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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 | 9,601 | 452,798,316 | 0.000023 | 44,022.32 | 2,088.34 | 0.218094 |
| Straight Flush | 601 | 2,174,592,240 | 0.000109 | 9,166.42 | 37.74 | 0.065565 |
| Four of a Kind | 301 | 47,077,638,228 | 0.002362 | 423.41 | 196.17 | 0.710892 |
| Full House | 107 | 229,414,726,692 | 0.011509 | 86.89 | 102.13 | 1.231480 |
| Flush | 81 | 226,441,726,704 | 0.011360 | 88.03 | 52.84 | 0.920161 |
| Straight | 54 | 224,565,053,028 | 0.011266 | 88.76 | 19.12 | 0.608357 |
| Three of a Kind | 39 | 1,482,929,029,224 | 0.074395 | 13.44 | 51.06 | 2.901398 |
| Two Pair | 26 | 2,574,748,990,224 | 0.129169 | 7.74 | 22.50 | 3.358386 |
| Jacks or Better | 13 | 4,272,916,220,640 | 0.214361 | 4.67 | 0.01 | 2.786699 |
| Nothing | 0 | 10,872,509,741,904 | 0.545446 | 1.83 | 89.38 | 0.000000 |
| Totals | 19,933,230,517,200 | 1.000000 | 2.20 | 2,659.29 | 12.801031 | |
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 | 9,601 | 458,366,472 | 0.000023 | 43,487.54 | 2,114.02 | 0.220776 |
| Straight Flush | 601 | 2,181,556,692 | 0.000109 | 9,137.16 | 37.86 | 0.065775 |
| Four of a Kind | 301 | 47,075,780,628 | 0.002362 | 423.43 | 196.16 | 0.710864 |
| Full House | 107 | 229,409,153,892 | 0.011509 | 86.89 | 102.12 | 1.231450 |
| Flush | 81 | 226,020,800,736 | 0.011339 | 88.19 | 52.74 | 0.918450 |
| Straight | 54 | 224,898,294,084 | 0.011283 | 88.63 | 19.15 | 0.609259 |
| Three of a Kind | 39 | 1,482,894,013,464 | 0.074393 | 13.44 | 51.06 | 2.901329 |
| Two Pair | 26 | 2,574,766,544,544 | 0.129170 | 7.74 | 22.50 | 3.358408 |
| Jacks or Better | 13 | 4,269,661,496,460 | 0.214198 | 4.67 | 0.01 | 2.784576 |
| Nothing | 0 | 10,875,864,510,228 | 0.545615 | 1.83 | 89.41 | 0.000000 |
| Totals | 19,933,230,517,200 | 1.000000 | 2.20 | 2,685.04 | 12.800889 | |
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 | 9TJQ; TJQK |
| 1 Pair | 22; 33; 44; 55; 66; 77; 88; 99; TT |
| 4 to a Straight | 2345; 3456; 4567; 5678; 6789; 789T; 89TJ |
| 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 |
| 3 to a Straight Flush | (more)A23; A24; A25; A34; A35; A45; 234; 235; 245; 346; 356; 457; 467; 568... |
| 4 to a Straight | TQKA |
| 3 to a Straight Flush | 9TK |
| 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 | |
| 4 to a Flush: 2TJK | 3 to a Royal Flush: TJK | |
| 4 to a Flush: 3TJK | 3 to a Royal Flush: TJK | |
| 4 to a Flush: 4TJK | 3 to a Royal Flush: TJK | |
| 4 to a Flush: 5TJK | 3 to a Royal Flush: TJK | |
| 4 to a Flush: 6TJK | 3 to a Royal Flush: TJK | |
| 4 to a Flush: 7TJK | 3 to a Royal Flush: TJK | |
| 4 to a Flush: 8TJK | 3 to a Royal Flush: TJK | |
| 4 to a Flush: 2TQK | 3 to a Royal Flush: TQK | |
| 4 to a Flush: 3TQK | 3 to a Royal Flush: TQK | |
| 4 to a Flush: 4TQK | 3 to a Royal Flush: TQK | |
| 4 to a Flush: 5TQK | 3 to a Royal Flush: TQK | |
| 4 to a Flush: 6TQK | 3 to a Royal Flush: TQK | |
| 4 to a Flush: 7TQK | 3 to a Royal Flush: TQK | |
| 4 to a Flush: 8TQK | 3 to a Royal Flush: TQK | |
| 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♥ |