Last updated: April 2026
Jacks or Better is the most widely available and most widely studied video poker game. Pickem Poker is structurally different from it in almost every way that matters to practical play. If you're deciding between the two, the comparison comes down to game structure preference, RTP conditions, and how much strategy complexity you want to manage.
Head-to-head comparison
| Factor | Pickem Poker (full-pay) | Jacks or Better (full-pay 9/6) |
|---|---|---|
| Optimal RTP | ~99.95% | ~99.54% |
| Decisions per hand | 1 binary choice (two options) | 1 decision with up to 32 hold combinations |
| Lowest paying hand | Pair of 9s or better | Pair of Jacks or better |
| Hit frequency (any payout) | ~50–55% | ~45–47% |
| Strategy complexity | 8-tier priority list | Detailed chart with 30+ ranked hold categories |
| Royal Flush payout (max coins) | 4,000 coins (800-for-1) | 4,000 coins (800-for-1) |
| Straight Flush payout | 50-for-1 | 50-for-1 |
| Full House payout (full-pay) | 9-for-1 | 9-for-1 |
| Flush payout (full-pay) | 6-for-1 | 6-for-1 |
| Availability online | RTG casinos primarily | Widely available at most platforms |
RTP: Pickem Poker is slightly better at full-pay
Full-pay Pickem Poker (~99.95%) edges full-pay Jacks or Better (~99.54%) by about 0.4 percentage points. That gap is real but small — both are excellent games. The practical difference is more visible in game selection: full-pay Jacks or Better is available at most online casinos, while full-pay Pickem Poker is limited to RTG-platform sites. If you can't find full-pay Pickem Poker, full-pay JoB may produce better results simply by being available.
The structural difference: one decision vs many
This is the biggest practical difference between the two games. In Jacks or Better, you receive five cards and decide which to hold. A typical session involves evaluating hands like "three to a Royal with a low pair" vs "keep the pair" — decisions requiring knowledge of dozens of hold categories and their relative EV rankings.
In Pickem Poker, you receive two starting cards and choose between two offered two-card pairs. That's it. The strategy is an 8-tier list. This simpler structure means most players get closer to Pickem Poker's theoretical return in practice than they do to Jacks or Better's, because there's less room for complex decision errors.
Hit frequency: Pickem Poker pays more often
Pickem Poker pays on pairs of 9s and 10s in addition to Jacks or Better. This increases hit frequency by several percentage points — roughly 50–55% of Pickem Poker hands produce some payout vs ~45–47% in Jacks or Better. If you find frequent small payouts important for session feel, Pickem Poker has the edge here. If you're comfortable with more cold stretches in exchange for the Jacks or Better structure, JoB is a fine alternative.
Which game to choose
| Choose Pickem Poker if... | Choose Jacks or Better if... |
|---|---|
| You want the highest available RTP at an RTG casino | You want maximum game availability across platforms |
| You prefer a simpler one-decision structure | You enjoy multi-decision strategy complexity |
| You want higher hit frequency (9s/10s pay) | You're already fluent in JoB strategy |
| You play primarily at RTG-powered sites | You play across multiple casino platforms |
Is Pickem Poker harder to find than Jacks or Better?
Yes, significantly. Jacks or Better is available at virtually every online casino. Pickem Poker is primarily an RTG game and exists only at casinos running RTG software. If your preferred casino doesn't use RTG, you likely won't find Pickem Poker there.
If I know Jacks or Better strategy, does it transfer to Pickem Poker?
Partially. The hand rankings and paytable structure are familiar, and the general principle of preferring premium draws is shared. But Pickem Poker's specific hierarchy — particularly the Royal draw priority and how pairs of 9s/10s are valued — requires learning independently. The games are related but the strategy charts are different.