Understanding the Jacks or Better paytable is the single most important step toward consistent success at video poker. Whether you’re a casual player who enjoys 10 hands between errands or a serious grinder who tracks sessions and ROI, the paytable determines house edge, optimal strategy, and how you size bets. In this guide I’ll walk you through the essential paytable details, explain why “full-pay” 9/6 Jacks or Better matters, give practical strategy rules and examples, and share the bankroll and bet-sizing lessons I learned after hundreds of hours at the virtual felt.
Why the Jacks or Better paytable matters
The paytable defines how much each winning hand pays. Small differences — a Full House paying 8 versus 9 coins, or a Flush paying 5 versus 6 — change the return to player (RTP) by tenths of a percent. Those tenths add up: a true “full-pay” 9/6 Jacks or Better offers an RTP of about 99.54% with perfect play, while a slightly worse paytable can drop RTP below 98.5%. That’s a meaningful swing for anyone tracking long-term results.
If you want to reference a reliable place to check paytables quickly, visit Jacks or Better paytable for a clean display of common variants and payouts.
Standard full-pay (9/6) Jacks or Better paytable
Below is the conventional full-pay paytable used as the industry benchmark (payouts shown per coin when playing five coins; royal flush pays the 800-coin jackpot for a five-coin bet):
| Hand | Payout (coins) |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush (5 coins wagered) | 800 |
| Straight Flush | 50 |
| Four of a Kind | 25 |
| Full House | 9 |
| Flush | 6 |
| Straight | 4 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 |
| Two Pair | 2 |
| Jacks or Better (high pair) | 1 |
When people refer simply to “Jacks or Better,” they often mean this 9/6 version. Many casinos and online sites offer reduced tables (for example, 8/5), which lower the RTP and increase the house edge.
How the paytable influences strategy
The paytable alters the expected value (EV) of holding particular cards. For example, if the Full House and Flush pay less, the relative value of chasing four to a flush decreases and you should adjust your holds accordingly. That’s why the best strategy for 9/6 Jacks or Better differs subtly from strategy for 8/5 or for games with different royal payouts.
Here are a few practical, high-frequency decisions you’ll encounter and how paytable awareness feeds into them:
- High pair vs. three to a royal: In full-pay 9/6 strategy, always keep a high pair (Jacks or better) over drawing to three to a royal unless the three-card royal has extra features that increase EV (rare in Jacks or Better).
- Four to a flush vs. a high pair: Keep four to a flush unless your paytable is heavily penalizing flushes; in 9/6 it’s correct to keep four to a flush over a low pair.
- Three to a straight flush vs. two high cards: Hold three to a straight flush in many situations because of its large payoff for completion and the potential for higher payouts down the line.
Simple strategy rules for practical play
If you don’t use a complete strategy chart immediately, these straightforward rules will significantly improve your results compared with intuitive play. These are derived from thousands of decisions and the underlying math of the 9/6 paytable.
- Always hold a winning pair of Jacks or better.
- Hold any four to a royal flush.
- Hold four to a straight flush.
- Hold three of a kind or two pair.
- Hold four to a flush over an inside straight or lower pair.
- Keep three to a royal if you have an additional draw like a straight flush possibility.
- If no other holds, keep the highest low pair or the highest suited connectors.
These rules aren’t exhaustive. If you want full precision, a printed strategy card or an app will give the exact decision for every possible five-card combination.
Bankroll, variance, and bet sizing
Even with a near-99.5% RTP, variance in Jacks or Better is real: you’ll get long stretches without a big win and occasional hands that pay off large (four of a kind, straight flush, royals). My personal approach after a session where I chased a short-term hot streak and then hit a dry patch is to size bets relative to session bankroll. Here’s a rule of thumb that has worked for me:
- Session bankroll = money you can risk in a single sitting. Bet size should allow at least 400-1,000 hands per session on average. For example, if you want to play 1,000 hands and your unit bet is 0.10 coin per hand (one coin), you should have at least $100 in the session bankroll if coin value is $0.01. Adjust coins and number of hands to fit your tolerance.
