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Jacks or Better has been a casino favorite since the 1980s, thanks to its simple yet engaging gameplay that blends elements of slots and poker. It also offers an impressive RTP of 99.54%, which is higher than that of blackjack.
In this “How to Play Jacks or Better” guide, you’ll learn the rules, hand rankings, payouts, and odds. You’ll also find expert tips to help improve your strategy and boost your chances of winning.
What is Jacks or Better?
Jacks or Better is a video poker game in which players don’t play against other people or live dealers but rather a machine. The payout depends on your hand ranking, with the lowest winning hand being a Pair of Jacks.
This video poker variation was one of the earliest to be developed and was released in the 1980s. It quickly gained popularity as it is simple to learn and has one of the highest RTPs compared to other games. By using tips for playing video poker and a simple strategy at online video poker casinos in the US, you could find yourself walking away with some pretty impressive wins.
How Jacks or Better Poker Works
Jacks or Better is a classic video poker game played with a standard 52‑card deck. Payouts depend on the strength of your final hand, with the lowest winning hand being a pair of jacks.
The game begins by selecting the number of credits (usually 1 to 5) you wish to bet. Each coin has a set value, which can vary depending on the machine. After placing your bet, you are dealt five cards.
You then choose which cards to hold, anywhere from none to all five. The cards you do not hold are replaced with new cards drawn from the remaining deck, creating your final hand.
In video poker, the minimum winning hands can differ between variants, but in Jacks or Better rules, you need at least a pair of jacks. A qualifying pair pays the minimum prize of 1× your bet, while stronger hands offer progressively higher payouts, culminating in a Royal Flush, which typically pays 800× when betting the maximum.
Jacks or Better Hands Explained
Understanding the winning Jacks or Better hands and those that have the potential to turn into winning hands is essential. Below, you’ll find the winning hand rankings and those with good potential to turn into winning hands after drawing.
Hand Rankings
These are the winning hands in Jacks or Better, from the lowest ranking (Pair) to the highest ranking (Royal Flush).
- High Pair: A Pair of Jacks, Queens, Kings or Aces.
- Two Pair: Two separate Pairs, for example, K-K and 7-7.
- Three of a Kind: Three of the same cards, for example, 8-8-8.
- Straight: Five consecutive cards of 2 or more suits. For example, 3-4-5-6-7.
- Flush: Five cards of the same suit.
- Full House: Three of a Kind and a Pair, for example, K-K and 4-4-4.
- Four of a Kind: Four cards of the same value, for example, 9-9-9-9.
- Straight Flush: Five consecutive cards of the same suit.
Potential Winning Hands
These are not winning hands and will not pay out if they are your final hand. However, they have the potential to become strong winning hands based on the cards you draw.
- Four to a Straight Flush: When you have four of the five cards needed for a Straight Flush.
- Three to a Royal Flush: When you have four of the five cards needed to make a Royal Flush.
- Four to a Flush: When you have four cards of the same suit.
- Four to a Straight: When you have four of the five cards to make a Straight.
- Three to a Straight: When you have three of the five cards to make a Straight.
Jacks or Better Odds & Payouts
These are the Jacks or Better odds and payouts for a 9/6 game played with five coins. This is the most popular and commonly found variation of the game at new online casinos.
| Hand | Payout | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| High Pair (Jacks or Better) | x1 | 1 in 7.69 |
| Two Pair | x2 | 1 in 21 |
| Three-of-a-Kind | x3 | 1 in 47 |
| Straight | x4 | 1 in 255 |
| Flush | x6 | 1 in 509 |
| Full House | x9 | 1 in 694 |
| Four of a Kind | x25 | 1 in 4,165 |
| Straight Flush | x50 | 1 in 72,193 |
| Royal Flush | x800 | 1 in 649,740 |
How to Play the Jacks or Better Game
When you’re ready to play Jacks or Better video poker, you’ll find that the game is available at both desktop and mobile casinos. Once you’ve selected the Jacks or Better machine, the first thing you need to do is select your stake.
In this game, the stake is represented by coins. You can play with 1-5 coins, but it’s always best to play with 5 coins as it increases the payout of certain hands. The coins had a set value in old machines, but most modern machines let you set the coin’s value.
