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 | 400.4831 | 395,881,992 | 0.000020 | 50,351.45 | 3.17 | 0.007954 |
| Straight Flush | 25.4831 | 2,123,365,968 | 0.000107 | 9,387.56 | 0.06 | 0.002715 |
| Four of a Kind | 12.9831 | 46,724,753,568 | 0.002344 | 426.61 | 0.34 | 0.030433 |
| Full House | 6.3987 | 227,145,781,152 | 0.011395 | 87.76 | 0.34 | 0.072916 |
| Flush | 5.1572 | 269,918,429,400 | 0.013541 | 73.85 | 0.24 | 0.069834 |
| Straight | 3.6909 | 261,038,487,576 | 0.013096 | 76.36 | 0.10 | 0.048335 |
| Three of a Kind | 2.4662 | 1,459,041,987,396 | 0.073196 | 13.66 | 0.16 | 0.180520 |
| Two Pair | 1.7247 | 2,526,378,252,300 | 0.126742 | 7.89 | 0.07 | 0.218589 |
| Jacks or Better | 0.9831 | 4,071,638,318,328 | 0.204264 | 4.90 | 0.00 | 0.200816 |
| Nothing | 0.2416 | 11,068,825,259,520 | 0.555295 | 1.80 | 0.29 | 0.134137 |
| Totals | 19,933,230,517,200 | 1.000000 | 1.00 | 4.77 | 0.966249 | |
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 | 400.4831 | 399,250,440 | 0.000020 | 49,926.63 | 3.20 | 0.008021 |
| Straight Flush | 25.4831 | 2,124,910,872 | 0.000107 | 9,380.74 | 0.06 | 0.002717 |
| Four of a Kind | 12.9831 | 46,737,159,240 | 0.002345 | 426.50 | 0.34 | 0.030441 |
| Full House | 6.3987 | 227,248,794,360 | 0.011400 | 87.72 | 0.34 | 0.072949 |
| Flush | 5.1572 | 266,677,716,168 | 0.013379 | 74.75 | 0.23 | 0.068995 |
| Straight | 3.6909 | 261,072,831,504 | 0.013097 | 76.35 | 0.10 | 0.048341 |
| Three of a Kind | 2.4662 | 1,459,918,608,960 | 0.073240 | 13.65 | 0.16 | 0.180629 |
| Two Pair | 1.7247 | 2,528,189,342,640 | 0.126833 | 7.88 | 0.07 | 0.218746 |
| Jacks or Better | 0.9831 | 4,083,259,984,056 | 0.204847 | 4.88 | 0.00 | 0.201389 |
| Nothing | 0.2416 | 11,057,601,918,960 | 0.554732 | 1.80 | 0.29 | 0.134001 |
| Totals | 19,933,230,517,200 | 1.000000 | 1.00 | 4.80 | 0.966230 | |
The following table shows the basic strategy:
| Basic Strategy | |
|---|---|
| Type of Play | Play Details |
| Pat Hand | Full House; Four of a Kind; Straight Flush; Royal Flush |
| 4 to a Royal Flush | TJQA; TJQK; TJKA; TQKA; JQKA |
| Pat Hand | Straight; Flush |
| 3 of a Kind | 222; 333; 444; 555; 666; 777; 888; 999; TTT; JJJ; QQQ; KKK; AAA |
| 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 | 89TJ; 9TJQ; TJQK |
| 1 Pair | 22; 33; 44; 55; 66; 77; 88; 99; TT |
| 3 to a Straight Flush | 8TJ; 8JQ; 9TJ; 9JQ |
| 4 to a Straight | 2345; 3456; 4567; 5678; 6789; 789T; JQKA |
| 3 to a Straight Flush | 345; 456; 567; 678; 789; 89T; 89J; 9TQ; 9JK; 9QK |
| 2 to a Royal Flush | JQ |
| 4 to a Straight | 9JQK; TJQA; TJKA; TQKA |
| 3 to a Flush | (more)2JA; 2QA; 2KA; 3JA; 3QA; 3KA; 4JA; 4QA; 4KA; 5JA; 5QA; 5KA; 6JA; 6QA... |
| 2 to a Royal Flush | JA; JK; QA; QK; KA |
| 3 to a Straight Flush | (more)A23; A24; A25; A34; A35; A45; 234; 235; 245; 346; 356; 457; 467; 568... |
