Jacks or Better is was the first variant of video poker to be produced, which is why its play closely resembles the original Draw Poker game. As in most online video poker games, a hand of Jacks or Better begins with the player's bet. He is then dealt five cards which he may keep or discard in search of a better hand at his choice. Jacks or Better Rules. Jacks or Better rules are fairly simple to learn, and is one of the simplest versions of Video Poker. In order to get a winning payout, your hand needs to include Jacks or better cards. It's also one of the first, if not the first, variation to Video Poker. Similar to Poker, the objective is to achieve the strongest. Become a pro at Jacks or Better video poker game with this easy-to-follow strategy! Play online for free or for real money and beat the game even if you're a beginner. Easy no-download video poker! Jacks or Better, Bonus, Double Double, Deuces, Joker Poker, total of 17 variations plus perfect play trainer.
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The game of poker has a storied history, and recently, as in, within the last few decades, it's popularity has grown exponentially. It has been made iconic through movies, televised tournaments and how-to books written by some of the more successful players in the world.
One of the things that have emerged from poker's staggering popularity is video poker. Video poker has many similarities to regular poker, but it also has some differences, both in terms of rules and strategy. Before we delve into one of the most popular versions of video poker, Jacks or Better, its rules and various strategies, let's first take a look at how video poker is exactly the same as regular poker, or the hands and their values.
Video Poker Hand Rankings
In video poker, just like regular poker, a hand is comprised of five cards, and there are different values for the different combinations of cards within a hand. The most valuable hand is known as royal flush, and it consists of a ten, a jack, a queen, a king and an ace.
To complete the royal flush, all of the hands must be of the same suit. There are four suits in a deck of playing cards: the club, the spade, the diamond and the heart. So for a royal flush to make, the hand must not only have the aforementioned cards, but those cards must also be of the same suit, such as all hearts or all clubs.
The next best hand is known as a straight flush, and this hand consists of five cards that are not only in sequential order, but that all have the same suit. With this hand, it is important to note that there are varying levels of worth within the hand. For instance, a straight flush that consists of an eight, a nine, a ten, a jack and a queen is better than a straight flush consisting of a three, a four, a five, a six and a seven. The reason for this is that the cards in the first example are higher than the cards in the second example. There is no difference in value between the suits, however.
Poker Jacks Or Better Rules
After that, the next best hand is a four of a kind, and this basically signifies a hand containing four of the same card. For example, a hand that has four aces or four sevens equals a four of a kind. And just like with a straight flush, four aces are better than four sevens because they are higher cards.
The next best hand in the game of poker is the full house, and this hand contains three of a kind and two of a kind. Just like with the straight flush and the four of a kind, the higher cards equal to a better hand. However, unlike with the other two hands, the better hand in the full house is determined not by the aggregate whole, but rather by the highest cards within the group of three. For example, a full house containing three fours and two twos will beat a full house with three twos and two aces. Even though there are two aces in the second example, the first example wins because it has the higher group of three.
After the full house, the flush is the next best hand. The flush is any group of five cards that all have the same suit. It's important to say again that no suit is of more value than another, so if there are two flushes in a round of poker, the winning flush is determined by which hand has the highest card. After the flush is the straight, and this hand is just like a straight flush in that all of the cards must be in sequential order, but they don't all have the same suit.
After a straight the next highest hand is the three of a kind, followed by two pair, followed by one pair, followed by a high card. A high card basically means that a hand has no pairs or matching suits or anything else that would construct one of the aforementioned groups of cards, so the hand's best attribute is its highest card.
Differences Between Video Poker and Poker
Now then, since the game of video poker is played not at a table with other players, but rather on a machine, there are elements in regular poker that are eliminated in video poker, such as bluffing and hands that outrank each other.
There are different games and versions of video poker that vary from regular poker, and one example is the game entitled Jacks or Better. In this version, all of the hands have the same value as regular poker except for one major difference, pairs that make up jacks or better, be it two jacks, two queens, two kings and two aces, are the lowest pairs in value within the game.
What to Hold in Jacks or Better Video Poker
Because of this, it is important to play your hands carefully. For instance, the way a video poker game works almost universally is that you can hold cards that work to your advantage and discard cards that don't. So what you'd want to do in the game of Jacks or Better is as follows:
- If you are working toward a straight flush, hold any four cards.
- If you are working toward a royal flush, hold any three cards
- If you are working toward a flush, hold and four cards
- If you are working toward a low pair, that is, tens or lower, hold them
- If you are working toward a consecutive straight, hold any four cards
- Two high cards that are of the same suit should be held
- If you are working toward a straight flush, hold any three cards
- If you have a king, a queen and a jack that are not of the same suit, hold them
- If you have a ten, you are also going to want to hold any queen, king or jack as long as they are of the same suit
- If you have a high card, hold it
- When you are dealt a hand that doesn't have any of the combinations above mentioned, then you are going to want to draw five new cards
See also:
The #1 Site for Video Poker in Australia: Wild Card City
Not be confused with the video poker game of the same name, Jacks or Better Draw Poker is played with real players just like any other poker variant. This game closely resembles Five Card Draw with a few notable differences.
Jacks or Better vs. Five Card Draw
Jacks Or Better Strategy Card
The biggest difference between the two games is that in Jacks or better, a player must have a pair of Jacks or better to open the initial betting round. If nobody has a pair of Jacks or better, the cards are shuffled and a new hand is dealt.
Hoyle Jacks Or Better
Once somebody declares Jacks or better and opens the pot (by placing a bet), the other players may join the hand by calling, folding or raising. The player who opened the pot may also be required to show that he had at least a pair of jacks to qualify.
Any time a new hand is dealt because of a lack of qualifying hands, the antes from the previous hand are pushed forward to the new pot and new antes are taken again. In this manner, the pot grows a little larger every time the hand is re-dealt. Some poker games impose a maximum number of antes so that a particularly dry run of cards doesn't result in a humongous pot.
Game Play
Each hand begins with the players paying a small, forced bet called the 'ante.' The ante ranges in size between 10% and 25% of the minimum bet. For example, the ante in a $5/$10 game is usually $0.50.
After the antes have been paid, each player is dealt five cards face down, one at a time. The deal begins with the first player to the left of the dealer and goes clockwise around the table.
After each player has five cards, a round of betting begins with the player who declares Jacks or Better. If nobody can begin the betting, the cards are all shuffled and a new hand begins.
Assuming the betting round is initiated and completed, the remaining players may now discard up to five cards and receive new ones from the deck. If a player does not wish to receive any cards, that player is said to be 'standing pat.'
Some games play with the rule that any single player may only discard up to three cards at a time unless that player has an Ace. If that player wishes to discard four cards, he can show the Ace, keep it and draw four new cards.
The second betting round begins as soon as all the players have received their new cards. The first remaining player to the left of the dealer begins the betting this round by checking, betting, or folding. The action then continues clockwise around the table.
Showdown
After the last betting round, any players remaining in the hand have a showdown to determine the winner of the pot. The player with the best five card poker hand wins the pot.
