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Video Poker Strategy Calculator
Introduction
The following table shows the results when following perfect strategy (basic strategy and all of the exceptions):
| Perfect Strategy Analysis | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hand | Payoff | Combinations | Probability | Hit Frequency | Variance | Return |
| Royal Flush | 800 | 441,235,008 | 0.000022 | 45,176.00 | 14.13 | 0.017709 |
| Four Deuces with an Ace | 400 | 643,830,576 | 0.000032 | 30,960.37 | 5.14 | 0.012920 |
| Four Deuces | 200 | 3,094,595,616 | 0.000155 | 6,441.30 | 6.15 | 0.031050 |
| Wild Royal Flush | 20 | 32,304,805,032 | 0.001621 | 617.04 | 0.59 | 0.032413 |
| Five Aces | 160 | 8,301,060,564 | 0.000416 | 2,401.29 | 10.53 | 0.066631 |
| Five 3's, 4's, 5's | 50 | 15,956,481,828 | 0.000800 | 1,249.22 | 1.92 | 0.040025 |
| Five 6's through K's | 20 | 41,823,073,416 | 0.002098 | 476.61 | 0.76 | 0.041963 |
| Straight Flush | 9 | 75,890,528,832 | 0.003807 | 262.66 | 0.25 | 0.034265 |
| Four of a Kind | 4 | 1,323,040,083,144 | 0.066374 | 15.07 | 0.61 | 0.265494 |
| Full House | 3 | 417,057,641,208 | 0.020923 | 47.79 | 0.09 | 0.062768 |
| Flush | 2 | 338,170,922,232 | 0.016965 | 58.94 | 0.02 | 0.033930 |
| Straight | 1 | 809,696,008,248 | 0.040620 | 24.62 | 0.00 | 0.040620 |
| Three of a Kind | 1 | 5,920,454,792,676 | 0.297014 | 3.37 | 0.00 | 0.297014 |
| Nothing | 0 | 10,946,355,458,820 | 0.549151 | 1.82 | 0.52 | 0.000000 |
| Totals | 19,933,230,517,200 | 1.000000 | 2.22 | 40.70 | 0.976803 | |
The following table shows the results when following basic strategy only (not its exceptions):
| Basic Strategy Analysis | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hand | Payoff | Combinations | Probability | Hit Frequency | Variance | Return |
| Royal Flush | 800 | 446,677,860 | 0.000022 | 44,625.52 | 14.31 | 0.017927 |
| Four Deuces with an Ace | 400 | 657,512,208 | 0.000033 | 30,316.14 | 5.25 | 0.013194 |
| Four Deuces | 200 | 3,040,215,000 | 0.000153 | 6,556.52 | 6.04 | 0.030504 |
| Wild Royal Flush | 20 | 31,784,466,072 | 0.001595 | 627.14 | 0.58 | 0.031891 |
| Five Aces | 160 | 8,619,419,412 | 0.000432 | 2,312.60 | 10.94 | 0.069186 |
| Five 3's, 4's, 5's | 50 | 15,846,147,540 | 0.000795 | 1,257.92 | 1.91 | 0.039748 |
| Five 6's through K's | 20 | 41,545,266,840 | 0.002084 | 479.80 | 0.75 | 0.041684 |
| Straight Flush | 9 | 74,938,842,684 | 0.003759 | 265.99 | 0.24 | 0.033835 |
| Four of a Kind | 4 | 1,321,029,549,312 | 0.066273 | 15.09 | 0.61 | 0.265091 |
| Full House | 3 | 417,344,356,440 | 0.020937 | 47.76 | 0.09 | 0.062811 |
| Flush | 2 | 335,999,570,256 | 0.016856 | 59.33 | 0.02 | 0.033713 |
| Straight | 1 | 797,295,797,784 | 0.039998 | 25.00 | 0.00 | 0.039998 |
| Three of a Kind | 1 | 5,921,978,959,548 | 0.297091 | 3.37 | 0.00 | 0.297091 |
| Nothing | 0 | 10,962,703,736,244 | 0.549971 | 1.82 | 0.52 | 0.000000 |
| Totals | 19,933,230,517,200 | 1.000000 | 2.22 | 41.25 | 0.976674 | |
The following tables show the basic strategy:
| Basic Strategy — No Wilds Dealt | |
|---|---|
| Type of Play | Play Details |
