Jacks or Better is one of the original video poker games. Its strategy is simple. It is perfect for new video poker players, especially if you can find the right pay table for it.
The variance at Jacks or Better is the lowest of all video poker games. This helps keep players in the game. However, it also makes fewer winning sessions. It takes a royal flush or a heater of quads and full houses to beat the small house edge due to the few hands that trigger big payouts.
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Best Jacks or Better pay tables
The pay tables below assume the player wagers five coins, or the number needed for the 800/1 payout on a royal flush. Some machines require 10 or more coins for this payout. Always ensure the number of coins needed for a full pay on the royal flush. The percentages reflect perfect play at this level. Multiply the number of coins wagered by the number listed for the entire pay.
Full pay Jacks or Better (99.54%)
Unlike most full-pay versions of video poker games, there are many places to play 9/6 Jacks or Better. It is all over Atlantic City, Colorado, and Nevada casinos. Some are even dealt on bar top machines, like at Plaza and South Point in Las Vegas. We found some 9/6 Jacks or Better machines in Black Hawk, Colorado, that only pay 400 coins on a royal flush. Always check the jackpot payouts to ensure that you are getting a real version of the game.
- Royal flush: 800
- Straight flush: 50
- Four of a kind: 25
- Full house: 9
- Flush: 6
- Straight: 4
- Three of a kind: 3
- Two pair: 2
- Pair of jacks, queens, kings, or aces: 1
9/5 Jacks or Better (98.45%)
- Royal flush: 800
- Straight flush: 50
- Four of a kind: 25
- Full house: 9
- Flush: 5
- Straight: 4
- Three of a kind: 3
- Two pair: 2
- Pair of jacks, queens, kings, or aces: 1
8/6 Jacks or Better (98.39%)
- Royal flush: 800
- Straight flush: 50
- Four of a kind: 25
- Full house: 8
- Flush: 6
- Straight: 4
- Three of a kind: 3
- Two pair: 2
- Pair of jacks, queens, kings, or aces: 1
8/5 Jacks or Better (97.3%)
- Royal flush: 800
- Straight flush: 50
- Four of a kind: 25
- Full house: 8
- Flush: 5
- Straight: 4
- Three of a kind: 3
- Two pair: 2
- Pair of jacks, queens, kings, or aces: 1
Jacks or Better basic strategy
This is the basic strategy for Jacks or Better. It is one of the simplest games to learn. If the hand you have is not listed, throw all the cards away.
- Stand pat on four of a kind, straight flush, and royal flush
- Four to a royal flush
- Stand pat on a straight, flush, and full house
- Three of a kind
- Four to a straight flush
- Two pair
- Pair of jacks, queens, kings, or aces
- Three-card royal flush
- Four to a flush
- Four-card straight with three cards of jack or higher
- Pair of deuces through tens
- Four-card straight with one or two cards, jack or higher
- Three-card straight flush with one or two card,s jack or higher
- Open-ended four-card straight draw
- All other three-card straight flushes, except with two gaps
- Unsuited jack, queen, king, and ace
- Two suited royal flush cards, except the ace and the 10. Start with jacks, queens, and kings if dealt two.
- Unsuited jack, queen, and king
- Two unsuited cards, jack or higher
- Suited ten with a jack, queen, or king
- Single jack, queen, kin,g or ace
- Three-card straight flush with two gaps
Using a players card at video poker
Nearly all Jacks or Better video poker games pay full slot points. This means that you can earn up to 0.3% when playing this game with your casino players card. You can also receive mailers with free meals, hotel rooms, and slot play. Loyal players can move up in tiers, which gives perks like line passes, accelerated slot points, and hotel upgrades.
One advantage of playing this game with a players card, especially when it has a full paytable, is that it may get rated higher than other games on the machine. That is because of its return of 99.54%. It is unlikely any other game on the machine returns more, meaning the casino may rate you as a bigger player than you are in reality. That may help increase your comps and mailed offers.
Multi-hand Jacks or Better
Jacks or Better is not common on multi-hand video poker machines. If it is available, the pay table is usually 8/5 or worse. Players generally prefer games with higher variance when choosing multi-hand formats, which is why it is often unavailable. Rio in Las Vegas is an example of a casino with Triple Play, Five Play, and Ten Play 9/6 Jacks or Better.
Last Updated on December 16, 2025 by John Mehaffey