What Is Video Poker?
Video poker is a casino game played on a machine (or screen) that combines elements of five-card draw poker with the solo play format of a slot machine. Unlike table poker, you are not competing against other players or a dealer — you are simply trying to form the best possible poker hand, and payouts are determined by a fixed paytable.
The game first appeared in the mid-1970s and became a casino staple throughout the 1980s. Its appeal is straightforward: unlike slots, where outcomes are entirely random, video poker rewards correct decision-making. Every hand presents a genuine choice — which cards to hold and which to discard — and those decisions directly affect your long-term return.
For Canadian players comfortable with basic poker hand rankings, video poker offers some of the best odds in the casino. A full-pay Jacks or Better machine with optimal play returns 99.54% — meaning the house edge is just 0.46%, comparable to blackjack with perfect basic strategy.
How Video Poker Works
Each hand uses a freshly shuffled virtual deck. The five initial cards and the replacement cards are all determined by a certified Random Number Generator at the moment you press "Deal." The cards you would have drawn are not predetermined — the draw cards are generated from the remaining 47 cards in the deck at the moment you press "Draw."
Hand Rankings
Video poker uses standard poker hand rankings. From highest to lowest:
| Hand | Description | Example | Jacks or Better Payout (per coin) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | A, K, Q, J, 10 of the same suit | A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠ | 800 (with 5 coins: 4,000) |
| Straight Flush | Five consecutive cards of the same suit | 6♥ 7♥ 8♥ 9♥ 10♥ | 50 |
| Four of a Kind | Four cards of the same rank | 8♠ 8♥ 8♦ 8♣ K♠ | 25 |
| Full House | Three of a kind plus a pair | J♠ J♥ J♦ 4♣ 4♠ | 9 (full pay) / 6-8 (reduced) |
| Flush | Five cards of the same suit, not in sequence | 2♦ 5♦ 8♦ J♦ K♦ | 6 (full pay) / 5 (reduced) |
| Straight | Five consecutive cards, mixed suits | 4♠ 5♥ 6♦ 7♣ 8♠ | 4 |
| Three of a Kind | Three cards of the same rank | 9♠ 9♥ 9♦ 3♣ K♠ | 3 |
| Two Pair | Two different pairs | 5♠ 5♥ Q♦ Q♣ 8♠ | 2 |
| Jacks or Better | A pair of Jacks, Queens, Kings, or Aces | J♠ J♥ 7♦ 3♣ 9♠ | 1 |
Jacks or Better — The Standard Game
Jacks or Better (JoB) is the most common and most important video poker variant. It is the baseline from which all other variants derive, and it is where most players should start learning strategy.
The name tells you the minimum qualifying hand: a pair of Jacks, Queens, Kings, or Aces. Anything lower (pair of tens, pair of nines, etc.) returns nothing. This simple threshold creates interesting strategic tensions — for example, holding a single Jack has value because it can become a paying pair, while holding a single ten does not.
The full-pay version of Jacks or Better is identified by its Full House and Flush payouts: 9 coins and 6 coins per coin wagered, respectively. This is commonly written as "9/6 Jacks or Better." When casinos reduce these payouts, the game is described by its reduced numbers — 8/5, 7/5, or 6/5. Each step down significantly impacts the theoretical return.
Paytable Analysis
The paytable is the single most important factor in determining your expected return. Two Jacks or Better machines can look identical but offer wildly different value depending on the payout schedule. Here is how common paytable variations affect the RTP:
| Paytable (Full House / Flush) | RTP (Optimal Strategy) | House Edge |
|---|---|---|
| 9/6 (Full Pay) | 99.54% | 0.46% |
| 9/5 | 98.45% | 1.55% |
| 8/6 | 98.39% | 1.61% |
| 8/5 | 97.30% | 2.70% |
| 7/5 | 96.15% | 3.85% |
| 6/5 | 95.00% | 5.00% |
The difference between 9/6 and 6/5 is enormous — 4.54 percentage points. On $1 denomination at five coins per hand, playing 500 hands per hour, a 9/6 machine costs you roughly $11.50 per hour in expected losses, while a 6/5 machine costs $125 per hour. That is more than a tenfold increase in cost.
Optimal Strategy for Jacks or Better
Unlike slots, video poker has a mathematically correct play for every possible hand. The strategy is based on the expected value (EV) of every possible hold/discard combination. For any given five-card hand, the correct play is the one that maximises your average return across all possible draw outcomes.
The full optimal strategy for 9/6 Jacks or Better involves a priority list. You scan from the top and apply the first rule that matches your hand. Here are the key decisions, simplified into practical guidelines:
Always Hold
- Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight
- Three of a Kind (discard the other two cards)
- Two Pair (discard the fifth card)
Key Strategic Decisions
- Four to a Royal Flush beats everything except a made pat hand — break a Flush, Straight, or even Three of a Kind to draw to a Royal. The Royal Flush's 4,000-coin jackpot (at max bet) justifies the gamble.
- A high pair (Jacks+) beats four to a Flush — keep a pair of Queens rather than chasing a Flush draw. The guaranteed 1:1 payout outweighs the Flush draw's expected value.
- Four to a Flush beats a low pair — if you have a pair of sevens and four cards to a Flush, discard the pair and draw to the Flush.
- Three to a Royal Flush beats a high pair — if you hold J♠ Q♠ K♠ along with a pair of Jacks, break the pair to keep the three Royal cards.
- A low pair beats a single high card — keep a pair of fours rather than a lone Ace. The pair has more ways to improve to a paying hand.
- Two suited high cards beat two unsuited high cards — if forced to choose, keep the ones that share a suit for the additional Flush and Royal possibilities.
