Jacks or Better Video Poker

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Jacks or Better is one of the most famous and popular types of video poker available today. In fact, it was one of the first video poker games introduced on the Las Vegas live casino scene.

Today, it can also be found in online casinos where you can play video poker with your mobile device for real money just as you can play blackjack for money.

Here's an overview of Jacks or Better video poker. This will tell you all of the basic information that you need to know about this variety of the game. Remember, you can play Jacks or Better video poker at any of the online casinos we recommend.

The History of Jacks or Better Video Poker

This may seem hard to believe but the very first video poker machines actually made their debut in the early 1900s! These games were actually old slot machines that used playing cards for symbols. The machines were popular in saloons and other establishments.

In places where gambling was illegal, the player could win a cigar or maybe a free drink instead of cash. This is how the businesses got around the local laws at the time.

Jacks or Better as we know it today took a little longer to arrive. The very first video poker machines started to appear in Las Vegas in the 1970s. Believe it or not, some of those original machines are still in use in live Las Vegas casinos today. That's how popular and profitable the game of Jacks or Better video poker has been.

It was only natural that Jacks or Better video poker would be one of the first online games to appear. All casinos that offer video poker today have at least a few Jacks or Better machines. Perhaps the simplicity of the game is what has driven players to return to these machines over and over again.

How to Play Jacks or Better Video Poker

All video poker games combine elements of slot machines and draw poker. Even though there are different varieties, all of them have the same basic game play.

Players begin by making the minimum wager of the machine. In most cases this is $0.25. There have been some online casinos which have introduced $0.05 video poker. Each machine also has a maximum bet. In many cases this maximum bet is $4.00. It is necessary to play the maximum bet if the player wants to win the royal flush jackpot or maximum pay.

After the wager has been made the player clicks to deal the cards. All video poker games use a standard deck of 52 cards. The deck is reshuffled with each new hand of play. The player is dealt five cards to start, all face up on the screen.

After seeing the first five cards to be dealt, the player is allowed to draw new cards. The player can choose to draw one card or draw them all. The player can also stand on the original five cards that have been received. Once the player makes the draw and receives new cards, a payout is earned if the player holds a hand of a pair of jacks or better. This is where the video poker game gets its name.

Jacks or Better Video Poker Payouts

Most Jacks or Better video poker games have the same payouts. These are:

video poker payouts

As you can see, the payouts increase according to the difficulty of the hand that the player is able to make. The payouts listed above reflect the payout for betting the minimum on each hand of play.

Basic Strategy for Jacks or Better

There are plenty of strategies available for playing video poker. New players are advised to stick to the basic elements of video poker strategy. That generally means playing the maximum bet and trying for the Royal Flush.

The only way to make the royal flush and score the top payout is to bet the max. The reason that you can do this in video poker is that the game has an overall payback of over 99%. This number can vary, but it almost never drops below 98%. That's why video poker is one of the best games in the online casino for the player.

You can also find detailed strategy charts which tell you when to draw cards and when to stand. For example, if you have four cards to a flush your chances of getting the fifth card are pretty good. To win at Jacks or Better video poker you need to have some type of strategy which governs the way you approach making draws. Hope this was informative and if you are like me, you will prefer Pick'em poker.