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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 | 1,162.8 | 595,175,616 | 0.000030 | 33,491.34 | 40.30 | 0.034719 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 2,231,253,168 | 0.000112 | 8,933.65 | 0.27 | 0.005597 |
| Four of a Kind | 25 | 46,847,336,592 | 0.002350 | 425.49 | 1.35 | 0.058755 |
| Full House | 9 | 228,594,374,928 | 0.011468 | 87.20 | 0.73 | 0.103212 |
| Flush | 6 | 224,178,918,096 | 0.011246 | 88.92 | 0.28 | 0.067479 |
| Straight | 4 | 224,909,342,160 | 0.011283 | 88.63 | 0.10 | 0.045133 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 | 1,474,775,349,960 | 0.073986 | 13.52 | 0.29 | 0.221957 |
| Two Pair | 2 | 2,565,487,860,408 | 0.128704 | 7.77 | 0.13 | 0.257408 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 4,208,697,657,360 | 0.211140 | 4.74 | 0.00 | 0.211140 |
| Nothing | 0 | 10,956,913,248,912 | 0.549681 | 1.82 | 0.56 | 0.000000 |
| Totals | 19,933,230,517,200 | 1.000000 | 2.22 | 44.02 | 1.005400 | |
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 | 1,162.8 | 592,535,760 | 0.000030 | 33,640.55 | 40.12 | 0.034565 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 2,224,553,940 | 0.000112 | 8,960.55 | 0.27 | 0.005580 |
| Four of a Kind | 25 | 46,844,664,744 | 0.002350 | 425.52 | 1.35 | 0.058752 |
| Full House | 9 | 228,589,833,096 | 0.011468 | 87.20 | 0.73 | 0.103210 |
| Flush | 6 | 223,594,320,540 | 0.011217 | 89.15 | 0.28 | 0.067303 |
| Straight | 4 | 224,664,718,428 | 0.011271 | 88.72 | 0.10 | 0.045083 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 | 1,474,734,114,336 | 0.073984 | 13.52 | 0.29 | 0.221951 |
| Two Pair | 2 | 2,565,540,495,504 | 0.128707 | 7.77 | 0.13 | 0.257413 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 4,216,574,353,500 | 0.211535 | 4.73 | 0.00 | 0.211535 |
| Nothing | 0 | 10,949,870,927,352 | 0.549327 | 1.82 | 0.56 | 0.000000 |
| Totals | 19,933,230,517,200 | 1.000000 | 2.22 | 43.83 | 1.005393 | |
The following table shows the basic strategy:
| Basic Strategy | |
|---|---|
| Type of Play | Play Details |
| Pat Hand | Full House; Straight Flush; Royal Flush |
| 4 to a Royal Flush | TJQA; TJQK; TJKA; TQKA; JQKA |
| 4 of a Kind | (more)2222; 3333; 4444; 5555; 6666; 7777; 8888; 9999; TTTT; JJJJ; QQQQ; KKKK... |
| 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... |
| 3 to a Royal Flush | TJA; TJQ; TJK; TQA; TQK; TKA; JQA; JQK; JKA; QKA |
| 1 Pair | JJ; QQ; KK; AA |
| 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; 9JK; 9QK |
| 2 to a Royal Flush | JQ; JK; QK |
| 3 to a Straight Flush | A23; A24; A25; A34; A35; A45; 345; 456; 567; 678; 789; 89T |
| 4 to a Straight | JQKA |
| 2 to a Royal Flush | JA; QA; KA |
| 4 to a Straight | 9JQK; TJQA; TJKA; TQKA |
| 3 to a Straight Flush | 457; 467; 568; 578; 689; 78T; 78J; 79T; 79J; 7TJ; 89Q; 8TQ; 9TK |
| 2 to a Royal Flush | TJ |
| 3 to a Straight Flush | 234; 235; 245; 346; 356; 679 |
| 3 to a Straight | JQK |
| 2 to a Straight | JQ; JK |
| 2 to a Royal Flush | TQ |
| 2 to a Straight | JA; QK |
| 2 to a Straight | QA |
| 2 to a Royal Flush | TK |
| 2 to a Straight | KA |
| 2 to a Royal Flush | TA |
| 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 | 2 to a Straight: QK | |
| 2 to a Royal Flush: TK | 2 to a Straight: JK | |
| Single Card: a Jack | 2 to a Straight: JA | |
| 2 to a Royal Flush: TQ | 2 to a Straight: JQ | |
| 2 to a Straight: KA | 2 to a Royal Flush: TK | |
| 2 to a Straight: QK | 2 to a Royal Flush: TQ | |
| 4 to a Straight: JQKA | 2 to a Royal Flush: JK | |
| 4 to a Straight: JQKA | 2 to a Royal Flush: QK | |
| 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♥ |
| 3 to a Straight Flush: 345 | 2 to a Royal Flush: JK | 3♣ 4♣ 5♣ J♦ K♦ |
| 3 to a Straight Flush: 456 | 2 to a Royal Flush: JK | 4♣ 5♣ 6♣ J♦ K♦ |
| 3 to a Straight Flush: 567 | 2 to a Royal Flush: JK | 5♣ 6♣ 7♣ J♦ K♦ |
| 3 to a Straight Flush: 678 | 2 to a Royal Flush: JK | 6♣ 7♣ 8♣ J♦ K♦ |
| 3 to a Straight Flush: 345 | 2 to a Royal Flush: QK | 3♣ 4♣ 5♣ Q♦ K♦ |
| 3 to a Straight Flush: 456 | 2 to a Royal Flush: QK | 4♣ 5♣ 6♣ Q♦ K♦ |
| 3 to a Straight Flush: 567 | 2 to a Royal Flush: QK | 5♣ 6♣ 7♣ Q♦ K♦ |
| 3 to a Straight Flush: 678 | 2 to a Royal Flush: QK | 6♣ 7♣ 8♣ Q♦ K♦ |
| 3 to a Straight Flush: 789 | 2 to a Royal Flush: QK | 7♣ 8♣ 9♣ Q♦ K♦ |