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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 | 448,368,432 | 0.000022 | 44,457.26 | 14.36 | 0.017995 |
| Four Deuces with an Ace | 400 | 451,014,828 | 0.000023 | 44,196.40 | 3.60 | 0.009051 |
| Four Deuces | 200 | 3,410,780,256 | 0.000171 | 5,844.18 | 6.78 | 0.034222 |
| Five of a Kind with one Deuce | 160 | 6,835,047,504 | 0.000343 | 2,916.33 | 8.67 | 0.054864 |
| Wild Royal Flush | 25 | 38,347,837,392 | 0.001924 | 519.80 | 1.11 | 0.048095 |
| Five of a Kind | 15 | 56,346,423,192 | 0.002827 | 353.76 | 0.55 | 0.042401 |
| Straight Flush | 9 | 82,704,369,660 | 0.004149 | 241.02 | 0.27 | 0.037342 |
| Four of a Kind | 4 | 1,275,727,638,228 | 0.064000 | 15.62 | 0.58 | 0.256000 |
| Full House | 3 | 421,472,895,624 | 0.021144 | 47.29 | 0.08 | 0.063433 |
| Flush | 2 | 342,600,142,500 | 0.017187 | 58.18 | 0.02 | 0.034375 |
| Straight | 2 | 1,162,534,968,636 | 0.058321 | 17.15 | 0.06 | 0.116643 |
| Three of a Kind | 1 | 5,626,436,661,876 | 0.282264 | 3.54 | 0.00 | 0.282264 |
| Nothing | 0 | 10,915,914,369,072 | 0.547624 | 1.83 | 0.54 | 0.000000 |
| Totals | 19,933,230,517,200 | 1.000000 | 2.21 | 36.62 | 0.996684 | |
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 | 457,372,116 | 0.000023 | 43,582.09 | 14.65 | 0.018356 |
| Four Deuces with an Ace | 400 | 446,836,908 | 0.000022 | 44,609.63 | 3.57 | 0.008967 |
| Four Deuces | 200 | 3,366,674,508 | 0.000169 | 5,920.75 | 6.69 | 0.033780 |
| Five of a Kind with one Deuce | 160 | 6,834,323,328 | 0.000343 | 2,916.64 | 8.67 | 0.054858 |
| Wild Royal Flush | 25 | 38,868,332,952 | 0.001950 | 512.84 | 1.12 | 0.048748 |
| Five of a Kind | 15 | 57,584,208,816 | 0.002889 | 346.16 | 0.57 | 0.043333 |
| Straight Flush | 9 | 81,326,603,316 | 0.004080 | 245.10 | 0.26 | 0.036720 |
| Four of a Kind | 4 | 1,274,949,624,384 | 0.063961 | 15.63 | 0.58 | 0.255844 |
| Full House | 3 | 421,284,947,544 | 0.021135 | 47.32 | 0.08 | 0.063404 |
| Flush | 2 | 342,033,913,752 | 0.017159 | 58.28 | 0.02 | 0.034318 |
| Straight | 2 | 1,158,502,751,592 | 0.058119 | 17.21 | 0.06 | 0.116238 |
| Three of a Kind | 1 | 5,622,030,323,820 | 0.282043 | 3.55 | 0.00 | 0.282043 |
| Nothing | 0 | 10,925,544,604,164 | 0.548107 | 1.82 | 0.54 | 0.000000 |
| Totals | 19,933,230,517,200 | 1.000000 | 2.21 | 36.81 | 0.996609 | |
The following tables show the basic strategy:
| Basic Strategy — No Wilds Dealt | |
|---|---|
| Type of Play | Play Details |
| Pat Hand | Full House; 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 | 333; 444; 555; 666; 777; 888; 999; TTT; JJJ; QQQ; KKK; AAA |
| Pat Hand | Straight; Flush; Straight Flush |
| 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 |
| 1 Pair | 33; 44; 55; 66; 77; 88; 99; TT; JJ; QQ; KK; AA |
| 4 to a Straight | 4567; 5678; 6789; 789T; 89TJ; 9TJQ; TJQK |
| 4 to a Flush | (more)3458; 3459; 345T; 345J; 345Q; 345K; 346A; 3468; 3469; 346T; 346J; 346Q... |
