It is very important to know the rules of the game you are playing in order to fully enjoy your casino experience. One of the most important things you should know to play video poker successfully is the rank of hands that can earn you a win. For those who are fans of traditional poker, there should be no issue learning the winning hands of video poker. Even if you are not familiar with the casino game, you will be able to learn the typical hands and their ranks in no time. With some practice, you will be able to play the game and enjoy your time to the fullest.
Since there are many variants of the game, winning hands may form in unique ways. This is why it is good to learn the hand rankings for the various video poker options. This way, you will always be prepared with the right type of strategy and a game plan. Knowing just how hands are formed is not enough since different video poker games award the biggest win for different hands. This is why it is worth spending some time getting familiar with the winning combinations of various video poker games.
As soon as you learn the hands you can make in video poker and the payouts they award, you will be ready to embark on fruitful and fun gambling adventures. To make everything easier for you, we have taken a detailed look at the different video poker hands and their place on the paytables.
Ranking Video Poker Hands
While there might be slight differences in the highest-paying hands on various video poker games, there are several hands that are typical for every variation of the game.
Royal Flush
The highest-ranking hand in video poker is the Royal Flush. It is a five-card combination of 10-J-Q-K-A of the same suit. You may find some variations of the game that offer payouts of 200 or even 300 times your bet. If you play a standard game of Jacks or Better, the typical payout for a Royal Flush will be 250 to 1. It should also be noted that most video poker games offer players a jackpot for landing a Royal Flush. However, this applies only to those who make the maximum bet.
The Royal Flush is a key hand for players who are often chasing progressive jackpots. Video poker machines often reward the first player who gets this hand with a generous progressive prize. That said, the condition that almost always applies is that the hand must be formed on the first draw and not after the player has discarded any cards. In addition to this rule, you may also find that some games reward the jackpot only if the cards that form the Royal Flush are in consecutive order, i.e. 10-J-Q-K-A or A-K-Q-J-10.
Although the payouts for this hand sound very tempting, it should be noted that the odds of being dealt a Royal Flush on your first hand are 1 in 649,740, so you need to be extremely lucky to win the progressive jackpot. However, thanks to the second draw available in video poker, the chances of landing this hand increase.
Straight Flush
The hand that ranks just below the Royal Flush is the Straight Flush. It is again made up of five consecutive cards of the same suit, with the exception of 10-J-Q-K-A, which makes a Royal Flush.
When taking a look at the paytables of different video poker variations, you will notice that the payout for this hand is usually around 40 to 60 times your original bet. If you are playing standard Jacks or Better, the payout for a Straight Flush will be 50 to 1. The odds of being dealt a Straight Flush on your first hand are estimated to be 1 in 72,000, but thankfully these odds increase with the second draw.
Four of a Kind
As the name suggests, this hand is formed by four cards of the same value. For instance, if you have a hand that looks like 10-10-10-10-4, then you have Four of a Kind. Generally, the payout for this hand varies between 20 and 30 times your stake. The typical Jacks or Better video poker offers a payout of 25x for Four of a Kind.
While the odds of being dealt Four of a Kind on your first hand are 1 in 4,000, you can improve your chances with the second draw.
If you decide to play Deuces Wild, there is an especially generous payout if you form Four of a Kind with deuces. This special hand will reward 200 times your stake, which is a great advantage for fans of the game.
Full House
Ranking fourth among the best-paying hands in video poker is the Full House. This hand is made up of three cards of one value and two cards of another. If you, for example, draw 4-4-4-7-7, then you will enjoy the payout for a Full House.
Usually, the payout ranges between 5 and 9 times your stake for this hand. If we take a look at a full-pay Jacks or Better, we will see a payout of 9 to 1 for a Full House. This is one of the payouts you should check to determine whether the Jacks or Better variant you are playing offers the highest possible return.
If you are wondering about the chances of being dealt a Full House on the first draw, the odds have been estimated to be 1 in 700 hands. As with other hands, the second draw affects the odds in favor of the players.
Flush
When you play video poker, the Flush ranks as the fifth hand on the paytable. It is made up of five non-consecutive cards of the same suit. For example, if you draw 3-4-7-9-J of hearts, you will be paid for a Flush. This is the other payout you should check when seeking a full-pay version of Jacks or Better.
The best payout you can receive on Jacks or Better for a Flush is 6 to 1. However, there are often options that offer a payout of 5 times your stake. Being dealt a Flush on your initial draw happens about once in 500 hands, but with the second draw, your chances of forming the hand improve.
Straight
The next winning hand in video poker is the Straight. It consists of five consecutive cards that are not all of the same suit. For example, a hand that looks like 4-5-6-7-8 is considered a Straight as long as the cards are not of the same suit.
