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 | 806 | 485,837,976 | 0.000024 | 41,028.56 | 15.69 | 0.019645 |
| Straight Flush | 56 | 1,458,694,548 | 0.000073 | 13,665.12 | 0.20 | 0.004098 |
| Four of a Kind | 31 | 43,992,341,616 | 0.002207 | 453.11 | 1.64 | 0.068417 |
| Full House | 15 | 219,544,170,624 | 0.011014 | 90.79 | 1.39 | 0.165210 |
| Flush | 12 | 183,689,463,876 | 0.009215 | 108.52 | 0.62 | 0.110583 |
| Straight | 10 | 144,409,014,852 | 0.007245 | 138.03 | 0.28 | 0.072446 |
| Three of a Kind | 9 | 1,380,442,775,196 | 0.069253 | 14.44 | 1.89 | 0.623280 |
| Two Pair | 8 | 2,470,919,804,532 | 0.123960 | 8.07 | 2.21 | 0.991679 |
| Jacks or Better | 7 | 4,899,776,882,436 | 0.245809 | 4.07 | 2.55 | 1.720666 |
| Nothing | 0 | 10,588,511,531,544 | 0.531199 | 1.88 | 7.57 | 0.000000 |
| Totals | 19,933,230,517,200 | 1.000000 | 2.13 | 34.04 | 3.776023 | |
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 | 806 | 487,268,328 | 0.000024 | 40,908.12 | 15.73 | 0.019703 |
| Straight Flush | 56 | 1,459,710,552 | 0.000073 | 13,655.60 | 0.20 | 0.004101 |
| Four of a Kind | 31 | 43,992,818,400 | 0.002207 | 453.10 | 1.64 | 0.068417 |
| Full House | 15 | 219,548,461,680 | 0.011014 | 90.79 | 1.39 | 0.165213 |
| Flush | 12 | 183,509,756,040 | 0.009206 | 108.62 | 0.62 | 0.110475 |
| Straight | 10 | 144,333,348,096 | 0.007241 | 138.11 | 0.28 | 0.072408 |
| Three of a Kind | 9 | 1,380,488,308,068 | 0.069256 | 14.44 | 1.89 | 0.623301 |
| Two Pair | 8 | 2,471,024,935,404 | 0.123965 | 8.07 | 2.21 | 0.991721 |
| Jacks or Better | 7 | 4,899,806,919,828 | 0.245811 | 4.07 | 2.55 | 1.720677 |
| Nothing | 0 | 10,588,578,990,804 | 0.531202 | 1.88 | 7.57 | 0.000000 |
| Totals | 19,933,230,517,200 | 1.000000 | 2.13 | 34.09 | 3.776015 | |
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... |
| 1 Pair | JJ; QQ; KK; AA |
| 4 to a Straight Flush | (more)A234; A235; A245; A345; 2345; 2346; 2356; 2456; 3456; 3457; 3467; 3567... |
| 3 to a Royal Flush | TJQ; TJK; TQK; JQA; JQK; JKA; QKA |
| 4 to a Flush | (more)236A; 237A; 238A; 239A; 23TA; 23JA; 23JQ; 23JK; 23QA; 23QK; 23KA; 246A... |
| 3 to a Royal Flush | TJA; TQA; TKA |
| 4 to a Straight | TJQK |
| 2 to a Royal Flush | JK; QK |
| 2 to a Royal Flush | JA; JQ; QA; KA |
| 3 to a Straight | JQK |
| 2 to a Straight | JQ; JK; QK |
| 4 to a Flush | (more)234J; 234Q; 234K; 235J; 235Q; 235K; 236J; 236Q; 236K; 237J; 237Q; 237K... |
| 2 to a Straight | JA; QA; KA |
| 1 Pair | 22; 33; 44; 55; 66; 77; 88; 99; TT |
| Single Card | a Jack; a Queen; a King; an Ace |
| 4 to a Flush | (more)2347; 2348; 2349; 234T; 2357; 2358; 2359; 235T; 2367; 2368; 2369; 236T... |
| 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: JQ | 2 to a Royal Flush: KA | |
| 3 to a Straight: JQK | 2 to a Royal Flush: JA | |
| 3 to a Straight: JQK | 2 to a Royal Flush: QA | |
| 3 to a Straight: JQK | 2 to a Royal Flush: KA | |
| 2 to a Royal Flush: QA | 2 to a Royal Flush: JK | |
| 2 to a Royal Flush: JA | 2 to a Royal Flush: QK | |
| 4 to a Flush: 2TJK | 3 to a Royal Flush: TJK | 2♣ 10♣ J♣ Q♦ K♣ |
| 4 to a Flush: 3TJK | 3 to a Royal Flush: TJK | 3♣ 10♣ J♣ Q♦ K♣ |
| 4 to a Flush: 4TJK | 3 to a Royal Flush: TJK | 4♣ 10♣ J♣ Q♦ K♣ |
| 4 to a Flush: 5TJK | 3 to a Royal Flush: TJK | 5♣ 10♣ J♣ Q♦ K♣ |
| 4 to a Flush: 6TJK | 3 to a Royal Flush: TJK | 6♣ 10♣ J♣ Q♦ K♣ |
| 4 to a Flush: 7TJK | 3 to a Royal Flush: TJK | 7♣ 10♣ J♣ Q♦ K♣ |
| 4 to a Flush: 8TJK | 3 to a Royal Flush: TJK | 8♣ 10♣ J♣ Q♦ K♣ |
| 4 to a Flush: 2TQK | 3 to a Royal Flush: TQK | 2♣ 10♣ J♦ Q♣ K♣ |
| 4 to a Flush: 3TQK | 3 to a Royal Flush: TQK | 3♣ 10♣ J♦ Q♣ K♣ |
| 4 to a Flush: 4TQK | 3 to a Royal Flush: TQK | 4♣ 10♣ J♦ Q♣ K♣ |
| 4 to a Flush: 5TQK | 3 to a Royal Flush: TQK | 5♣ 10♣ J♦ Q♣ K♣ |
| 4 to a Flush: 6TQK | 3 to a Royal Flush: TQK | 6♣ 10♣ J♦ Q♣ K♣ |
| 4 to a Flush: 7TQK | 3 to a Royal Flush: TQK | 7♣ 10♣ J♦ Q♣ K♣ |
| 4 to a Flush: 8TQK | 3 to a Royal Flush: TQK | 8♣ 10♣ J♦ Q♣ K♣ |