Video Poker Winning Hands

Video Poker winning hands fluctuate with the type of Video Poker machine you are playing. For example, on Jacks or Better machines, a pair of Jacks is a winning hand. If you were playing a Deuces Wild machine, that pair of Jacks would be a loser. In fact, the probability of Video Poker winning hands fluctuates machine to machine as well. Since the Jacks or Better machines are most common, we will focus on those hands.

Video Poker Winning Hands

Jacks or Better: Having two cards that are the same rank and equal to or higher than a Jack.

Two Pair: Having two sets of two cards of the same rank.

Three of a King: Having three cards of the same rank.

Straight: Having five cards in sequential order—suit does not matter.

Flush: Having five cards of the same suit.

Full House: Having three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank.

Four of a Kind: Having four cards of the same suit.

Straight Flush: Having five cards—all of the same suit—in sequential order.

Royal Flush: Having a 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace of the same suit. This is the best hand in Video Poker.

Winning Hands Probabilities

The probably of getting a winning hand in Video Poker drops drastically after the first pay stop. The probability on a 9/6 Jacks or Better machine of getting no payout is 54%. You have a 21% probability of getting your money back. Two pairs will come up 13% of the time and a three of a kind will come up 7.4% of the time. These probabilities will only have a shot at holding true if you play with an optimal strategy. The probability of you hitting a Royal Flush is about 1 in 40,322 with optimal play.