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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 | 497,037,060 | 0.000025 | 40,104.11 | 15.92 | 0.019948 |
| Straight Flush | 80 | 2,241,937,980 | 0.000112 | 8,891.07 | 0.70 | 0.008998 |
| Four of a Kind | 20 | 47,082,514,428 | 0.002362 | 423.37 | 0.86 | 0.047240 |
| Full House | 8 | 229,429,355,292 | 0.011510 | 86.88 | 0.57 | 0.092079 |
| Flush | 5 | 218,444,978,520 | 0.010959 | 91.25 | 0.18 | 0.054794 |
| Straight | 4 | 223,571,783,472 | 0.011216 | 89.16 | 0.10 | 0.044864 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 | 1,483,515,311,004 | 0.074424 | 13.44 | 0.31 | 0.223273 |
| Two Pair | 2 | 2,576,186,006,364 | 0.129241 | 7.74 | 0.14 | 0.258482 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 4,281,732,692,100 | 0.214804 | 4.66 | 0.00 | 0.214804 |
| Nothing | 0 | 10,870,528,900,980 | 0.545347 | 1.83 | 0.51 | 0.000000 |
| Totals | 19,933,230,517,200 | 1.000000 | 2.20 | 19.28 | 0.964482 | |
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 | 499,165,560 | 0.000025 | 39,933.10 | 15.99 | 0.020034 |
| Straight Flush | 80 | 2,245,190,328 | 0.000113 | 8,878.19 | 0.70 | 0.009011 |
| Four of a Kind | 20 | 47,075,780,628 | 0.002362 | 423.43 | 0.86 | 0.047233 |
| Full House | 8 | 229,409,153,892 | 0.011509 | 86.89 | 0.57 | 0.092071 |
| Flush | 5 | 218,617,230,672 | 0.010967 | 91.18 | 0.18 | 0.054837 |
| Straight | 4 | 223,700,527,536 | 0.011222 | 89.11 | 0.10 | 0.044890 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 | 1,483,290,680,724 | 0.074413 | 13.44 | 0.31 | 0.223239 |
| Two Pair | 2 | 2,575,956,546,324 | 0.129229 | 7.74 | 0.14 | 0.258459 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 4,279,581,753,840 | 0.214696 | 4.66 | 0.00 | 0.214696 |
| Nothing | 0 | 10,872,854,487,696 | 0.545464 | 1.83 | 0.51 | 0.000000 |
| Totals | 19,933,230,517,200 | 1.000000 | 2.20 | 19.35 | 0.964469 | |
The following table shows the basic strategy:
| Basic Strategy | |
|---|---|
| Type of Play | Play Details |
| Pat Hand | Full House; Straight Flush; Royal Flush |
| 4 of a Kind | (more)2222; 3333; 4444; 5555; 6666; 7777; 8888; 9999; TTTT; JJJJ; QQQQ; KKKK... |
| 4 to a Royal Flush | TJQA; TJQK; TJKA; TQKA; JQKA |
| Pat Hand | Flush |
| 4 to a Straight Flush | 2345; 3456; 4567; 5678; 6789; 789T; 89TJ; 9TJQ |
| 3 of a Kind | 222; 333; 444; 555; 666; 777; 888; 999; TTT; JJJ; QQQ; KKK; AAA |
| Pat Hand | Straight |
| 4 to a Straight Flush | (more)A234; A235; A245; A345; 2346; 2356; 2456; 3457; 3467; 3567; 4568; 4578... |
| 2 Pair | (more)2233; 2244; 2255; 2266; 2277; 2288; 2299; 22TT; 22JJ; 22QQ; 22KK; 22AA... |
| 1 Pair | JJ; QQ; KK; AA |
| 3 to a Royal Flush | TJA; TJQ; TJK; TQA; TQK; TKA; JQA; JQK; JKA; QKA |
| 4 to a Flush | (more)2347; 2348; 2349; 234T; 234J; 234Q; 234K; 2357; 2358; 2359; 235T; 235J... |
| 4 to a Straight | 9TJQ; TJQK |
| 1 Pair | 22; 33; 44; 55; 66; 77; 88; 99; TT |
| 3 to a Straight Flush | 8JQ; 9TJ; 9JQ; 9QK |
| 4 to a Straight | 2345; 3456; 4567; 5678; 6789; 789T; 89TJ |
| 3 to a Straight Flush | 345; 456; 567; 678; 789; 89T; 89J; 8TJ; 9TQ; 9JK |
| 4 to a Straight | JQKA |
| 2 to a Royal Flush | JA; JQ; JK; QA; QK; KA |
| 4 to a Straight | 9JQK; TJQA; TJKA; TQKA |
| 3 to a Straight Flush | (more)A23; A24; A25; A34; A35; A45; 234; 235; 245; 346; 356; 457; 467; 568... |
| 3 to a Straight | JQK |
| 2 to a Straight | JQ; QK |
| 2 to a Royal Flush | TJ |
| 2 to a Straight | JK; QA |
| 2 to a Straight | JA; KA |
| 2 to a Royal Flush | TQ; TK |
| Single Card | a Jack; a Queen; a King; an Ace |
| 3 to a Straight Flush | 236; 246; 256; 347; 357; 367; 458; 468; 478; 569; 579; 589; 67T; 68T; 69T |
| Garbage | Discard everything |
The following table shows the exceptions to the basic strategy:
| Basic Strategy Exceptions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Right Play | Wrong Play | Pattern(s) |
| Single Card: a King | 2 to a Royal Flush: TK | |
| 2 to a Royal Flush: TQ | 2 to a Straight: QA | |
| 2 to a Straight: JK | 2 to a Royal Flush: TJ | |
| 4 to a Straight: 89TJ | 3 to a Straight Flush: 9TJ | |