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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 | 496,237,776 | 0.000025 | 40,168.71 | 15.89 | 0.019916 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 2,137,447,980 | 0.000107 | 9,325.71 | 0.26 | 0.005362 |
| Four of a Kind | 25 | 47,100,799,404 | 0.002363 | 423.20 | 1.36 | 0.059073 |
| Full House | 9 | 229,510,637,676 | 0.011514 | 86.85 | 0.74 | 0.103626 |
| Flush | 5 | 217,120,426,644 | 0.010892 | 91.81 | 0.18 | 0.054462 |
| Straight | 4 | 223,861,063,908 | 0.011231 | 89.04 | 0.10 | 0.044922 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 | 1,484,332,642,620 | 0.074465 | 13.43 | 0.30 | 0.223396 |
| Two Pair | 2 | 2,577,431,192,796 | 0.129303 | 7.73 | 0.13 | 0.258606 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 4,288,342,040,640 | 0.215135 | 4.65 | 0.00 | 0.215135 |
| Nothing | 0 | 10,862,898,027,756 | 0.544964 | 1.83 | 0.53 | 0.000000 |
| Totals | 19,933,230,517,200 | 1.000000 | 2.20 | 19.50 | 0.984498 | |
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 | 492,184,080 | 0.000025 | 40,499.54 | 15.76 | 0.019753 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 2,137,045,500 | 0.000107 | 9,327.47 | 0.26 | 0.005361 |
| Four of a Kind | 25 | 47,107,165,812 | 0.002363 | 423.15 | 1.36 | 0.059081 |
| Full House | 9 | 229,527,625,428 | 0.011515 | 86.84 | 0.74 | 0.103633 |
| Flush | 5 | 216,641,883,600 | 0.010868 | 92.01 | 0.18 | 0.054342 |
| Straight | 4 | 223,521,304,740 | 0.011214 | 89.18 | 0.10 | 0.044854 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 | 1,484,533,360,428 | 0.074475 | 13.43 | 0.30 | 0.223426 |
| Two Pair | 2 | 2,577,613,163,292 | 0.129312 | 7.73 | 0.13 | 0.258625 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 4,293,766,859,580 | 0.215407 | 4.64 | 0.00 | 0.215407 |
| Nothing | 0 | 10,857,889,924,740 | 0.544713 | 1.84 | 0.53 | 0.000000 |
| Totals | 19,933,230,517,200 | 1.000000 | 2.20 | 19.37 | 0.984482 | |
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 |
| 3 of a Kind | 222; 333; 444; 555; 666; 777; 888; 999; TTT; JJJ; QQQ; KKK; AAA |
| Pat Hand | Straight; Flush |
| 2 Pair | (more)2233; 2244; 2255; 2266; 2277; 2288; 2299; 22TT; 22JJ; 22QQ; 22KK; 22AA... |
| 4 to a Straight Flush | (more)A234; A235; A245; A345; 2345; 2346; 2356; 2456; 3456; 3457; 3467; 3567... |
| 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 | TJQK |
| 1 Pair | 22; 33; 44; 55; 66; 77; 88; 99; TT |
| 4 to a Straight | 2345; 3456; 4567; 5678; 6789; 789T; 89TJ; 9TJQ |
| 3 to a Straight Flush | 89J; 8TJ; 8JQ; 9TJ; 9TQ; 9JQ |
| 4 to a Straight | JQKA |
| 3 to a Straight Flush | 9JK; 9QK |
| 2 to a Royal Flush | JA; JQ; JK; QK |
| 3 to a Straight Flush | 456; 567; 678; 789; 89T |
| 2 to a Royal Flush | QA; KA |
| 3 to a Straight Flush | 345 |
| 4 to a Straight | 9JQK; TJQA; TJKA; TQKA |
| 3 to a Straight | JQK |
| 2 to a Straight | JQ |
| 3 to a Straight Flush | A23; A24; A25; A34; A35; A45; 689; 78J; 79J; 7TJ; 89Q; 8TQ; 9TK |
| 2 to a Straight | JK |
| 3 to a Straight Flush | 78T; 79T |
| 2 to a Royal Flush | TJ |
| 2 to a Straight | QK |
| 3 to a Straight Flush | 234; 235; 245; 346; 356; 457; 467; 568; 578; 679 |
| 2 to a Straight | JA; QA; KA |
| 2 to a Royal Flush | TQ |
| 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) |
| 2 to a Royal Flush: TK | Single Card: a King | |
| 2 to a Royal Flush: TJ | 2 to a Straight: JK | |
| 2 to a Royal Flush: TQ | 2 to a Straight: QA | |
| 2 to a Straight: JA | 2 to a Royal Flush: TJ | |
| 3 to a Straight Flush: 7TJ | 2 to a Straight: JQ | |
| 2 to a Straight: JK | 3 to a Straight Flush: 78J | |
| Single Card: a Jack | 3 to a Straight Flush: 346 | |
| Single Card: a Jack | 3 to a Straight Flush: 356 | |
| Single Card: a Jack | 3 to a Straight Flush: 457 | |
| Single Card: a Jack | 3 to a Straight Flush: 467 | |
| Single Card: a Jack | 3 to a Straight Flush: 234 | |
| Single Card: an Ace | 3 to a Straight Flush: 234 | |
| Single Card: a Jack | 3 to a Straight Flush: 235 | |
| Single Card: an Ace | 3 to a Straight Flush: 235 | |
| Single Card: a Jack | 3 to a Straight Flush: 245 | |
| Single Card: an Ace | 3 to a Straight Flush: 245 | |
| Single Card: a Jack | 3 to a Straight Flush: 78T | |
| Single Card: a Jack | 3 to a Straight Flush: 79T | |
| 2 to a Straight: JK | 3 to a Straight Flush: 79J | |
| 2 to a Straight: JK | 3 to a Straight Flush: 7TJ | |
| 3 to a Straight Flush: 78J | 2 to a Straight: JQ | 7♣ 8♣ J♣ Q♦ A♥ |
| 3 to a Straight Flush: 79J | 2 to a Straight: JQ | 7♣ 9♣ J♣ Q♦ A♥ |
| 3 to a Straight Flush: 679 | 2 to a Straight: JK | 6♣ 7♣ 9♣ J♦ K♥ |
| 3 to a Straight Flush: 679 | 2 to a Straight: QK | 6♣ 7♣ 9♣ Q♦ K♥ |
| Single Card: a Jack | 3 to a Straight Flush: 568 | 4♣ 5♦ 6♦ 8♦ J♥ |
| Single Card: a Jack | 3 to a Straight Flush: 578 | 4♣ 5♦ 7♦ 8♦ J♥ |
| 3 to a Straight Flush: 578 | 2 to a Royal Flush: TJ | 5♣ 7♣ 8♣ 10♦ J♦ |
| 3 to a Straight Flush: 456 | 2 to a Royal Flush: JA | 4♣ 5♣ 6♣ J♦ A♦ |
| 3 to a Straight Flush: 567 | 2 to a Royal Flush: JA | 5♣ 6♣ 7♣ J♦ A♦ |
| 3 to a Straight Flush: 678 | 2 to a Royal Flush: JA | 6♣ 7♣ 8♣ J♦ A♦ |