Video Poker table

Holding K♠ and J♦ (jacks or better) guarantees at least 5 credits. Discarding 9♥, 7♥, T♣ offers the best expected value by pursuing high-card improvements while securing the minimum payoff. The 7♥ and 9♥ are not coordinated enough to justify holding for a flush draw.

Hold the jack and ten of spades for a flush draw with four to the flush and overcards. Discarding 5d, 6d, 9h gives two new cards to complete a flush, straight, or improve to a paying hand. This maximizes expected value against holding lower combinations.

Hold the Jack of clubs as the only card with value in this weak hand. Discarding the 6, 4, 3, and 8 gives the best expected value by pursuing any paying combination with the Jack as anchor.

Hold J♥ and A♦ to pursue a high pair (jacks or better) or draw to a straight/flush. Jacks or better guarantees 5 credits, and we have two premium cards with reasonable draw potential. Discarding 4♥, 9♦, Q♥ maximizes expected value over holding smaller combinations.

Holding 6c and 7c keeps two cards to a flush (clubs). This gives the best EV by pursuing the flush with two high-value draws remaining, rather than keeping the isolated 9s or discarding all five.

Hold the pair of 7s for three of a kind potential (15 credits). Discarding the T, 6, and 3 gives the best expected value, as the 7c is the only paying hand currently. The other cards (T, 6, 3) don't form any winning combination and are unlikely to help make a better hand than three of a kind on the draw.

Hold the pair of 5s and 9s. The two pair (5-5-9-9) is guaranteed to pay 10 credits. Discarding the Queen and one 9 gives chances to improve to a full house (15 credits) or better, while keeping the guaranteed two pair baseline.

Holding the pair of 5s gives a guaranteed 5-credit payout (jacks or better threshold). Discarding 6c, 5d, and Jh offers chances to improve to three of a kind, a full house, or two pair, while preserving the pair. This balances safety with upside potential.

Hold Q-K-Q for a draw to a full house with two queens and a king already in place. This maximizes expected value by keeping premium pair with king kicker. Discarding 3 and 9 gives multiple paths to improve (any Q for three of a kind, any K for full house, or draw strength cards).

All five cards are low (4-9 with no paint), no pairs, no flush draw, and no straight possibilities. Discarding all gives the best expected value by maximizing the chance to draw high-value cards like face cards or aces that could form jacks or better, versus keeping low cards that contribute nothing to hand strength.

Hold the pair of queens (Qd, Qh) for a guaranteed jacks-or-better payout of 5 credits. Discarding 7c, 3c, and Kd gives the best chance to improve to three of a kind, a full house, or four of a kind. This is the optimal play against the 9/6 full-pay paytable.

Holding only the Ace gives the best expected value. This hand (5-6-2-4-A) has no made hand and no strong draw. The Ace is valuable as it can form a royal flush, straight flush, or a pair of aces (jacks or better). Discarding all four other cards and drawing four new ones offers the highest probability of hitting a paying hand.

Hold Th-Js-Kh (three-card flush draw with two high cards). Discarding 3h-4h gives four cards to a flush while keeping two jacks-or-better cards (J, K). This maximizes the probability of completing a flush (9 outs) while retaining baseline paytable value if the flush misses.

This hand (4-5-6-3-K) has no paying combination. The best strategy is to discard all five cards and draw a fresh hand, as the probability of completing a straight (needing a 2 or 7) or finding any jacks-or-better pair is too low to justify holding any cards. Drawing five new cards maximizes expected value.

Hold the pair of fives and the queen. A low pair is worth 5 credits if kept. Discarding 2h, 5c, and 9s gives three chances to improve to trips, a full house, or two pair. This maximizes expected value against drawing to higher-value outcomes.

Holding the pair of jacks gives a guaranteed payout of 5 credits (jacks or better). Discarding the 8s, Ac, and 9c offers chances to improve to three of a kind, full house, or better while retaining the base payout. This maximizes expected value compared to other hold patterns.

Hold K-J-J-A (discard 2c). The pair of jacks is certain to pay 5 credits. Keeping the king and ace provides draw chances: three cards can make a full house (any J), multiple cards make straights (Q, K, Q), and AK suited draws are present. Discarding the weak 2c maximizes expected value while retaining the guaranteed 5-credit payout.

Holding the pair of nines (9h, 9s) gives a guaranteed 15 credits. Discarding the 4d, Th, and 3c maximizes the chance of drawing a third or fourth nine, or pairing the board for a full house. This is the highest-EV play from the 32 possible hold patterns.

Hold the two clubs (8c and 3c) to pursue a flush draw with four cards to a flush. Discarding 7c, 4c, and 2h gives the best expected value, as hitting any of the 9 remaining clubs completes a flush (30 credits), while keeping all four low cards offers no immediate value. This is the optimal play for a four-flush with no high-card pair.

Hold the pair of nines (9d and 9s) for a guaranteed 15 credits payout. Discarding the Ah, 4h, and 8s gives the best expected value—drawing three new cards offers potential for three of a kind, a full house, or four of a kind while keeping the existing pair equity.

