Jacks or Better Pay off Schedule

Jacks or Better is the term given in poker games to define the minimum playing hand that will provide a win, or pay off. Jacks or Better is also used in Video Poker and is the most common variation.

It refers to the hand that the player has and that the hand needs to have at least two jacks out of the five cards for a win. Other combinations out rank the two jacks. Full pay out Jacks or Better is known as 9/6 Jacks or Better. Here, the 9 is the pay off for the full house hand and the 6 is the pay off for a flush.

Commonly, internet versions of Jacks or Better have pay outs of 8/5. That means a lower pay off for the house and flush.

If played with a perfect strategy, which also uses five coins or credits per bet, the theoretical return to the player can be 99.5 per cent.

There are nine winning combinations of cards available in video poker. Depending on the strategy adopted by the player the pay off varies.

A perfect strategy in gambling is where you adopt to play for the maximum return, using maximum credits available. Therefore playing five coins or credits is part of perfect strategy in video poker.

As there are nine winning combinations, the pay off for each varies from Jacks or Better through to the Royal Flush which is the Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten all in the same suit.

Putting these into pay off order, the following shows the difference in return with one, two, three and four coins are wagered, and the return for five coins. In pay out percentage the difference is either a 98.4% or 99.5% return:

• Royal Flush – 250, 500, 750,1000, 4,000
• Straight flush – 50, 100, 150, 200, 250
• Four 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

The large difference between four and five credits in the Royal Flush pay off is due to the fact that on a 9/6 game the royal flush has odds of 40,400 hands.