For example, if you want to bet $2.50 a hand, you should set the coin value to $0.50 and then select 5 coins, as this will be a $2.50 stake (5 x $0.50).
Once this is all set, press the “Deal” button and you will receive five cards. Click on the cards you want to hold, and then click on “Draw”. This will replace the cards you did not hold and give you your final hand. You can simply click on the Deal button again to play again for the same stake.
Understanding Coins in Jacks or Better
Betting works a bit differently when playing Jacks or Better at a casino than it does when playing most other games. Rather than betting in dollar amounts, you bet with credits referred to as “coins.”
Each machine assigns a fixed value to each coin (though some modern machines allow you to adjust it), typically ranging from $0.01 up to $100. Most commonly, the maximum coin value is around $5. You can choose to bet 1 to 5 coins per hand. For example, on a machine with a $1 coin value, the maximum bet would be $5 because you can wager five coins (5 × $1).
One of the most essential rules of Jacks or Better is that Royal Flush payouts scale with the number of coins bet. If you wager 1, 2, 3, or 4 coins, a Royal Flush pays 250× your bet. However, betting the maximum five coins increases the Royal Flush payout dramatically to 800× your stake, which is why it’s generally advisable to always bet the maximum number of coins.
Jacks or Better Poker Double Up Gamble Feature
Some versions of Jacks or Better include a double-up feature that allows you to gamble your winnings for a chance to double or even quadruple them. After winning a hand, you can either collect your payout or risk it by entering the gamble round.
Typically, you’ll be asked to guess the color of a facedown card, red or black. If your guess is correct, your winnings double; if not, you lose your entire payout.
In other variants, the gamble works differently: you see one dealer card face-up and four facedown cards. You select one of the facedown cards, and if it’s higher than the dealer’s card, your winnings double.
Jacks or Better Strategy
Using a Jacks or Better video poker strategy, you can increase the RTP to approximately 99.54%, one of the highest RTPs you will find on any casino game. Knowing when to hold or discard Pairs is an integral part of a Jacks or Better strategy.
Pro Jacks or Better Tips
Unlike many casino games that rely purely on luck, Jacks or Better incorporates a skill component, making it more than just a game of chance. Although it doesn’t require as much strategic depth as poker variants like Texas Hold’em, players can still apply strategies to improve their odds of winning. Below are our best tips for mastering Jacks or Better and maximizing your chances of success.
Keep a Winning Hand
One of the most important tips for playing video poker is that 99.9% of the time if you have a winning hand, you should keep it. Sometimes, people want to risk paying hands like a High Pair to chase a stronger hand like a Straight or Flush in the hopes of a bigger payout.
However, the only time when it is a good strategy to do this in Jacks or Better is if you have four of the five cards to make a Royal Flush. In all other instances, players should keep any paying hand.
Know When to Keep High Cards
One of the key elements of learning how to play video poker Jacks or Better is knowing when you should keep or discard High Cards. We recommend keeping High Cards in the following situations:
- You have no pair and no potential draw.
- You have two different High Cards. For example, K♠, Q♠, 7♦, 5♣, 2♠. Here, you should keep the K♠, Q♠ and withdraw the other three.
- When you have a High Card and a Low Pair. For example, 5♠, 5♦, K♠, 8♣, 2♠. Keep the 5♠, 5♦, K♠.
- When you have three High Cards.For example, Q♠, J♦, K♠, 5♣, 2♠, keep Q♠, J♦, K♠ and redraw the other 2.
It’s better to discard your High Card in these scenarios:
- You have three to a Royal Flush, and one High Card is not part of the potential Royal Flush. For example A♠, K♦,Q♠, J♠, 7♦. Here you would discard the K♦ and the 7♦.
- You have a Low Pair with no suited high cards. For example, 8♦, 8♠, Q♣, 4♥, 3♣. Keep the Low Pair and redraw Q♣, 4♥, 3♣.
Play for Free
Lots of top online casinos offer free video poker, Jacks or Better. When you first start, you should utilize these demo versions to get to grips with the game, understand all of the hand rankings, Jack or Better rules, and practice a basic strategy.
