Free Virtual Casino
How to Play Video Poker
- Choose a pay table, denomination and a bet of one to five coins.
- Select Deal. The wager leaves your shared virtual Vault immediately.
- Tap the cards you want to hold. Unheld cards will be replaced from the same shuffled deck.
- Select Draw. The final hand is scored and any payout returns to the Vault.
Video Poker Rules
This free video poker simulator uses one standard 52-card deck and no jokers. Each hand starts with a fresh cryptographic shuffle. Five cards are dealt, you hold any number, and each discard is replaced from the remaining 47 cards without another shuffle.
Hands rank from royal flush down to a qualifying pair. Ace can be high in 10-J-Q-K-A or low in A-2-3-4-5. An ace-low straight is never a royal. In Jacks or Better, a pair must be jacks, queens, kings or aces to pay.
| Hand | Definition |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 10-J-Q-K-A, all one suit |
| Straight Flush | Five consecutive cards, one suit |
| Four of a Kind | Four cards of one rank |
| Full House | Three of one rank plus a pair |
| Flush | Five cards of one suit |
| Straight | Five consecutive ranks |
| Three of a Kind | Three cards of one rank |
| Two Pair | Two separate pairs |
| Jacks or Better | A pair of J, Q, K or A |
Video Poker Pay Tables
Payouts below are per coin, except the maximum five-coin royal flush: it pays 4,000 coins in every variant. Betting five coins is therefore essential to the published optimal-play RTP.
| Hand | Jacks 9/6 | Bonus 8/5 | Double Bonus 10/7 | DDB 9/6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 250 | 250 | 250 | 250 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| Four Aces + 2/3/4 kicker | — | — | — | 400 |
| Four 2s–4s + A/2/3/4 kicker | — | — | — | 160 |
| Four Aces | 25 | 80 | 160 | 160 |
| Four 2s–4s | 25 | 40 | 80 | 80 |
| Four 5s–Ks | 25 | 25 | 50 | 50 |
| Full House | 9 | 8 | 10 | 9 |
| Flush | 6 | 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Straight | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Two Pair | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Published optimal-play RTP: Jacks or Better 9/6 99.54%; Bonus Poker 8/5 99.17%; Double Bonus 10/7 100.17%; Double Double Bonus 9/6 98.98%.
Full-Pay Deuces Wild
Natural Royal 250 · Four Deuces 200 · Wild Royal 25 · Five of a Kind 15 · Straight Flush 9 · Four of a Kind 5 · Full House 3 · Flush 2 · Straight 2 · Three of a Kind 1. Published optimal-play RTP: 100.76%.
Jacks or Better Video Poker Strategy
Read this 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy chart from top to bottom and keep the first matching hold. “High card” means J, Q, K or A. Rare exceptions can depend on the exact discarded penalty cards.
- Dealt royal flush
- Dealt straight flush
- Dealt four of a kind
- Four to a royal flush
- Dealt full house
- Dealt flush
- Three of a kind
- Dealt straight
- Four to a straight flush
- Two pair
- High pair
- Three to a royal flush
- Four to a flush
- Unsuited 10-J-Q-K
- Low pair
- Four to an outside straight with 0–2 high cards
- Three to a straight flush, type 1
- Suited Q-J
- Four to an inside straight with four high cards
- Suited K-Q or K-J
- Suited A-K, A-Q or A-J
- Four to an inside straight with three high cards
- Three to a straight flush, type 2
- Unsuited J-Q-K
- Unsuited J-Q
- Suited 10-J
- Two unsuited high cards, king highest
- Suited 10-Q
- Two unsuited high cards, ace highest
- Jack only
- Suited 10-K
- Queen only
- King only
- Ace only
- Three to a straight flush, type 3
- Discard everything
Strategy improves long-run expected return, but every hand remains random. Choose the first matching hold from the list and let the final draw play out.
Jacks or Better vs Deuces Wild vs Bonus Variants
Jacks or Better
The reference game: balanced payouts, a 9-for-1 full house and 6-for-1 flush. It is the clearest place to learn video poker strategy.
Bonus Poker
Trades a little full-house and flush value for larger payouts on aces and low four of a kinds.
Double Bonus
Raises quad, full-house, flush and straight payouts, while two pair returns only the original coin wager.
Deuces Wild
Every 2 is wild. That changes hand evaluation, produces five of a kind and rewards four natural deuces separately.
Video Poker FAQ
Is this video poker game free?
Yes. It uses a virtual balance only. There are no deposits, withdrawals, prizes or signup.
What does “full pay” mean?
It labels a strong published pay table. For Jacks or Better, “9/6” means a full house pays 9 per coin and a flush pays 6.
Why always play max coins?
The fifth coin activates the 4,000-coin royal flush. One to four coins pay only 250 per coin for a royal, so the return is lower.
What are the royal flush odds?
With optimal Jacks or Better strategy, the completed-hand frequency is approximately one royal in 40,000 hands. A short session can differ dramatically.
What is Jacks or Better?
It means the smallest paying pair is jacks. Tens and lower pairs do not pay, although they may still be the best hold.
Are all 2s wild?
Only in the Deuces Wild variant. The other four pay tables treat a 2 as an ordinary card.
Can strategy guarantee a win?
No. Strategy improves long-run expected value; it cannot control or predict a cryptographically shuffled hand.
Can ace be low?
Yes. A-2-3-4-5 is a straight, or a straight flush when suited, but never a royal flush.
Looking for community-card poker? Try the Ultimate Texas Hold’em simulator. You can also practise against the dealer in our free blackjack simulator.