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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 | 80,000 | 777,760,276 | 0.000039 | 25,629.02 | 249,659.87 | 3.121462 |
| Straight Flush | 1 | 702,445,896 | 0.000035 | 28,376.89 | 0.00 | 0.000035 |
| Four Aces with any 2,3,4 | 40,000 | 1,391,835,864 | 0.000070 | 14,321.54 | 111,668.76 | 2.792996 |
| Four 2's, 3's, 4's with any A,2,3,4 | 1 | 369,044,460 | 0.000019 | 54,013.09 | 0.00 | 0.000019 |
| Four Aces | 16,000 | 4,008,194,436 | 0.000201 | 4,973.12 | 51,417.91 | 3.217296 |
| Four 2's, 3's, 4's | 1 | 1,229,905,380 | 0.000062 | 16,207.13 | 0.00 | 0.000062 |
| Four 5's through K's | 1 | 4,852,280,820 | 0.000243 | 4,108.01 | 0.02 | 0.000243 |
| Full House | 1 | 57,899,631,936 | 0.002905 | 344.27 | 0.19 | 0.002905 |
| Flush | 1 | 87,482,277,260 | 0.004389 | 227.85 | 0.29 | 0.004389 |
| Straight | 1 | 130,720,060,596 | 0.006558 | 152.49 | 0.44 | 0.006558 |
| Three of a Kind | 0 | 505,151,474,088 | 0.025342 | 39.46 | 2.12 | 0.000000 |
| Two Pair | 0 | 1,005,001,054,872 | 0.050418 | 19.83 | 4.22 | 0.000000 |
| Jacks or Better | 0 | 4,107,615,549,168 | 0.206069 | 4.85 | 17.24 | 0.000000 |
| Nothing | 0 | 14,026,029,002,148 | 0.703651 | 1.42 | 58.86 | 0.000000 |
| Totals | 19,933,230,517,200 | 1.000000 | 68.87 | 412,829.91 | 9.145965 | |
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 | 80,000 | 777,760,276 | 0.000039 | 25,629.02 | 249,659.87 | 3.121462 |
| Straight Flush | 1 | 702,434,544 | 0.000035 | 28,377.35 | 0.00 | 0.000035 |
| Four Aces with any 2,3,4 | 40,000 | 1,391,835,864 | 0.000070 | 14,321.54 | 111,668.76 | 2.792996 |
| Four 2's, 3's, 4's with any A,2,3,4 | 1 | 369,044,460 | 0.000019 | 54,013.09 | 0.00 | 0.000019 |
| Four Aces | 16,000 | 4,008,194,436 | 0.000201 | 4,973.12 | 51,417.91 | 3.217296 |
| Four 2's, 3's, 4's | 1 | 1,229,905,380 | 0.000062 | 16,207.13 | 0.00 | 0.000062 |
| Four 5's through K's | 1 | 4,852,371,636 | 0.000243 | 4,107.94 | 0.02 | 0.000243 |
| Full House | 1 | 57,900,086,016 | 0.002905 | 344.27 | 0.19 | 0.002905 |
| Flush | 1 | 87,481,266,932 | 0.004389 | 227.86 | 0.29 | 0.004389 |
| Straight | 1 | 130,717,619,916 | 0.006558 | 152.49 | 0.44 | 0.006558 |
| Three of a Kind | 0 | 505,158,830,184 | 0.025343 | 39.46 | 2.12 | 0.000000 |
| Two Pair | 0 | 1,005,013,133,400 | 0.050419 | 19.83 | 4.22 | 0.000000 |
| Jacks or Better | 0 | 4,107,643,656,720 | 0.206070 | 4.85 | 17.24 | 0.000000 |
| Nothing | 0 | 14,025,984,377,436 | 0.703648 | 1.42 | 58.86 | 0.000000 |
| Totals | 19,933,230,517,200 | 1.000000 | 68.87 | 412,829.91 | 9.145965 | |
The following table shows the basic strategy:
| Basic Strategy | |
|---|---|
| Type of Play | Play Details |
| Pat Hand | Four 2's, 3's, 4's; Four Aces with any 2,3,4; Royal Flush |
| 4 of a Kind | AAAA |
| 4 to a Royal Flush | TJQA; TJQK; TJKA; TQKA; JQKA |
| 3 of a Kind | AAA |
| 3 to a Royal Flush | TJA; TJQ; TJK; TQA; TQK; TKA; JQA; JQK; JKA; QKA |
| 1 Pair | AA |
| 2 to a Royal Flush | TA; JA; QA; KA |
| Single Card | an Ace |
| 2 to a Royal Flush | TJ |
| 2 to a Royal Flush | TQ; JQ |
| 2 to a Royal Flush | TK; JK; QK |
| 4 of a Kind | 5555; 6666; 7777; 8888; 9999; TTTT; JJJJ; QQQQ; KKKK |
| Pat Hand | (more)Straight; Flush; Full House; Four 2's, 3's, 4's with any A,2,3,4... |
| Garbage | Discard everything |
The following table shows the exceptions to the basic strategy:
| Basic Strategy Exceptions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Right Play | Wrong Play | Pattern(s) |
| 2 to a Royal Flush: JQ | 2 to a Royal Flush: TQ | J♦ J♣ Q♣ Q♥ 10♥ |
| 2 to a Royal Flush: JK | 2 to a Royal Flush: TQ | |
| 2 to a Royal Flush: TQ | 2 to a Royal Flush: JQ | 10♣ 10♦ Q♣ Q♥ J♥ |
| 2 to a Royal Flush: TK | 2 to a Royal Flush: JQ | |
| 2 to a Royal Flush: JK | 2 to a Royal Flush: TK | J♦ J♣ K♣ K♥ 10♥ |
| 2 to a Royal Flush: QK | 2 to a Royal Flush: TK | Q♦ Q♣ K♣ K♥ 10♥ |
| 2 to a Royal Flush: TK | 2 to a Royal Flush: JK | 10♣ 10♦ K♣ K♥ J♥ |
| 2 to a Royal Flush: QK | 2 to a Royal Flush: JK | Q♦ Q♣ K♣ K♥ J♥ |
| 2 to a Royal Flush: TK | 2 to a Royal Flush: QK | 10♣ 10♦ K♣ K♥ Q♥ |
| 2 to a Royal Flush: JK | 2 to a Royal Flush: QK | J♣ J♦ K♣ K♥ Q♥ |