Holding the pair of aces (Ad, Ah) maximizes expected value. This guarantees at least a jacks-or-better win (5 credits) and provides strong potential for three of a kind (15 credits) or better. Discarding Ks, 5s, 3s gives the best chance to improve while maintaining a solid floor value.

Holding both jacks (Js, Jc) gives a guaranteed pair of jacks or better (5 credits). Discarding 9d, 7d, Qh leaves three cards that could contribute to a full house, flush, or other made hand on the draw, maximizing expected value over drawing to the three diamonds (9d, 7d) plus queen, which has lower expected payout potential.

Hold the Ace and Jack. The Ace gives us a high card and potential for a royal flush or straight if we catch the right cards. The Jack is a paying hand by itself (jacks or better). Discarding 6h, 8d, and 5c gives us three draw opportunities to improve to a paying hand or complete a straight/flush.

Hold the pair of Kings and pair of Tens (full house opportunity). Discarding 6h and Td gives the best expected value, as we're one card away from a full house or three of a kind, while maintaining our current two pair (10 credits guaranteed).

Hold Qc and Ad for high cards with potential to pair jacks or better, plus the Ten gives us a broadway connector for a royal flush draw (T-J-Q-K-A). This maximizes expected value by targeting premium hands while maintaining draw flexibility.

Keep the Jack (Jh) to pursue a high pair (jacks or better) which guarantees 5 credits. Discarding the low cards (3h, 6d, 8d, 6c) gives the best expected value by eliminating the weak pair of 6s and maximizing the chance to draw into a paying hand.

Hold the three high cards (Tc, Kd, Js) which form a jack-or-better pair with the Js and offer the best chance at straights, flushes, or improving to two pair. Discarding 5h and 4c removes weak cards with minimal synergy.

Hold the pair of jacks (Jd, Jc) for a guaranteed jacks-or-better payout of 5 credits. Discarding 4h, 9h, and Ac gives the best expected value by pursuing a full house or three of a kind while maintaining the minimum payout floor.

Hold the two Kings (Kc and Kd). This gives a pair of jacks-or-better worth 5 credits guaranteed. Discarding 4d, 5d, and 9c offers the best chance to improve to two pair, three of a kind, or a full house while maintaining the pair as a safety net.

Hold the pair of nines and the 2c to draw three cards seeking a full house or trips. The 2h and Td are discarded. With two pair already (99/22), holding 9-9-2-2 gives the best expected value by improving to a full house, three of a kind, or maintaining the two pair.

Hold the Queen and Jack (both paying cards). Discarding 7s, 6d, 5h gives three chances to improve to a pair of jacks or better, a straight, or a flush. This maximizes expected value by retaining guaranteed payout cards while drawing optimally.

The dealt hand is 7d-Tc-8c-Ad-6d with no made hand. Holding the Ace (position 3, counting from 0) gives the best expected value by pursuing high-card ace draws and potential straights (5-6-7-8-9 or 6-7-8-9-T with appropriate cards). Discarding all four other cards maximizes the probability of hitting a paying hand.

Hold the pair of Queens and the Ace. Discarding the 9s and 5s gives the best chance to improve to three of a kind, a full house, or potentially catch another high card. The pair of Queens already guarantees a payout (jacks or better = 5 credits), and this hold pattern maximizes expected value by keeping premium cards while drawing to improve.

Four cards to a flush (Qs, 9s, 6s, 7s) is a strong draw with high expected value. Discarding the 4d maximizes the probability of completing the flush (9 remaining spades out of 47 cards) while keeping the possibility of a pair of queens. This is the optimal play for this holding.

Hold the Jack and Ace. Discarding the 9, 6, and 7 gives the best chance to complete a paying hand (pair of jacks or better, or draw to straights/flushes). The Jack is a guaranteed pay if paired, and the Ace plays high for straights or pairs high.

Hold the pair of fives and the two high cards (Q, K, J). This maximizes EV by keeping the high-card kicker potential while maintaining the pair as a safety net. Discarding Q-K-J gives the best chance to improve to three of a kind or better without sacrificing the existing pair value.

Hold J-Q-T-K (four to a royal and broadway straight). The 4s is the lowest value card and discarding it gives the best chance at a premium hand (royal flush, straight flush, or straight) while maintaining broadway connectivity.

Currently holding Jh-Qc-Qh for a pair of queens (5 credits guaranteed). Discarding 5d and Td gives two draws to improve to three of a kind, full house, or potentially four of a kind. This maximizes expected value versus holding all five (which guarantees only the pair payout).

Holding Queen-Ace-7 of mixed suits with the Ace and Queen both high cards (Queen and Ace). The three spades (Qs, As, 7s) give a flush draw. Keeping Qs, As, 7s pursues both a potential flush (needing two more spades) and maintains the highest-ranking cards. Discarding 5c and 4c removes the lowest unpaired cards and focuses on high-card potential with flush completion.

Hold the pair of threes and the king. This gives the best chance to improve to three of a kind, full house, or four of a kind. Discarding the other cards maximizes expected value on the final hand.