Jacks or Better Video Poker - Optimal Strategy

by Bodog Casino | Nov 3 2008

Everybody seems to have the perfect winning strategy in gambling. Hang around a casino long enough and you’re bound to find some old, disheveled man with a pad and a pen writing down endless numbers and theories so he can solve the elusive pattern to Roulette and cash in.

It’ll never happen. Like many casino games, wins in Roulette are random and you can’t predict a random event.

However, there are certain times with certain games where you can better your odds and leave an online casino up more times than down.

One such game that gives you that possibility is Jacks or Better video poker. It can be a little complicated, but if you’re patient, there’s money to be made off this game. Here are a few tips to get you going in the right direction:

Always hold on a royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, three of a kind or two pair. Obviously, with three of a kind or two pair you can chuck the non-matching cards for a chance at four of a kind or a full house.

You can break up a flush or a straight with no remorse only when you have four cards to a royal flush. So if you have A-K-Q-J-9 of clubs, you can junk the 9 and gun for the 10 of clubs. You’ll still have a shot at a flush with any club, a straight if you pull a 10, or a pair if you pull a jack, queen, king or ace.

Don’t be hasty to stay with a pair of jacks or better. There may be a better hand in waiting. For example, if you’ve got a queen of spades, a queen of diamonds, a jack of diamonds, a 10 of diamonds and a 9 of diamonds, the first instinct may be to keep the pair of ladies and chuck the other cards. Look closer and you’ll see that you’ve got a shot at a straight flush. Chuck the queen of spades and go for it. A payoff of 50-1 is obviously much better than 10 straight payoffs of 1-1 odds (which is the odds if you get a pair of jacks or better).

Watch your bankroll, watch your bankroll, watch your bankroll. It’s the rule of thumb for every casino game but deserves to be brought up here. If you’ve got $20 you have no business going full blast on a dollar machine. You can make coin at video poker; you just have to play right and not get greedy.

Ready to play a little Jacks or Better? Head on over to the Bodog Casino.