| 4 to a Straight | 89JQ; 8TJQ; 9TJK; 9TQK |
| 3 to a Straight | TJQ; JQK |
| 2 to a Straight | JQ; JK; QK |
| 2 to a Straight | QA; KA |
| 2 to a Royal Flush | TJ |
| 2 to a Straight | JA |
| 3 to a Flush | (more)23Q; 23K; 24Q; 24K; 25Q; 25K; 26Q; 26K; 27Q; 27K; 28Q; 28K; 29A; 29J... |
| 2 to a Royal Flush | TQ; TK |
| 3 to a Flush | 26A; 27A; 28A; 36A; 37A; 38A; 46A; 47A; 48A; 56A; 57A; 58A; 67A; 68A; 78A |
| 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 |
| 4 to a Straight | (more)2346; 2356; 2456; 3457; 3467; 3567; 4568; 4578; 4678; 5679; 5689; 5789... |
| 3 to a Flush | (more)237; 238; 239; 23T; 23J; 247; 248; 249; 24T; 24J; 257; 258; 259; 25T... |
| 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: TQ | 2 to a Straight: QA | |
| 2 to a Royal Flush: TJ | 2 to a Straight: JK | |
| 3 to a Flush: 2JK | 2 to a Royal Flush: JK | |
| 3 to a Flush: 3JK | 2 to a Royal Flush: JK | |
| 3 to a Flush: 4JK | 2 to a Royal Flush: JK | |
| 3 to a Flush: 5JK | 2 to a Royal Flush: JK | |
| 3 to a Flush: 6JK | 2 to a Royal Flush: JK | |
| 3 to a Flush: 7JK | 2 to a Royal Flush: JK | |
| 3 to a Flush: 2QK | 2 to a Royal Flush: QK | |
| 3 to a Flush: 3QK | 2 to a Royal Flush: QK | |
| 3 to a Flush: 4QK | 2 to a Royal Flush: QK | |
| 3 to a Flush: 5QK | 2 to a Royal Flush: QK | |
| 3 to a Flush: 6QK | 2 to a Royal Flush: QK | |
| 3 to a Flush: 7QK | 2 to a Royal Flush: QK | |
| 3 to a Flush: 8QK | 2 to a Royal Flush: QK | |
| 3 to a Flush: 8JK | 2 to a Royal Flush: JK | |
| Single Card: a Jack | 3 to a Flush: 57J | |
| Single Card: a Jack | 3 to a Flush: 67J | |
| Single Card: a Jack | 3 to a Flush: 56J | |
| 3 to a Flush: 28J | Single Card: a Jack | |
| 3 to a Flush: 38J | Single Card: a Jack | |
| 3 to a Flush: 48J | Single Card: a Jack | |
| 2 to a Straight: JA | 2 to a Royal Flush: TJ | |
| Single Card: a Jack | 3 to a Flush: 58J | |
| Single Card: a Jack | 3 to a Flush: 68J | |
| 3 to a Flush: 23J | Single Card: a Jack | |
| 3 to a Flush: 24J | Single Card: a Jack | |
| 3 to a Flush: 34J | Single Card: a Jack | |
| 3 to a Flush: 25J | Single Card: a Jack | |
| 3 to a Flush: 35J | Single Card: a Jack | |
| 3 to a Flush: 45J | Single Card: a Jack | |
| 3 to a Flush: 26J | Single Card: a Jack | |
| 3 to a Flush: 36J | Single Card: a Jack | |
| 3 to a Flush: 46J | Single Card: a Jack | |
| 3 to a Flush: 27J | Single Card: a Jack | |
| 3 to a Flush: 37J | Single Card: a Jack | |
| 3 to a Flush: 47J | Single Card: a Jack | |
| 4 to a Straight: 9JQK | 2 to a Royal Flush: JQ | |
| 4 to a Straight: TJQA | 2 to a Royal Flush: JQ | |
| Single Card: a Jack | 3 to a Flush: 29J | |
| Single Card: a Jack | 3 to a Flush: 39J | |
| Single Card: a Jack | 3 to a Flush: 49J | |
| Single Card: a Jack | 3 to a Flush: 59J | |
| Single Card: a Jack | 3 to a Flush: 69J | |