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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 | 1,600 | 608,768,604 | 0.000031 | 32,743.53 | 78.08 | 0.048865 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 2,216,855,736 | 0.000111 | 8,991.67 | 0.27 | 0.005561 |
| Four of a Kind | 25 | 46,864,594,728 | 0.002351 | 425.34 | 1.35 | 0.058777 |
| Full House | 9 | 228,680,409,672 | 0.011472 | 87.17 | 0.73 | 0.103251 |
| Flush | 6 | 225,487,302,660 | 0.011312 | 88.40 | 0.28 | 0.067873 |
| Straight | 4 | 222,575,931,852 | 0.011166 | 89.56 | 0.10 | 0.044664 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 | 1,475,820,427,464 | 0.074038 | 13.51 | 0.29 | 0.222115 |
| Two Pair | 2 | 2,567,484,055,944 | 0.128804 | 7.76 | 0.12 | 0.257608 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 4,184,423,517,348 | 0.209922 | 4.76 | 0.00 | 0.209922 |
| Nothing | 0 | 10,979,068,653,192 | 0.550792 | 1.82 | 0.57 | 0.000000 |
| Totals | 19,933,230,517,200 | 1.000000 | 2.23 | 81.80 | 1.018635 | |
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 | 1,600 | 608,405,856 | 0.000031 | 32,763.05 | 78.04 | 0.048836 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 2,216,374,824 | 0.000111 | 8,993.62 | 0.27 | 0.005559 |
| Four of a Kind | 25 | 46,850,056,944 | 0.002350 | 425.47 | 1.35 | 0.058759 |
| Full House | 9 | 228,638,362,896 | 0.011470 | 87.18 | 0.73 | 0.103232 |
| Flush | 6 | 225,297,177,300 | 0.011303 | 88.48 | 0.28 | 0.067816 |
| Straight | 4 | 222,249,472,584 | 0.011150 | 89.69 | 0.10 | 0.044599 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 | 1,475,365,285,536 | 0.074015 | 13.51 | 0.29 | 0.222046 |
| Two Pair | 2 | 2,567,078,123,904 | 0.128784 | 7.76 | 0.12 | 0.257568 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 4,190,198,969,124 | 0.210212 | 4.76 | 0.00 | 0.210212 |
| Nothing | 0 | 10,974,728,288,232 | 0.550574 | 1.82 | 0.57 | 0.000000 |
| Totals | 19,933,230,517,200 | 1.000000 | 2.23 | 81.75 | 1.018625 | |
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 | 9TJ; 9JQ; 9JK; 9QK |
| 2 to a Royal Flush | JA; JQ; JK; QA; QK |
| 3 to a Straight Flush | 89J; 8TJ; 8JQ |
| 2 to a Royal Flush | KA |
| 3 to a Straight Flush | 345; 456; 567; 678; 789; 78T; 78J; 79T; 79J; 7TJ; 89T; 9TQ |
| 2 to a Royal Flush | TJ |
| 4 to a Straight | TJQA; TJKA; JQKA |
| 3 to a Straight Flush | A23; A24; A25; A34; A35; A45; 8TQ |
| 4 to a Straight | 9JQK; TQKA |
| 2 to a Royal Flush | TQ |
| 3 to a Straight Flush | 234; 235; 245; 346; 356; 457; 467; 568; 578; 89Q; 9TK |
| 3 to a Straight | JQK |
| 2 to a Royal Flush | TK |
| 3 to a Straight Flush | 679; 689 |
| 2 to a Royal Flush | TA |
| 2 to a Straight | JQ; JK; QK |
| 2 to a Straight | JA; QA; KA |
| 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 Jack | 2 to a Straight: JA | |
| 2 to a Royal Flush: TJ | 3 to a Straight Flush: 7TJ | |
| 3 to a Straight Flush: 8JQ | 2 to a Royal Flush: JQ | |
| 4 to a Straight: TJQA | 2 to a Royal Flush: TJ | |
| 4 to a Straight: TJKA | 2 to a Royal Flush: TJ | |
| 2 to a Royal Flush: JK | 2 to a Royal Flush: QA | |