On this page
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 | 493,461,180 | 0.000025 | 40,394.73 | 15.80 | 0.019805 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 2,178,781,128 | 0.000109 | 9,148.80 | 0.26 | 0.005465 |
| Four of a Kind | 25 | 47,093,065,596 | 0.002363 | 423.27 | 1.36 | 0.059064 |
| Full House | 8 | 229,474,563,084 | 0.011512 | 86.86 | 0.57 | 0.092097 |
| Flush | 6 | 219,546,510,552 | 0.011014 | 90.79 | 0.28 | 0.066085 |
| Straight | 4 | 223,901,471,868 | 0.011233 | 89.03 | 0.10 | 0.044930 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 | 1,483,988,715,720 | 0.074448 | 13.43 | 0.30 | 0.223344 |
| Two Pair | 2 | 2,576,909,843,424 | 0.129277 | 7.74 | 0.13 | 0.258554 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 4,277,338,869,024 | 0.214583 | 4.66 | 0.00 | 0.214583 |
| Nothing | 0 | 10,872,305,235,624 | 0.545436 | 1.83 | 0.53 | 0.000000 |
| Totals | 19,933,230,517,200 | 1.000000 | 2.20 | 19.34 | 0.983927 | |
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 | 501,277,032 | 0.000025 | 39,764.90 | 16.06 | 0.020118 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 2,181,386,412 | 0.000109 | 9,137.87 | 0.26 | 0.005472 |
| Four of a Kind | 25 | 47,090,594,988 | 0.002362 | 423.30 | 1.36 | 0.059060 |
| Full House | 8 | 229,463,473,212 | 0.011512 | 86.87 | 0.57 | 0.092093 |
| Flush | 6 | 218,632,692,096 | 0.010968 | 91.17 | 0.28 | 0.065810 |
| Straight | 4 | 224,613,756,204 | 0.011268 | 88.74 | 0.10 | 0.045073 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 | 1,483,884,940,896 | 0.074443 | 13.43 | 0.30 | 0.223328 |
| Two Pair | 2 | 2,576,761,579,080 | 0.129270 | 7.74 | 0.13 | 0.258539 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 4,274,161,486,020 | 0.214424 | 4.66 | 0.00 | 0.214424 |
| Nothing | 0 | 10,875,939,331,260 | 0.545618 | 1.83 | 0.53 | 0.000000 |
| Totals | 19,933,230,517,200 | 1.000000 | 2.20 | 19.59 | 0.983917 | |
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 | 345; 456; 567; 678; 789; 89T; 89J; 8TJ; 8JQ; 9TJ; 9TQ; 9JQ; 9JK; 9QK |
| 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; TQ |
| 2 to a Straight | JK; QA |
| 2 to a Straight | JA; KA |
| 2 to a Royal Flush | 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) |
| 2 to a Straight: QA | 2 to a Royal Flush: TQ | |
| Single Card: a King | 2 to a Royal Flush: TK | |
| 2 to a Straight: JK | 2 to a Royal Flush: TJ | |
| 2 to a Royal Flush: JQ | 4 to a Straight: JQKA | |
| 4 to a Flush: 2TJA | 3 to a Royal Flush: TJA | |
| 4 to a Flush: 3TJA | 3 to a Royal Flush: TJA | |
| 4 to a Flush: 4TJA | 3 to a Royal Flush: TJA | |
| 4 to a Flush: 5TJA | 3 to a Royal Flush: TJA | |
| 4 to a Flush: 6TJA | 3 to a Royal Flush: TJA | |
| 4 to a Flush: 7TJA | 3 to a Royal Flush: TJA | |
| 4 to a Flush: 8TJA | 3 to a Royal Flush: TJA | |
| 4 to a Flush: 9TJA | 3 to a Royal Flush: TJA | |
| 4 to a Flush: 2TQA | 3 to a Royal Flush: TQA | |
| 4 to a Flush: 3TQA | 3 to a Royal Flush: TQA | |
| 4 to a Flush: 4TQA | 3 to a Royal Flush: TQA | |
| 4 to a Flush: 5TQA | 3 to a Royal Flush: TQA | |
| 4 to a Flush: 6TQA | 3 to a Royal Flush: TQA | |
| 4 to a Flush: 7TQA | 3 to a Royal Flush: TQA | |
| 4 to a Flush: 8TQA | 3 to a Royal Flush: TQA | |
| 4 to a Flush: 9TQA | 3 to a Royal Flush: TQA | |
| 4 to a Flush: 2TKA | 3 to a Royal Flush: TKA | |
| 4 to a Flush: 3TKA | 3 to a Royal Flush: TKA | |
| 4 to a Flush: 4TKA | 3 to a Royal Flush: TKA | |
| 4 to a Flush: 5TKA | 3 to a Royal Flush: TKA | |
| 4 to a Flush: 6TKA | 3 to a Royal Flush: TKA | |
| 4 to a Flush: 7TKA | 3 to a Royal Flush: TKA | |
| 4 to a Flush: 8TKA | 3 to a Royal Flush: TKA | |
| 4 to a Flush: 9TKA | 3 to a Royal Flush: TKA | |
| 3 to a Straight Flush: 79J | 4 to a Straight: 9JQK | 7♣ 9♣ J♣ Q♦ K♥ |
| 3 to a Straight Flush: 7TJ | 4 to a Straight: TJQA | 7♣ 10♣ J♣ Q♦ A♥ |
| 3 to a Straight Flush: 7TJ | 4 to a Straight: TJKA | 7♣ 10♣ J♣ K♦ A♥ |
| 3 to a Straight Flush: 8TQ | 4 to a Straight: TQKA | 8♣ 10♣ Q♣ K♦ A♥ |