Jacks or Better Video Poker Game 2024
Ruth | January 15, 2024 | Updated on: January 15th, 2024
Recently updated on January 15th, 2024
Jacks or Better is one of the popular video poker variations that you can play online. If you are interested in playing video poker, then you have surely come across this particular title. This game is also known as draw poker, and it is one of the most basic variations of video poker. To get a payout in jacks or better, you’ll have to create the best-ranking hand with the five cards you are dealt. Our experts share their exclusive guide to playing video poker online. We take a look at:
- how to play the game
- paytable explained
- understanding the ranking hands
- jacks or better strategy
- mobile jacks or better
Best Jacks or Better Casinos Online
How to Play Jacks Or Better
In this particular game, having a pair of Jacks or better in a hand will give you a higher payout. To start playing Jacks or better, you will have to be registered and have an account with a casino site that offers this variation of video poker. Once your account has been created, you can make a deposit using any banking methods on offer. Once this entire process is complete, you can follow these five easy steps to play Jacks or better.
- Place a bet at the bottom of the screen. You will notice the minimum and maximum bet buttons that you can use to customize your coin bet. You will choose an amount that you were comfortable betting on in each round. The most common minimum amount is $0.20, with the maximum amount being $5.
- Once you have set your bet amount, you can click on the ‘draw’ or ‘play’ button to have your first hand dealt. You will receive five cards face up.
- Based on the cards that you have received, you will choose which ones you’d like to hold and which you would to discard.
- The cards that you have discarded will be replaced with new ones to create your final hand.
- Based on this final hand, you will receive a payout as per the paytable, usually displayed at the top of the game. You can then decide if you want to continue playing or call it a day.
9/6 Jacks or Better
You have probably come across a 9/6 Jacks or Better video poker machine online. If you’re wondering what this means, we’re going to answer your question. A 9/6 video poker machine is a full pay machine. Ultimately this means this machine is expected to return 100% to you. Hypothetically speaking, it means that for each dollar you make on this machine, you can expect to make a bit more than the dollar in payouts. To get the most out of a 9/6 Jacks or Better machine, you would have to make a maximum bet of five coins. You would also need to use the perfect video poker strategy as if you were to land a Royal Flush, the payout could be 100% in returns. With this particular machine, you will be paid nine times for a royal flush and six times for a flush. This is a 99.54% return.
Jacks or Better Pay Table
Each variation of video poker has its unique paytable. The same can be said about jacks or better. The paytable displays how much you can win depending on your bet amount as well as the ranking hand that you have. The best part about pay tables is that they are displayed on the game, allowing you the opportunity to make wiser decisions when deciding which cards to hold and discard. Here is what a paytable in jacks better would look like.
| Hand | 1 coin | 2 coins | 3 coins | 4 coins | 5 coins |
| Royal flush | 250 | 500 | 750 | 1000 | 4000 |
| Straight flush | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| 4 of a kind | 25 | 50 | 75 | 100 | 125 |
| Full house | 9 | 18 | 27 | 36 | 45 |
| Flush | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 | 30 |
| Straight | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 |
| Three of a kind | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 |
| Two pair | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Jacks or better | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Video Poker Jacks or Better Ranking Hands
The best way to improve your odds when playing Jacks or Better is to understand the various card combinations. Understanding basic video poker rules is the best way of getting started when playing Jacks or better. This is because jacks or better carries the same ranking hands as you would find in the basic video poker games. The only difference is that in jacks or better, there is an additional ranking hand which pays out. Here’s a list of the possible poker hands that you will find in Jacks or better.
- Royal Flush – the best-ranking hand in Jacks or better, which includes an ace, king, queen, jack and ten card all from the same suit.
- Straight Flush – this hand includes five consecutive cards from the same suit.
- Four of A Kind – you will have to have four identical cards plus one additional card.
- Full House – the hand includes three of a kind as well as one pair.
- Flush – this hand consists of five cards from the same suit, but they don’t have to be chronological.
- Straight – you will have five cards in a consecutive sequence, but they can be from different suits.
- Three of A Kind – this hand consists of three cards of the same value as well as any other two cards.
- Two pair – with this hand you’ll have two pairs and one other number.
- Jacks or Better – the hand includes a pair of Jacks or higher value cards and any other three cards.
Jacks Or Better Free Play
Not all players want to play casino games for real money more especially if they are new to playing this particular game. Playing free jacks or better games will allow you not only to try out this game for fun, but you can also try out new strategies without risking any money. These games are played with credits, and therefore if you do win a round on this machine, you will not be paid out in cash.
The hand rankings and gameplay remain the same as what you would find in a real money jacks or better game. The only difference is that with this particular game, you’re not playing with cash, meaning if you do lose, you won’t be losing any of your money.
Jacks or Better Video Poker Strategy
Once you fully understand how to play the game and the different hand rankings, you can go ahead and then learn by Jacks or better strategy to become a better player. Using a strategy or tips and tricks will allow you to understand better what to do with each hand you’re dealt. We’ve put together a few expert tips to help you when playing Jacks or better.
- Should you receive a flush or straight as your initial hand, do not discard it unless you are one card away from getting a royal flush.
- If you are four cards from a royal flush, discard the fifth card.
- Don’t give up on a high pair to a hand that is 4 to a straight or a flush.
- Always remember that a flush, straight and three of a kind are a stronger hand than having three cards to a royal flush. So, when discarding cards, keep this in mind as it is always better to just keep these particular hands as they are.
- It is best to stick with your high pair unless you are holding four cards to a royal flush or a straight flush.
- If you are dealt a 3 of a kind, two pair, four of a kind or a full house, don’t try create another hand as you could be ruining an already paying hand.
Jacks or Better App
Mobile gaming is becoming more popular which means software developers are also ensuring that their games are mobile compatible. There are plenty of casino sites which offer Jacks or better games on their mobile casinos as well as apps. When playing on a jacks or better app you can enjoy several mobile bonuses. You can also play free video poker jacks or better games allowing you to practice your gameplay from wherever you are. Most Jacks or better app options are compatible with Android, iOS and Windows devices.
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