| 3 to a Straight Flush | (more)345; 456; 457; 467; 567; 568; 578; 589; 678; 679; 67T; 689; 68T; 69T... |
| 2 to a Natural Royal Flush | TJ |
| 3 to a Straight Flush | 346; 347; 356; 357; 367; 458; 468; 478; 569; 579; 7TJ |
| 4 to a Straight | (more)3456; 3457; 3467; 3567; 4568; 4578; 4678; 5679; 5689; 5789; 679T; 689T... |
| 2 to a Natural Royal Flush | TQ; JQ; JK; QK |
| 4 to a Straight | 678T |
| 2 to a Natural Royal Flush | TK |
| Garbage | Discard everything |
| Basic Strategy — One Wild Dealt | |
|---|---|
| Type of Play | Play Details |
| Pat Hand | (more)Full House; Straight Flush; Wild Royal Flush; Five of a Kind with on... |
| 4 of a Kind | W333; W444; W555; W666; W777; W888; W999; WTTT; WJJJ; WQQQ; WKKK; WAAA |
| 4 to a Wild Royal Flush | WTJA; WTJQ; WTJK; WTQA; WTQK; WTKA; WJQA; WJQK; WJKA; WQKA |
| 4 to a Straight Flush | W567; W678; W789; W89T; W9TJ |
| Pat Hand | Straight; Flush |
| 3 of a Kind | W33; W44; W55; W66; W77; W88; W99; WTT; WJJ; WQQ; WKK; WAA |
| 4 to a Straight Flush | (more)WA34; WA35; WA45; W345; W346; W347; W356; W357; W367; W456; W457; W458... |
| 3 to a Wild Royal Flush | WTJ; WTQ; WTK; WJQ; WJK; WQK |
| 3 to a Straight Flush | W67; W78; W89; W9T |
| 3 to a Wild Royal Flush | WTA; WJA; WQA; WKA |
| 4 to a Straight | W567; W678; W789; W89T; W9TJ; WTJQ |
| Wild Only | |
| Basic Strategy — Two Wilds Dealt | |
|---|---|
| Type of Play | Play Details |
| Pat Hand | Straight Flush; Five of a Kind; Wild Royal Flush |
| 4 of a Kind | WW33; WW44; WW55; WW66; WW77; WW88; WW99; WWTT; WWJJ; WWQQ; WWKK; WWAA |
| 4 to a Wild Royal Flush | WWTA; WWTJ; WWTQ; WWTK; WWJA; WWJQ; WWJK; WWQA; WWQK; WWKA |
| 4 to a Straight Flush | WW67; WW78; WW89; WW9T |
| Wilds Only | |
| Basic Strategy — Three Wilds Dealt | |
|---|---|
| Type of Play | Play Details |
| Pat Hand | Five of a Kind; Wild Royal Flush |
| 4 of a Kind | WWWA |
| 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) |
| Garbage: Discard everything | 2 to a Natural Royal Flush: QK | |
| Garbage: Discard everything | 2 to a Natural Royal Flush: JK | |
| Garbage: Discard everything | 2 to a Natural Royal Flush: TK | |
| 3 to a Straight Flush: W9J | Wild Only | |
| 3 to a Straight Flush: W8T | Wild Only | |
| 3 to a Straight Flush: W79 | Wild Only | |
| 3 to a Straight Flush: W68 | Wild Only | |
| 3 to a Straight Flush: W57 | Wild Only | |
| 3 to a Straight Flush: W56 | Wild Only | |
| Wild Only | 3 to a Wild Royal Flush: WKA | |
| Wild Only | 3 to a Wild Royal Flush: WQA | |
| Wild Only | 3 to a Wild Royal Flush: WJA | |
| 3 to a Straight Flush: 7TJ | 2 to a Natural Royal Flush: TJ | |
| Wild Only | 3 to a Wild Royal Flush: WTA | |
| Wilds Only | Pat Hand: Five of a Kind | |
| 2 to a Natural Royal Flush: TQ | 4 to a Straight: 679T | |
| 4 to a Straight: 678T | 2 to a Natural Royal Flush: TQ | |
| 4 to a Straight: W9TJ | 3 to a Wild Royal Flush: WJA | 2♣ 9♣ 10♦ J♣ A♣ |
| 4 to a Straight Flush: 8TJQ | 3 to a Natural Royal Flush: TJQ | 8♣ 10♣ J♣ Q♣ K♦ |