You should also take advantage of casino bonuses. Many sites provide very generous welcome packages, and you can use this bonus money to play the game without risking your own money, but still have the opportunity to win real money.
Always Play With Five Coins
The reason you should play with five coins is that, like with many online casino slots, the payout amount you receive from video poker (for some hands) increases with each coin you use. For example, if you are using one coin at a 9/6 machine, the payout for a royal flush is x250, but if you use five coins, it’s x800.
Although Royal Flushes are rare, if you play with less than five coins, you lose a huge amount of money if it hits. It’s always better to play on a machine with a lower stake than to play with less than five coins. If you only have $1.50 max to play each hand, play on a machine with a $0.25 stake per coin and use five coins for $1.25 per hand rather than play at a $0.50 stake machine with three coins for $1.50.
Don’t Push Your Luck
As we mentioned earlier, many Jacks or Better casinos offer the gamble double-up feature. There’s nothing wrong with using this feature, but use it wisely. If you have anything above Three of a Kind, it’s best to stick with what you already have.
What we like
- Has an RTP of up to 99.54%
- Can be found at most online casinos
- Simple to play & implement a strategy
- Has a low volatility compared to some other variations
What we dislike
- No wild cards like in Joker Poker
- Doesn’t have bonus payouts like in Double Bonus Poker
Video Poker Alternatives to Jacks or Better
Most Jacks or Better casinos also feature several popular video poker variants that offer similar gameplay with exciting twists. Below, you can explore five of the most popular alternative games available.
Deuces Wild
In deuces wild, all 2s are wild and can substitute for any other card to make a winning hand. The minimum winning hand is three of a kind, and the maximum payout is typically 800x for a royal flush with no wilds and 150x with a wild.
All American Video Poker
All American Poker is played with a standard 52-card deck and follows the same basic rules as Jacks or Better. The main difference is that straights, straight flushes, and flushes offer higher payouts. Meanwhile, the payouts for a royal flush, three-of-a-kind, and pairs remain the same, and full houses and two pairs pay out less than in Jacks or Better.
Joker Poker
Joker poker is played with a standard 52 card deck plus one or two jokers, which act as wild cards and can substitute any other card to make a winning hand. The minimum winning hand is usually two pairs. The maximum winning hand is a royal flush with no wild which can pay out up to 1,000x and the second highest is 5-of-a-kind (with a joker) which pays out 200x.
Bonus Poker
Bonus Poker follows the same basic rules as Jacks or Better, with the minimum winning hand being a pair of jacks or better. The key difference is that it offers higher payouts for specific four-of-a-kind hands, namely 2s, 3s, 4s, and Aces. To balance these increased bonuses, the payouts for flushes and straights are slightly lower than in Jacks or Better.
Double Bonus Poker
Double Bonus Poker is a more aggressive variation of Bonus Poker, offering even larger payouts for specific four-of-a-kind hands. The highest payout is typically for four aces, which pays around 128×, while four 2s, 3s, or 4s usually pay about 64×. Similar to Bonus Poker, the payouts for lesser hands like two pair, flushes, and straights are lower than those in Jacks or Better to balance these bigger bonuses.
Other Useful Guides for Video Poker Players
The Bottom Line
Now that you know the answer to “What is Jacks or Better?” and have a solid understanding of how to play, you’re ready to try the game. Almost any online casino will offer at least one Jacks or Better machine, but for the best experience, we recommend BetWhale.
BetWhale offers two Jacks or Better machines, both available in free play and real money modes. Bets start as low as $0.05 per hand, with maximum stakes of $25 on one machine and up to $50 on the other. Additionally, you can enjoy over 20 other video poker variants featured on the platform.
FAQs
What is the best strategy for Jacks or Better video poker?
Is Jacks or Better beatable?
What does Jacks or Better mean?
Should I always hold a pair in Jacks or Better?
When should I keep a high card in Jacks or Better?
Can I play free Jacks or Better video poker?
Responsible Gambling
Gambling addiction is a very serious issue. It can lead to financial problems and cause a strain on relationships with loved ones. It can also severely impact mental health and cause depression. This is why it’s essential to practice responsible gambling whenever betting or playing casino games. Here are some useful resources for information, advice, or help with gambling addiction.
