Let's say you want to play Jacks or Better video poker. First, you should check the paytable and check the highest winnings. Your goal should be to find the best video poker with the highest return (using the perfect strategy).

Always Check out the Payout Table

The table below summarizes the four types of payouts you will encounter most often with the Jacks or Better version. The payout table is for betting one credit. You can, therefore, use these values ​​to determine whether the machine is worth playing.

As you can see, all four Jacks or Better paytables have almost the identical payouts for one credit. There are only slight differences in a full house and flush. In the first version, the payouts are 9/6, in the second then 8/6, in the third 9/5 and the fourth, the last 8/5. However, these small differences will make quite a difference in the return on each version.

Payout tables for JoB video poker

Different versions, different returns

With version 9/6, the Return to Player value is the highest, as much as 99.54%. For versions where payouts are lower, the return on the game also decreases. It could be said that each payout reduction by one coin decreases the return by 1.1%.

In the casino, you can find several versions of Jacks or Better video poker, but definitely, no one will tell you which version is the most advantageous (so-called full pay version). It's up to you to find the best version by yourself.

Let's take a simple example. We will play 800 games per hour on a quarter machine. The following table shows us the difference between the theoretical average hourly loss in 9/6 and 8/5 video poker. The exact amount is $ 22, which you will save if you play instead of the 8/5 version more advantageous 9/6. If we play on a dollar machine, we will save $ 110 per hour of play.

The highest return versions of video poker are called "full pay" (such as 9/6 Jacks or Better). At the opposite end are low payouts with lower returns (for example 8/6, 9/5 and 8/5 Jacks or Better). Just as there are different versions of Jacks or Better, there are other versions of any video poker (Bonus Poker, Double Bonus, Double Double Bonus, Deuces Wild, etc.). Always keep this in mind.

But beware, if Jacks or Better has the best 9/6 version, it may not apply for all types. For Double Poker, the 10/7 version is best. Each version of video poker has its payout conditions, and it's better to know which version has the best payout structure.

Progressive Video Poker

Some versions of Jacks or Better offer progressive jackpots. This means that the Royal Flush payout increases with each penny bet. Let's say the base payout is 4,000 coins. But as players feed the machines, the royal flush payout will rise. This also increases the average return.

Here's a simple rule to find out the average return on progressive versions of JoB. Every 250 credits above the regular royal payout increase the return by about 0.5%.

We can mention the situation when we find a progressive 9/6 JoB version of video poker, in which a royal flush is paid out with 1250 credits (which is 250 credits more than in the classic version). We can, therefore, estimate the value of return, which increased by 0.5%. If we add it to the 99.5% return, we get to the value of 100%. If the royal pay 1,500 credits, the return would be 100.5%.

Once you opt for the progressive version of video poker, always make sure you are playing for the maximum possible bets. Otherwise, you will not have a chance to pay out the Royal flush bonus.