each major Jacks or Better pay table, and show you the payout percentages for each game assuming you're playing five coins and using perfect strategy. Here they are:

The following chart shows the Simplified Playing Strategy for all versions of Jacks of Better video poker. While this playing strategy was developed for short-term play, you may use it for long-term play as well giving up only a few hundreds of a percent of potential return. 8/6 Jacks or Better. At 8/6 Jacks or Better, the payoff for a full house is reduced from 9 to 8. That takes the maximum payout to the player down to 98.39%. 8/5 Jacks or Better. This game reduces both the full house and the flush payoff. You’ll get 8 for a full house and just 5 for a flush. Your maximum payout then becomes 97.30%. If no one opens and there is another ante, you can still play for that part of the antes that you have matched, without putting in any more money. Draw Jacks or Better. Explanation of Simplified Playing Strategy for Jacks or Better The chart above lists the hierarchy of hands to be played in Jacks or Better video poker games. The higher the hand is in the chart, the greater its value. Jacks or Better is was the first variant of video poker to be produced, which is why its play closely resembles the original Draw Poker game. As in most online video poker games, a hand of Jacks or Better begins with the player’s bet. He is then dealt five cards which he may keep or discard in search of a better hand at his choice. Jacks or Better - Understanding the Hands. High: Any card that is a Jack or higher. Low, on the other hand, refers to all cards that are lower in value than a Jack.

Full Pay (9/6) Jacks or Better - 99.54%

Full pay Jacks or Better is the best pay table you can find, and it pays out a maximum of 99.54% if you are using perfect strategy and making the right moves every time. Please remember that in the long run you're at a statistical disadvantage no mater how well you play. Here's the full pay Jacks or Better pay table:

Please note that the above pay table is for players betting five coins, and thus receiving the bonus for making a royal flush.

9/5 Jacks or Better - 98.45%

9/5 Jacks or Better is the next best Jacks or Better game after full pay Jacks or Better. The Flush payout is reduced from 6x to 5x, and since Flushes are fairly common hands in Jacks or Better that shaves over 1% off of the long run payout percentage.

Please note that the above pay table is for players betting five coins, and thus receiving the bonus for making a royal flush.

8/6 Jacks or Better - 98.39%

8/6 Jacks or Better is extremely close to 9/5 Jacks or Better as far as payout percentages goes. In 8/6 Jacks or Better, Full Houses pay 8x and Flushes pay 6x. Here is the full 8/6 Jacks or Better pay table:

Please note that the above pay table is for players betting five coins, and thus receiving the bonus for making a royal flush.

8/5 Jacks or Better - 97.30%

8/5 Jacks or Better is a very common variation of Jacks or Better that reduces the payout percentage to 97.30% - 2.24% worse than a full pay machine. Payouts for Full Houses and Flushes are reduced to 8x and 5x. Here's he 8/5 Jacks or Better pay table:

Please note that the above pay table is for players betting five coins, and thus receiving the bonus for making a royal flush.

7/5 Jacks or Better - 96.15%

7/5 Jacks or Better is another common Jacks or Better pay table, and it really reduces the payout percentage because the Full House payout is cut even more. We don't suggest playing this game, because you can usually find at least 8/5 Jacks or Better online or at a casino.

Please note that the above pay table is for players betting five coins, and thus receiving the bonus for making a royal flush.

6/5 Jacks or Better - 95.00%

6/5 Jacks or Better is one of the worst Jacks or Better games out there. Full House payouts are cut even further, and since a full house is a semi-common hand in Jacks or Better it really hurts the overall pay percentage for the machine. Here's the 6/5 Jacks or Better pay table:

Please note that the above pay table is for players betting five coins, and thus receiving the bonus for making a royal flush.

The pay tables above are the most common tables used for Jacks or Better video poker games. You may find some other obscure variations of Jacks or Better, but they're pretty rare in Vegas or online. The important lesson here is that since you can find full pay Jacks or Better, you never should play anything less than full pay machines.

Also make sure to note that the pay tables used above all assume that you're playing five coins per hand. Every Jacks or Better game provides a Royal Flush bonus for players who are playing five coins, and that is a significant portion of the expected return for the game. If you are playing full pay Jacks or Better but only betting four coins per hand, for example, your payout percentage will fall over 1% as compared to playing five coins per hand!

