Game guide
Video poker: games, paytables and strategy
How video poker works, why the paytable decides the return, the main game types from Jacks or Better to Deuces Wild, and a simple strategy order.
Video poker is a single-player casino game dealt from a virtual 52-card deck: you receive five cards, choose which to hold, draw replacements once, and are paid from a fixed paytable for the final hand. Because the deck and the paytable are known, the return can be worked out exactly. A full-pay "9/6" Jacks or Better game returns about 99.5% with perfect play, while a game with a cut paytable can return several points less for the same hands.
Video poker games online sit in the table or video poker section of a casino lobby, not among the slots. The online poker guide explains how video poker differs from poker rooms and casino poker; this page covers the game itself.
On this page
How a hand of video poker plays
- Choose your stake. Most games use coins or credits, often from one to five per hand.
- Deal. Five cards are dealt face up from a freshly shuffled deck.
- Hold. Tap the cards you want to keep. You can hold all five or none.
- Draw. The cards you did not hold are replaced from the same deck.
- Get paid. The final hand is checked against the paytable on screen.
On multi-coin games, the royal flush usually pays a bonus at the maximum stake - 800 per coin instead of 250 - and the published returns assume you play maximum coins. Playing fewer coins lowers the return slightly, so check the paytable at the stake you intend to use.
Jacks or Better paytables and what they return
Video poker games are named after the payouts for a full house and a flush. "9/6" means a full house pays 9 and a flush pays 6 for each coin staked. Everything else on the paytable is usually the same.
| Hand (per coin) | 9/6 full pay | 8/5 | 7/5 | 6/5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal flush (max coins) | 800 | 800 | 800 | 800 |
| Straight flush | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| Four of a kind | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| Full house | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 |
| Flush | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Straight | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Three of a kind | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Two pair | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Pair of jacks or better | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Return with optimal play | about 99.5% | about 97.3% | about 96.2% | about 95.0% |
One point off the full house costs over a percentage point of return. That is why reading the paytable is the most useful thing a video poker player can do, and why two games with the same name can be very different value. A "pair" paying 1 means your stake back, not a profit.
Video poker games you will see
- Jacks or Better - the base game; a pair of jacks or higher is the lowest paying hand.
- Bonus Poker, Double Bonus and Double Double Bonus - extra pay for four of a kind, especially four aces, usually offset by a lower payout for two pair. More volatile than Jacks or Better.
- Deuces Wild - all four 2s are wild and the lowest paying hand is three of a kind. Hands such as five of a kind and a "natural" royal flush (without deuces) get their own lines. Strategy differs a lot from Jacks or Better, because holding every deuce is almost always right.
- Joker Poker - a 53-card deck with one joker as a wild card; usually pays from a pair of kings.
- Multi-hand games - the hold cards are copied across three, ten or more hands that draw separately. The return per hand is the same; the stake per deal multiplies.
A strategy order for Jacks or Better
Optimal play means holding the cards with the best expected return. For 9/6 Jacks or Better, a simplified order covers most hands. Find the highest line that matches your five cards and hold those cards:
- Royal flush, straight flush or four of a kind.
- Four cards to a royal flush (break a made flush or straight for this).
- Full house, flush, three of a kind or straight.
- Four cards to a straight flush.
- Two pair.
- A pair of jacks, queens, kings or aces.
- Three cards to a royal flush.
- Four cards to a flush.
- A low pair (2s to 10s).
- Four cards to an open-ended straight.
- Two suited high cards, then two or more unsuited high cards; otherwise draw five new cards.
Two common mistakes: keeping a "kicker" alongside a pair, and holding a single high card with three others to a flush. Both lower the return. Full charts for other games are published by game maths sites and in some games' help screens; use the one that matches the paytable.
Video poker and video slots: the GB difference
Video poker looks like a machine game but is a casino card game. The £5 and £2 stake limits apply to online slots only, so they do not cover video poker; stake ranges are set by each game. The Gambling Commission's 2025 design rules do apply, though: since 17 January 2025 casino games other than slots must take at least five seconds per game cycle, autoplay and turbo features are banned, and your net position and time played must be shown. A five-second minimum means a hard ceiling on hands per hour, which helps keep the cost of play predictable.
Where to play video poker online in Great Britain
Among licensed operators with verified details, 666 Casino lists video poker among its games, Pub Casino has a dedicated video poker category, and Virgin Bet's casino lobby includes a Jacks or Better draw poker game. If you use a bonus, read the contribution table first: Pub Casino's bonus rules say video poker does not count towards wagering requirements, and that is common across GB casinos. Wagering on bonus funds is capped at 10x from 19 January 2026.
Free video poker is available as a demo at licensed casinos only after age verification, and game providers sometimes host demos on their own sites. Free "video poker app" downloads that pay only virtual coins are social games, not gambling for prizes. For real-money play, a casino's own app or mobile site runs the same games as desktop; see mobile casinos.
18+ only. Even full-pay video poker keeps a small edge in practice, because few people play every hand perfectly. Our responsible gambling page covers limits and free support, and the poker hands guide lists the rankings.
UK-licensed casinos, ranked by our score
Order = score out of 10. Every operator holds a Gambling Commission licence.
| # | Casino | Score | Welcome offer and significant terms | Payments | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place 1 |  666 CasinoJupiter Gaming Limited | Score: 7.8 out of 10, good | 20 spins on Big Bass Splash when you deposit and wager £20 Significant terms 18+, new players, first deposit; £20 must be wagered on Big Bass Splash within 7 days; spins on Big Bass Splash; 0x wagering on winnings | Not listed | Visit 666 Casino (opens the operator site in a new tab)Read the review: 666 Casino |
| Place 2 |  Pub CasinoL & L Europe Limited | Score: 7.4 out of 10, good | 50 cash spins on Octobeer Fortunes after depositing and wagering £10 Significant terms Deposit and wager £10; activate before depositing; spins £0.20 each, winnings paid as cash, no max cash out; Skrill deposits excluded; spins expire in 48 hours |
| Visit Pub Casino (opens the operator site in a new tab)Read the review: Pub Casino |
| Place 3 |  Virgin BetVirgin Bet Limited | Score: 6.3 out of 10, fair | No welcome offer listed in the terms we read. | Not listed | Visit Virgin Bet (opens the operator site in a new tab)Read the review: Virgin Bet |
Ad We may earn a commission if you open an account through links on this page; it does not change our scores or the order of operators. How we score · Advertising disclosure
Questions readers ask
What is the best video poker paytable?
For Jacks or Better, a 9/6 paytable (full house 9, flush 6) returns about 99.5% with optimal play. 8/5 and lower paytables return noticeably less.
Is video poker skill or luck?
Both. The cards are random, but your hold decisions change the expected return. Playing a correct strategy for the paytable makes a measurable difference.
Does video poker count towards bonus wagering?
Often not, or only at a low rate. Pub Casino's bonus rules, for example, say video poker does not count towards wagering. Check each offer's contribution table.
Do the £5 and £2 stake limits apply to video poker?
No. They apply to online slots only. Video poker stakes are set by each game, though the five-second minimum game cycle and the autoplay ban do apply.
Can I play video poker for free in the UK?
At a GB-licensed casino, demo play is available only after age verification. Providers sometimes host demos on their own websites.