Jacks or Better Advanced

There are video poker strategies that players swear by that are proven, and there are others than truly can help improve a player’s game regardless. Often, players reduce their odds of winning simply because they don’t have enough knowledge of how to properly play the game. With Jacks or Better Video Poker, it’s important to understand what to do when certain cards appear in a hand. One card thrown away that could have brought a big payout greatly reduces the odds that a player will win, creating a much higher house edge. While there are some initial card combinations that players should keep when they’re dealt, there are also draws that must be paid attention to, meaning, these are the cards they should keep.

1. Four royal flush cards - the best draw is four hands that could form a royal flush. The goal is to form A-K-Q-J-T all in the same suit, ideally. Cards don’t need to be in the right sequence, but they should be kept if they are above 10.

2. Four straight flush cards - with this draw, cards don’t need to be a part of the highest straight. They need to be part of the same suit but can be lower faced cards like 4-5-6-7-8. The same process as with the royal flush should be followed when any of these 4 cards are in a player’s hand.

3. Three royal flush or straight flush cards - whenever players have three cards that could make a flush they should be kept, even if they are more widely spaced out like 2-4-6.

4. Open-ended straight draws - these are four cards that are in sequence that could make a straight on either side, like 6-7-8-9 where lower or higher cards could build the rest of the sequence. There is also a gunshot straight draw that can be beneficial, which is when there is one card not in sequence.

5. Ten-paint suited - it’s a 2-card combination in the same suit where a 10 is with a face-card. This one should not be played over stronger starting hands but should not be discarded if it is the best combination in the hand.

Video poker can be played at many online casinos and is often offered as a free casino game which gives players a great opportunity to try out learned strategies and begin to recognize the strength of hand rankings that appear in online poker. Playing online, players can also reference guides like this that provide them information about the better hands to keep, versus the ones to discard which would not be an option in a brick and mortar casino even for new players who are still learning how to best play the game. Once players have a strong understanding of hand rankings and other essential elements of the game, they’ll be in a position to take advantage of some of the payout schedules listed with each game, lowering the house edge.