Do you like playing Poker and Slot Machines? If so, you’re going to love Video Poker. It’s sort of like taking Poker and combining it with Slot Machines. With Video Poker, there’s definitely skill involved which can make you a better player. Not only that, but it makes the game more fun and interesting to play. It’s also not a very complicated game to learn, so if you’re a beginner, this is a great game to start with. On top of that, the house advantage is pretty low, making the odds more in your favor when comparing to other casino games.

There are a lot of variations to Video Poker. A couple of the most popular ones are Deuces Wild and Jacks or Better. In fact, in this article we’ll be focusing on how to play Jacks or Better as well as go over some rules and tips that can help improve your game play. Having a good understanding of the rules is important, however without any basic strategies to follow you’re putting yourself at risk. Knowing what to do under every circumstance can increase your chances of winning.

Jacks or Better Rules

Jacks or Better rules are fairly simple to learn, and is one of the simplest versions of Video Poker. In order to get a winning payout, your hand needs to include Jacks or better cards. It’s also one of the first, if not the first, variation to Video Poker. Similar to Poker, the objective is to achieve the strongest possible hand. With Jacks or Better, you get an extra point for every pair of Jacks or higher you receive. You can also play up to 100 hands at a time, therefore the more hands you bet with, the greater your potential winnings will be.

The game begins as soon as you place a bet on the machine. Afterwards, you will be dealt five cards, and will need to decide which cards to discard, if any, in hopes to get a better hand. Speaking of which, below are all the different hand values.

• High – A card that is a Jack or higher. For example, a Jack, Queen, King or Ace.
• Pair – two cards that have the same number. For example, two Kings.
• Two Pair – two pairs of cards that have the same number. For example, two 3s and two 6s.
• Three of a Kind – three cards that have the same number. For example, three 8s.
• Straight – similar to the Straight Flush except the five cards do not have to have the same suit. They just need to go in sequential order.
• Four to a Straight Flush – is when you’ve dealt four out of the five cards needed to complete a straight flush.
• Flush –five cards that have the same suit.
• Full House – is a hand that has both a three of a kind as well as a pair. For example, three Aces and two 5s.
• Four of a Kind – four cards that have the same number. For example, four Queens or four 10s.
• Straight Flush – five cards that go in sequential order and all have the same suit. For example, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 all suited as hearts.
• Three to a Royal Flush – when you have three of the cards necessary to complete a Royal Flush.
• Four to a Flush – when you have four cards of the same suit.
• Four to a Straight – four cards that are in sequential order.
• Three to a Straight Flush – Three cards in sequential order with the same suit.
• Two to a Royal Flush – Two cards away from reaching a Royal Flush.
• Royal Flush – is the strongest and highest paying hand you can get. It’s a hand containing five cards with the same suit that go in order from 10 to Ace. For example, 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace with all of them being suited with hearts.

Jacks or Better Tips

How Do You Play Jacks Or Better

Once you have learned all the rules to the game and feel confident, you should go ahead and learn some Jacks or Better tips that can help you become a better player. This way you’ll understand what to do for each hand you’ve received. Speaking of which, below we’ve prepared some tips on what you should do for the cards you’ve been dealt. If you haven’t been dealt any of the following hands below, go ahead and replace all five of the cards you’re holding by discarding them.

• Never try to reach another hand if you’ve already been dealt one of the following: Full House, Three of a Kind, Four of a Kind or Two Pair.
• Never give up a High Pair for a hand that’s four to a Flush or four to a Straight.
• Hang on to a Low Pair, even if you have three cards to a Straight Flush or four cards to a Straight.
• If you’ve been dealt four cards away from a Royal Flush, go ahead and discard the fifth card, no matter what.
• If the initial cards you’ve been dealt are a Flush or a Straight, go ahead and keep those hands unless you’re only one card away from reaching a Royal Flush.
• Keep in mind that a Three of a Kind, a Flush, a High Pair and a Straight are all stronger hands than three cards that are leading up to a Royal Flush. Only stick with a three cards leading to a Royal Flush if you have lower ranked hands like a Low Pair or four to a Flush.
• Unless you’re holding four cards to a Straight Flush, or four cards to a Royal Flush, you should always stick with a High Pair you’ve been dealt.

How Do You Play Jacks Or Better Poker

After you have a good understanding of the rules and have gone over the tips we’ve given you, go ahead and start playing on our Jacks or Better machine here at Caesars Casino. Aside from being so much fun to play on, it’s a great way for you to be able to practice, as all our games are free and available 24/7. It’s like taking all the excitement you get from Vegas and then putting it all onto your very own personal mobile device, so you can play anytime, anywhere.

Draw Poker Jacks Or Better