- Always bet five coins when chasing the royal is important—because the 800-coin max payout for a five-coin bet turns the royal into a much bigger part of the game’s overall EV.
- Reduce bet size or walk away if variance causes emotional decisions. The game is mathematical, not emotional.
Practical examples (decisions with explanations)
Example 1: You’re dealt A♦ J♦ 10♦ 3♣ 7♠. What now? Hold A♦ J♦ (two high cards, suited). The chance to make a royal is low but A-J suited gives the best EV compared to discarding both for a five-card draw.
Example 2: You’re dealt J♣ J♦ 9♥ 4♠ 2♣. Hold the pair of Jacks. While drawing for three to a straight flush or a straight might feel tempting in rare contexts, the high pair is the highest EV play in standard paytables.
Example 3: You’re dealt 10♠ J♠ Q♠ K♠ 2♥. Keep the four to a royal/straight flush (10-J-Q-K suited), not the high pair (if present) — four to a royal is usually superior.
Tools and practice: How to build skill quickly
Practice using free-play video poker simulators and strategy training tools. Many apps present situations and show the EV difference between options. I improved my decisions faster by doing timed drills: the app would give me a hand and I had to choose the best play in five seconds. After a week of drills I was faster and more accurate at the real machine.
When you study, compare your results to known metrics for full-pay games. For a warm-up session, try to play small-denomination 9/6 machines or demo versions that let you observe the paytable without financial risk. For additional resources, check the paytable visuals at Jacks or Better paytable which lists common variants and payouts for quick reference.
Advanced considerations: promotions, progressive jackpots, and casino selection
Always read the fine print on bonused games and promotions. Some casinos inflate the royal jackpot or offer promos that temporarily improve RTP; others may present games with fewer than nine coins for a Full House or less than six for a Flush. Progressive versions of Jacks or Better can be lucrative but require careful calculation: some progressives are only profitable when you bet max coins and the progressive level has risen enough to push the effective RTP above the standard.
Pick your casino or site by inspecting the paytables before you play. The difference between a 9/6 and an 8/5 machine is painful over time; choose higher paytables and always play with the best possible strategy.
Common myths and mistakes
- Myth: “Always hit single-card high cards because the royal is possible.” Reality: The royal is rare; keeping guaranteed high pairs or four-card made hands is usually correct.
- Myth: “You can beat Jacks or Better by gut feel.” Reality: Video poker is a mathematical game. Small errors on frequent decisions compound to large losses over time.
- Mistake: Not betting five coins when the bankroll supports it. The royal’s 800-coin payout requires max coins to realize its full EV contribution.
Final checklist before you play
- Check the displayed paytable. If it isn’t 9/6, recalculate your goals and expected RTP.
- Decide session bankroll and target number of hands.
- Use a strategy card or app until your decisions become automatic.
- Bet max coins if you can afford it and the machine is full-pay or has a progressive large enough to justify it.
- Track results and adjust bet sizing when variance hurts your discipline.
Conclusion
Mastering the Jacks or Better paytable is less about memorizing every EV number and more about internalizing a small set of high-value rules, always checking the displayed paytable, and practicing disciplined bankroll management. Over time you’ll develop an intuition for the correct hold versus draw decisions, and the math will reward you. If you’re starting today, print a strategy card, use free-play tools to drill common scenarios, and always verify the paytable before you commit real money.
Want an easy reference for popular paytables and common variants? Visit Jacks or Better paytable to compare payouts and find the versions that best fit your goals.
Author’s note: I started as a casual player who enjoyed the quick decisions and then shifted to tracking sessions, paytables, and strategy full time for periods. The difference between a casual and a skilled player isn’t luck — it’s consistently making the mathematically higher-EV choice. With practice and attention to the paytable, you can do the same.