The typical payout for this hand is either 3 to 1 or 4 to 1. If you decide to play Jacks or Better, the payout will be 4 times your stake for making a Straight. The chances of being dealt a Straight on your first hand are 1 in 256, and adding the second draw further improves these odds.
Three of a Kind
You will also earn a payout for a Three of a Kind, which is exactly what it sounds like. If you have three cards of the same value, then you have successfully made this hand. If, for example, your hand looks like 7-7-7-Q-10, you will be paid for Three of a Kind.
This hand usually pays 3 times your initial bet on most video poker games. The odds of being dealt Three of a Kind are 1 in 50, and with the second draw, your chances become even better. Keep in mind that if the other two cards in the hand are a pair, this would actually be a Full House and not Three of a Kind.
Two Pair
The next rewarding hand in video poker is known as Two Pair. You receive a payout whenever you have two different pairs in your hand. For instance, if you have A-A-10-10-4, then you will enjoy a Two Pair win.
If you manage to form Two Pair, you are usually paid 2 times your original bet. This applies to Jacks or Better, as well as other variations of video poker. The chances of landing a hand with two pairs on your initial deal are estimated at 1 in every 20 hands. With the second draw in video poker games, these chances are even higher.
Pair
Among the paying hand ranks, the lowest one is a Pair. If you do not have any of the aforementioned hands but still manage to get two cards of the same denomination, you will be paid for a Pair. The payout for this hand is only 1x, which means you simply get your stake back.
It should be noted, however, that not all pairs guarantee a payout. In most cases, you have to make a pair of Jacks or a higher denomination when playing most video poker variations. For those who play Tens or Better, the lowest value of the pair that will pay out is two 10s. The odds of getting a Pair on the first draw are estimated at 1 in 2.381, and they get better with your second draw of cards in video poker.
| Hands with the Best Payout in Video Poker | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type of Hand | Royal Flush | Straight Flush | Four of a Kind | Full House | Flush |
| Odds on Initial Deal | 649,740 to 1 | 72,193 to 1 | 4,165 to 1 | 694 to 1 | 509 to 1 |
| Odds on Draw Holding 4 cards | 47 to 1 | 47 to 1 | N/A | N/A | 5 to 1 |
| Odds on Draw Holding 3 cards | 1,081 to 1 | 360 to 1 | 23.24 to 1 | 16 to 1 | 26 to 1 |
| Odds on Draw Holding 2 cards | 16,215 to 1 | 8,107 to 1 | 360 to 1 | 98 to 1 | 99 to 1 |
| Odds on Draw Holding 1 card | 178,365 to 1 | 59,455 to 1 | 3,430 to 1 | 619 to 1 | 361 to 1 |
Wild Cards at Video Poker
In addition to the typical video poker games, there have been many variants with wild cards introduced to casino fans. Just as with the majority of video slots, when playing video poker with a wildcard, you have the opportunity to replace any card from the deck with the wild one. It will substitute any suit and any denomination to help you form a winning hand.
If you, for example, choose to play Deuces Wild and your hand is 7-2-5-5-5, you will enjoy a payout for Four of a Kind instead of Three of a Kind. Thanks to the 2, which acts as a fourth 5, you can enjoy a better payout.
The endless variety of video poker games with wild cards that can be played at online casinos gives players plenty of opportunities for lucrative gambling. Among the titles you can often play online, you will find Joker Poker, which has one Joker card in the deck that acts as a wild. With Double Joker Poker, the deck contains two wild Jokers, while Deuces Wild has all four deuces acting as wild cards. Bonus Deuces Wild, on the other hand, will award 1,000 coins for having Four of a Kind with four deuces. There is an even better reward of 2,000 coins if the fifth card is an Ace. These are just a few of the video poker options with wild cards you can often find online.
Multi-Hand Video Poker
When video poker machines were first created, it was possible to bet only on one hand. However, at the beginning of the 21st century, a video poker machine created by Ernie Moody introduced the ability to bet on multiple hands. Thanks to this addition to the casino industry, fans of video poker had the opportunity to bet on as many as 100 hands. Nowadays, many virtual casinos also offer their video poker games in several variants with different numbers of hands you can bet on.
When you decide to play multi-hand video poker, you will see the main hand at the bottom of the play screen and the rest of the hands above it. Meanwhile, you will be able to choose how many hands to bet on. While the cards are identical for all hands on the first draw, once you decide which cards to hold and which to discard, the second draw will deal different cards to each hand. Thanks to this option, players can maximize their potential profit and enjoy a very fruitful experience.