| Pat Hand | Royal Flush |
| 4 to a Natural Royal Flush | TJQA; TJQK; TJKA; TQKA; JQKA |
| 4 of a Kind | 3333; 4444; 5555; 6666; 7777; 8888; 9999; TTTT; JJJJ; QQQQ; KKKK; AAAA |
| 3 of a Kind | AAA |
| Pat Hand | Flush; Full House; Straight Flush |
| 3 of a Kind | 333; 444; 555; 666; 777; 888; 999; TTT; JJJ; QQQ; KKK |
| 4 to a Straight Flush | (more)A345; 3456; 3457; 3467; 3567; 4567; 4568; 4578; 4678; 5678; 5679; 5689... |
| 3 to a Natural Royal Flush | TJA; TJQ; TJK; TQA; TQK; TKA; JQA; JQK; JKA; QKA |
| Pat Hand | Straight |
| 1 Pair | AA |
| 1 Pair | 33; 44; 55 |
| 1 Pair | 66; 77; 88; 99; TT; JJ; QQ; KK |
| 4 to a Flush | (more)3458; 3459; 345T; 345J; 345Q; 345K; 346A; 3468; 3469; 346T; 346J; 346Q... |
| 3 to a Straight Flush | (more)345; 346; 347; 356; 357; 367; 456; 457; 458; 467; 468; 478; 567; 568... |
| 2 to a Natural Royal Flush | TJ; TQ; JQ |
| Garbage | Discard everything |
| Basic Strategy — One Wild Dealt | |
|---|---|
| Type of Play | Play Details |
| Pat Hand | (more)Straight Flush; Five 6's through K's; Five 3's, 4's, 5's; Five Aces... |
| 4 of a Kind | W333; W444; W555; W666; W777; W888; W999; WTTT; WJJJ; WQQQ; WKKK; WAAA |
| 3 of a Kind | WAA |
| Pat Hand | Full House |
| 4 to a Wild Royal Flush | WTJA; WTJQ; WTJK; WTQA; WTQK; WTKA; WJQA; WJQK; WJKA; WQKA |
| 3 of a Kind | W33; W44; W55; WQQ; WKK |
| Pat Hand | Flush |
| 4 to a Straight Flush | WA34; WA35; WA45; W345; W567; W678; W789; W89T; W9TJ |
| 3 of a Kind | W66; W77; W88; W99; WTT; WJJ |
| 4 to a Straight Flush | (more)W346; W347; W356; W357; W367; W456; W457; W458; W467; W468; W478; W568... |
| 3 to a Wild Royal Flush | WTJ |
| Pat Hand | Straight |
| 3 to a Wild Royal Flush | WTQ; WJQ |
| 1 Pair | WA |
| Wild Only | |
| Basic Strategy — Two Wilds Dealt | |
|---|---|
| Type of Play | Play Details |
| Pat Hand | (more)Straight Flush; Five 6's through K's; Five 3's, 4's, 5's; Five Aces... |
| 4 of a Kind | WW33; WW44; WW55; WW66; WW77; WW88; WW99; WWTT; WWJJ; WWQQ; WWKK; WWAA |
| 4 to a Wild Royal Flush | WWTJ; WWTQ; WWJQ |
| 3 of a Kind | WWA |
| 4 to a Wild Royal Flush | WWTK; WWJK; WWQK |
| Wilds Only | |
| Basic Strategy — Three Wilds Dealt | |
|---|---|
| Type of Play | Play Details |
| Pat Hand | Five 6's through K's; Five 3's, 4's, 5's; Five Aces |
| 4 of a Kind | WWWA |
| Pat Hand | Wild Royal Flush |
| Wilds Only | |
| Basic Strategy — Four Wilds Dealt | |
|---|---|
| Type of Play | Play Details |
| Pat Hand | Four Deuces with an Ace |
| Wilds Only | |
The following table shows the exceptions to the basic strategy:
| Basic Strategy Exceptions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Right Play | Wrong Play | Pattern(s) |
| Wild Only | 1 Pair: WA | |
| Garbage: Discard everything | 2 to a Natural Royal Flush: JQ | |
| Garbage: Discard everything | 2 to a Natural Royal Flush: TQ | |
| 3 to a Wild Royal Flush: WTK | Wild Only | |
| 3 to a Wild Royal Flush: WJK | Wild Only | |
| 3 to a Wild Royal Flush: WQK | Wild Only | |
| 3 to a Wild Royal Flush: WTK | 1 Pair: WA | |
| 3 to a Wild Royal Flush: WJK | 1 Pair: WA | |
| 3 to a Wild Royal Flush: WQK | 1 Pair: WA | |