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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 | 560 | 421,909,524 | 0.000021 | 47,245.27 | 6.61 | 0.011853 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 2,132,413,884 | 0.000107 | 9,347.73 | 0.26 | 0.005349 |
| Four of a Kind | 25 | 47,106,211,212 | 0.002363 | 423.16 | 1.36 | 0.059080 |
| Full House | 9 | 229,500,922,428 | 0.011513 | 86.85 | 0.74 | 0.103621 |
| Flush | 6 | 229,370,737,752 | 0.011507 | 86.90 | 0.29 | 0.069042 |
| Straight | 4 | 221,995,583,040 | 0.011137 | 89.79 | 0.10 | 0.044548 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 | 1,483,754,853,168 | 0.074436 | 13.43 | 0.30 | 0.223309 |
| Two Pair | 2 | 2,575,340,645,112 | 0.129198 | 7.74 | 0.13 | 0.258397 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 4,282,727,771,268 | 0.214854 | 4.65 | 0.00 | 0.214854 |
| Nothing | 0 | 10,860,879,469,812 | 0.544863 | 1.84 | 0.53 | 0.000000 |
| Totals | 19,933,230,517,200 | 1.000000 | 2.20 | 10.33 | 0.990052 | |
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 | 560 | 424,395,612 | 0.000021 | 46,968.51 | 6.65 | 0.011923 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 2,135,734,344 | 0.000107 | 9,333.20 | 0.26 | 0.005357 |
| Four of a Kind | 25 | 47,104,759,188 | 0.002363 | 423.17 | 1.36 | 0.059078 |
| Full House | 9 | 229,505,965,812 | 0.011514 | 86.85 | 0.74 | 0.103624 |
| Flush | 6 | 229,082,761,764 | 0.011493 | 87.01 | 0.29 | 0.068955 |
| Straight | 4 | 222,309,989,580 | 0.011153 | 89.66 | 0.10 | 0.044611 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 | 1,483,761,356,316 | 0.074437 | 13.43 | 0.30 | 0.223310 |
| Two Pair | 2 | 2,575,455,988,140 | 0.129204 | 7.74 | 0.13 | 0.258408 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 4,281,248,044,260 | 0.214779 | 4.66 | 0.00 | 0.214779 |
| Nothing | 0 | 10,862,201,522,184 | 0.544929 | 1.84 | 0.53 | 0.000000 |
| Totals | 19,933,230,517,200 | 1.000000 | 2.20 | 10.37 | 0.990045 | |
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 |
| 4 to a Flush | (more)2347; 2348; 2349; 234T; 234J; 234Q; 234K; 2357; 2358; 2359; 235T; 235J... |
| 3 to a Royal Flush | TJA; TJQ; TJK; TQA; TQK; TKA; JQA; JQK; JKA; QKA |
| 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; JK; QK |
| 2 to a Straight | QA; KA |
| 2 to a Royal Flush | TJ; TQ |
| 2 to a Straight | JA |
| 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 Queen | 2 to a Royal Flush: TQ | |
| 2 to a Straight: JA | 2 to a Royal Flush: TJ | |
| 3 to a Flush: 2JA | 2 to a Royal Flush: JA | |
| 3 to a Flush: 3JA | 2 to a Royal Flush: JA | |
| 3 to a Flush: 4JA | 2 to a Royal Flush: JA | |
| 3 to a Flush: 5JA | 2 to a Royal Flush: JA | |
| 3 to a Flush: 6JA | 2 to a Royal Flush: JA | |
| 3 to a Flush: 7JA | 2 to a Royal Flush: JA | |
| 3 to a Flush: 8JA | 2 to a Royal Flush: JA | |
| 3 to a Flush: 2QA | 2 to a Royal Flush: QA | |
| 3 to a Flush: 3QA | 2 to a Royal Flush: QA | |
| 3 to a Flush: 4QA | 2 to a Royal Flush: QA | |
| 3 to a Flush: 5QA | 2 to a Royal Flush: QA | |
| 3 to a Flush: 6QA | 2 to a Royal Flush: QA | |
| 3 to a Flush: 7QA | 2 to a Royal Flush: QA | |
| 3 to a Flush: 8QA | 2 to a Royal Flush: QA | |
| 3 to a Flush: 2KA | 2 to a Royal Flush: KA | |
| 3 to a Flush: 3KA | 2 to a Royal Flush: KA | |
| 3 to a Flush: 4KA | 2 to a Royal Flush: KA | |
| 3 to a Flush: 5KA | 2 to a Royal Flush: KA | |
| 3 to a Flush: 6KA | 2 to a Royal Flush: KA | |
| 3 to a Flush: 7KA | 2 to a Royal Flush: KA | |
| 3 to a Flush: 8KA | 2 to a Royal Flush: KA | |
| 3 to a Flush: 9KA | 2 to a Royal Flush: KA | |
| 3 to a Flush: 9JA | 2 to a Royal Flush: JA | |
| 3 to a Flush: 9QA | 2 to a Royal Flush: QA | |
| 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♥ |