When in Doubt
If nothing from the priority list applies, hold any single high card (Jack or higher). If you have no high cards and no draws worth pursuing, discard all five and draw a completely new hand. This happens roughly 3% of the time and feels counterintuitive, but it is mathematically correct.
Video Poker Variants
Deuces Wild
All four twos (deuces) act as wild cards, substituting for any other card. The minimum qualifying hand is Three of a Kind (since pairs become trivially common with wilds). Full-pay Deuces Wild has an RTP of 100.76% with optimal play — one of the few casino games where the player theoretically has the edge. However, full-pay versions are extremely rare online. The most common paytable returns about 96–98%.
Bonus Poker
Similar to Jacks or Better but with enhanced payouts for Four of a Kind hands. Four Aces pay 80 coins per coin (vs 25 in JoB), and other quads pay 40 or 25 depending on rank. The Full House and Flush payouts are slightly reduced to compensate. Full-pay Bonus Poker returns 99.17% with optimal play.
Double Bonus Poker
Takes the Bonus Poker concept further with even higher Four of a Kind payouts (160 for four Aces) but drops the Full House to 9 and Flush to 7 at full pay. The RTP reaches 100.17% with perfect strategy, though the increased variance makes sessions choppier. Expect longer losing streaks punctuated by bigger wins.
Double Double Bonus Poker
Adds kicker bonuses to Four of a Kind hands — for example, four Aces with a 2, 3, or 4 kicker pays 400 coins per coin. Full-pay RTP is 98.98%. The variance is high; this is a game for players comfortable with significant swings.
Joker Poker (Joker Wild)
Played with a 53-card deck including one Joker as a wild card. The minimum qualifying hand is typically Two Pair or Kings or Better, depending on the paytable. Full-pay versions offer RTPs around 98.6–100.6%, varying significantly between paytable versions.
Multi-Hand Video Poker
Plays 3, 5, 10, 25, 50, or even 100 hands simultaneously. You receive one initial hand and choose which cards to hold — then each hand independently draws its replacement cards. The odds per hand are identical to single-hand play, but the variance is reduced (you smooth out your results across more hands). The total wager per round is multiplied by the number of hands.
RTP Comparison Table
Here is a side-by-side comparison of common video poker variants at their best available paytables:
| Variant | Full-Pay RTP | House Edge | Volatility | Skill Required |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deuces Wild (full pay) | 100.76% | -0.76% (player edge) | High | High |
| Double Bonus Poker | 100.17% | -0.17% (player edge) | Very High | High |
| Jacks or Better (9/6) | 99.54% | 0.46% | Low | Medium |
| Bonus Poker (full pay) | 99.17% | 0.83% | Medium | Medium |
| Double Double Bonus | 98.98% | 1.02% | Very High | High |
| Joker Poker (Kings+) | 98.60% | 1.40% | Medium | Medium |
| Jacks or Better (8/5) | 97.30% | 2.70% | Low | Medium |
| Jacks or Better (6/5) | 95.00% | 5.00% | Low | Medium |
Playing Video Poker in Canada
Video poker is available at virtually every online casino serving Canadian players. Provincial platforms like OLG.ca, PlayNow.com, and Espacejeux.com carry basic selections, while internationally licensed sites often offer a wider range of variants and paytables.
Finding Full-Pay Games
Full-pay video poker is harder to find online than in Las Vegas, where some casinos still offer 9/6 Jacks or Better on the floor. Online, 8/5 and 7/5 paytables are more common. When evaluating an online casino's video poker offering, always open the game, navigate to the paytable screen, and check the Full House and Flush payouts before committing real money.
Betting in CAD
Most international online casinos allow Canadian players to deposit and play in CAD, avoiding currency conversion fees. Interac is the fastest method for deposits and withdrawals. See the full payment methods guide for details on all available options.
Bonuses and Video Poker
Video poker typically contributes 10–20% toward wagering requirements, similar to table games. Some casinos exclude video poker from bonus play entirely, particularly on full-pay machines where the house edge is already minimal. Check the bonus terms before assuming you can clear a welcome bonus playing video poker.
Pros and Cons of Video Poker
- Lowest house edge of any machine game (0.46% at full pay)
- Skill-based — your decisions genuinely affect your return
- Transparent odds — the paytable tells you exactly what you are getting
- Some variants offer a theoretical player edge with perfect play
- Solo play with no pressure from dealers or other players
- Requires learning strategy to achieve optimal returns
- Full-pay paytables are increasingly rare online
- Low or zero contribution toward bonus wagering requirements
- High variance in bonus poker variants can deplete bankrolls quickly
- Repetitive gameplay may not suit all players
Strategy Tips for Canadian Players
- Always bet 5 coins — the Royal Flush bonus at max bet adds roughly 1.5% to the RTP. If $1.25 per hand (5 x $0.25) is too much, play at a lower denomination rather than fewer coins.
- Check the paytable before every game — two identical-looking Jacks or Better games can differ by 4+ percentage points in RTP. A five-second paytable check is the most valuable habit in video poker.
- Never hold a kicker — keeping an Ace alongside a pair of tens is a common beginner mistake. Discard the Ace and draw for Three of a Kind or better.
- Break a small pair for four to a Flush — if you have a pair of fives and four suited cards, discard the off-suit five. The Flush draw has higher expected value.
- Use a strategy trainer — free trainers flag every mistake in real time. Thirty minutes of practice can eliminate the most costly errors.
- Track your results — video poker outcomes are predictable over large samples. If your actual return is significantly below the theoretical RTP, review your strategy for leaks.
- Choose lower variance for longer sessions — 9/6 Jacks or Better is the smoothest ride. Double Bonus and Deuces Wild have higher potential payouts but much wilder swings.