As mentioned earlier, some video poker variants offer players the chance to bet on up to 100 hands. For this reason, you may not always be able to see all the hands displayed above the main one. However, the game will always detect any winning combination and pay it out to players. Some video poker machines also offer a double-or-nothing feature whenever a winning hand is made.
Payouts on Different Video Poker Variations
Even though the winning hands are almost identical for all video poker variants, there are some differences when it comes to which hands offer the highest payouts. This is especially true for the games that have wild cards. We have listed the paytables for various video poker games, starting from the highest-paying to the least-paying hands.
Jacks or Better
- Royal Flush – consists of A-K-Q-J-10 of the same suit; 250x (when players make the maximum bet, they can receive bonuses that can reach up to 4,000x)
- Straight Flush – 5 cards in consecutive order of the same suit; 50x
- Four of a Kind – 4 cards of the same denomination; 25x
- Full House – 3 cards of the same denomination and a pair of a different denomination; 9x but short-pay versions may also offer 8x, 7x or 6x
- Flush – 5 cards of the same suit which may not be in consecutive order; 5x or 6x
- Straight – 5 cards in consecutive order but of different suits; 4x
- Three of a Kind – 3 cards of the same denomination; 3x
- Two Pair – a pair of one denomination and another pair of a different denomination; 2x
- Pair of Jacks or Better – 2 cards of the same denomination, but they have to be Jacks or a higher denomination; 1x
Deuces Wild
- Royal Flush – it must be achieved without a 2; 250x (max bets can win you bonuses of 4,000x or more)
- Four deuces – 200x
- Royal Flush – formed with one or more deuces; 20x or 25x
- Five of a Kind – five cards of the same denomination, achieved with the help of one or more deuces; payout may range between 12x and 16x
- Straight Flush – achieved with or without deuces; payout ranges between 8x and 10x
- Four of a Kind – achieved with or without deuces; 4x or 5x
- Full House – achieved with or without deuces; 3x or 4x
- Flush – achieved with or without deuces; 2x or 3x
- Straight – achieved with or without deuces; 2x
- Three of a Kind – achieved with or without deuces; 1x
Bonus Poker
- Royal Flush – the usual A-K-Q-J-10 of the same suit; 250x
- Four of a Kind Aces – four Aces have a higher payout than other Four of a Kind hands; 80x
- Straight Flush – 5 consecutive cards of the same suit; 50x
- Four of a Kind – 4 deuces, four 3s or four 4s; 40x
- Four of a Kind – 4 cards of the same denomination, including 5s, 6s, 7s, 8s, 9s, 10s, Jacks, Queens and Kings; 25x
- Full House – 3 cards of one denomination and a pair of another denomination; 8x
- Flush – 5 cards of the same suit which are not necessarily in consecutive order; 5x
- Straight – 5 cards in consecutive order but of different suits; 4x
- Three of a Kind – 3 cards of the same denomination; 3x
- Two Pair – 2 pairs of different denominations; 2x
- Pair Jacks or Better – 2 cards of the same denomination, but they have to be Jacks or of a higher value; 1x
Pick’ Em Poker
- Royal Flush – the standard 5-card hand of A-K-Q-J-10; 200x
- Straight Flush – 5 cards in consecutive order and of the same suit; 200x
- Four of a Kind – 4 cards of the same denomination; 120x
- Full House – 3 cards of one denomination and two of another; 18x
- Flush – 5 cards of the same suit but not necessarily in consecutive order; 15x
- Straight – 5 cards in consecutive order but of different suits; 11x
- Three of a Kind – 3 cards of the same denomination; 5x
- Two Pair – 2 cards of one denomination and 2 cards of another; 3x
- Nines or Better – a pair of 9s or higher; 2x
Double Double Bonus Poker
- Royal Flush – the combination of A-K-Q-J-10 in the same suit; 250x
- Straight Flush – 5 cards in consecutive order of the same suit; 50x
- Four Aces – when you have 4 Aces and the fifth card is either a 2, 3 or 4; 400x
- Four of a Kind – four 4s, 3s or deuces with a kicker (the fifth card) either an Ace, 4, 3 or 2; 160x
- Four of a Kind – 4 Aces; 160x
- Four of a Kind – four 4s, 3s or 2s; 80x
- Four of a Kind – four of 5s, 6s, 7s, 8s, 9s, 10s, Jacks, Queens or Kings; 50x
- Full House – 3 cards of the same value and 2 of another; 9x
- Flush – 5 cards of the same suit but different denominations; 6x
- Straight – 5 cards in consecutive order but of different suits; 4x
- Three of a Kind – 3 cards of the same denomination; 3x
- Two Pair – 2 cards of the same denomination and two of another; 1x
- Jacks or Better – a pair of either Jacks or of cards with higher rank; 1x