Hand Rankings and Payout Odds in Jacks or Better

Jacks or Better is one of the more popular video poker variations. It is played on a machine and your aim is to obtain the best winning hand.

When you have developed a mastery of this game, learning other video poker variations will be very elementary to you.

At the onset of the game, five cards are dealt to you. You then have an option to keep or replace any of the cards by pressing the appropriate button. When you have selected the card, click the deal button if you want to keep your current hand or draw if you want to replace the selected card with another. They are then replaced with a new set and they will be your final hand.

Here we will look at how each hand will rank as well as their corresponding payouts.

The most superior hand in Jacks or Better is the royal flush. It consists of 10, J, Q, K, A of similar suit. The frequency of occurrence is one in every 40,000 hands. The payout is over 4,000 coins if maximum bet is used and 250 coins if you bet from 1 to 4 coins.

The next hand in the order is the straight flush. It consists of five consecutive cards having similar suit. The pay out is 50 for every coin bet.

The Four of a Kind consists of four cards having identical value, such as four Eights. The payout is 25 for every coin bet.

A Full House is made up of three cards having similar value and a pair of cards with a different value. For example, three 10's and a pair of 4's. The payout may range from 8 to 9 per coin bet.

A flush is a hand that consists of five cards having similar suit but not necessarily in order. The payout range is from 5 to 6 for every coin bet.

A straight is made up of five cards arranged sequentially but not of a similar suit. The payout is 4 for every coin bet.

A hand consisting of three cards with identical values is the Three of a Kind. This hand pays out 3 for every coin bet.

Two Pairs consists of a couple of similar valued cards, such as two nines and two eights. This kind of hand has a payout of 2 per coin bet.

Pairs of Jacks or Better consists of a couple of cards which can either be Jack, King, or Queen. This offers the lowest payout.

By understanding this hand ranking and payout scale, you will be able to make better decisions in choosing the hands that pays higher.