Video Poker table

There is no pair and no strong draw, so I keep the single ace. It gives the best chance of a paying pair of aces and outperforms the weak low-straight and suited-card draws.

A low pair of fives (EV about 0.82 per credit) beats holding K-Q high cards or any other pattern, so I keep the pair and discard the other three cards.

With 9d Qh 7h Ts 7d, the only made hand is a low pair of sevens. In 9/6 Jacks or Better the pair of 7s (about 1.5 EV per credit) beats the open-ended straight draw and the Q-high single-card holds, so I keep 7h and 7d.

Hold J-Q-K (three high cards, mixed suits): with no pair, flush or straight draw, the three-high-card holding beats keeping any pair-less two-card combination. Here it keeps 4 straight outs (A10 or 109) and high-card pairing chances, which has the best expected value.

A low pair of fives is the best hold here: it has an expected value of about 0.82 per credit. The alternatives, such as the 4-5-7 inside straight draw, are worth less.

A low pair of 8s has the highest expected value here, ahead of any high-card or straight draw, so I hold both 8s and discard the rest.

Three twos is a made trips hand. Keeping only the three 2s and drawing two cards gives the best EV, since it can reach four of a kind or a full house, and keeping the 5 or 7 kicker adds nothing.

Holding the unsuited J and K (two high cards) has the best expected value here. The 4-3-2 straight draw and the single-K hold are both worth less.

Hand is 3d 8h Td Qc 8s. A low pair of eights is worth more in expected value than holding the single high cards Q or T, so I keep the pair and discard the other three.

A high pair of aces is the standard optimal hold here; no flush or straight draw among the other cards beats it, so keep the pair and discard the 4, T, and 6.

No pair, draw or flush, so the best play is to keep the two high cards Ac and Qd and discard the rest, which offers the best chance of a jacks-or-better pair.

There is no pair, no flush draw and no straight draw. Holding the three unsuited high cards A-K-Q has a higher expected value than holding K-Q alone or any other pattern.

No pair, flush draw or high card is available. Holding 7-8-9 keeps an open three-card straight draw, which should have a slightly higher EV than a full redraw or a two-card suited draw.

Holding the low pair of 2s (2d, 2h) is optimal here; its EV (~0.82) beats keeping the lone Js (~0.47) or any other draw.

Holding A-Q-J-T (four to a Broadway straight with three high cards) has an EV of about 0.53 per credit. The K completes the straight (4 outs) and any A, Q or J pairs a high card (9 outs). That beats the other holds, such as Q-J-T unsuited or Q-J suited.

No pair, flush draw, or four-card straight draw is available, and the only three-card holds are weak straight shapes. Keeping the lone ace has the highest EV among the remaining options because it can still pair to pay jacks or better.

There is no pair, flush draw or real straight draw, so the best play is to keep the two unsuited high cards, Ace and Jack, and discard the rest. This is the standard choice in 9/6 Jacks or Better; I chose it from memory of the usual strategy rather than by working out exact expected values.

No pair or strong draw is dealt, so I keep only the queen, the single high card. I'm going from memory of standard 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy rather than a computed EV, so this is my best estimate. I judged Q-T unsuited and suited Q-9 to be no better.

Three hearts (2h, 5h, 4h) give flush, straight-flush and straight chances, worth roughly 0.6 credits per credit bet. The A-2-4-5 inside straight draw is worth only about 0.40, so I keep the three suited cards.

There is no pair and no high card, so I kept the suited 6c and 8c, which give some straight-flush and flush chances. That is a slightly better draw than keeping the ten alone or drawing five new cards. This comes from recalled strategy rankings, not a calculation.

There is no pair or four-card draw, so the best play is to keep the suited king and ten (Kh, Th). That is the standard strategy choice and it has a higher expected value than keeping a lone king.

There is no pair, straight or flush draw worth keeping, so I hold the two unsuited high cards, Ace and King. That has a higher expected value than any single high card or the weak 3-club flush draw.

There is no made hand and no flush or straight draw worth keeping. Holding the two unsuited high cards, ace and jack, has a higher expected value than a lone jack or the low wheel cards.

Hand is Tc Ad 5s Td Qd with no high pair, so the choice is between the low pair of tens and other holds. Holding the pair of tens is best: about 0.82 EV per credit, higher than any draw such as Ad Qd or Td Qd Ad.

Three aces is the strongest hold: keep As, Ac, Ad and discard the 7d and 2h, which draws two cards toward four of a kind or a full house.

With no pair or strong draw, holding the unsuited A-K (two high cards) has the best expected value. It beats holding the ace alone or the weak 5-9-A three-card flush.

Holding the pair of aces (Ad, Ac) is the standard optimal play for a high pair with no flush or straight draw; discard 4s, Kh, 8c.

No pair or four-card draw is available, so I keep the two unsuited high cards, Kd and Qc, and discard the rest. That gives the best chance at a paying high pair with no better draw on offer. It is my best estimate rather than an exact calculation.

A low pair of sixes (6h, 6d) has the highest expected value here, roughly 0.82 per credit, ahead of drawing to a flush or holding the ace alone. Discard the 8s, 2s and As.

There is no pair, no four-card draw, and no meaningful flush draw, so I keep the lone king. It gives a chance at a high pair and has a higher expected value than a low 2-3-4 straight draw or discarding everything.

With no pair, draw or made hand, keeping the unsuited Jack and Queen has a higher expected value than keeping either high card alone or the suited 3-4 of spades.

Holding the pair of 4s has the highest expected return here, about 0.82 per credit by memory rather than an exact calculation. A lone jack, or a draw from the T, 8 and J, is worth less.

Two pair (Qd, Qh, 9h, 9c) is a made hand; keeping all four pair cards and discarding the king gives the standard optimal draw with a 4/47 chance of a full house, beating a lone pair draw.

A pair of sevens (about 0.82 credits per credit bet) beats any high-card or three-heart hold in this hand, so I hold the two sevens and discard the rest.

There is no pair or 4-card draw, so I keep the lone ace, which has the best expected value among these weak holds. It is slightly better than the suited T-9 and the A-2-4 low straight draw.

Two pair (9s and 5s) is best kept with the four paired cards; drawing one card gives a 4/47 chance at a full house, for an EV of about 2.55 per credit versus lower for holding a single pair.

Ace-King-Jack-Ten is a four-card inside straight with three high cards. The straight completes on any of 4 queens, and pairing an ace, king or jack pays too. From memory of standard 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy, that beats the three-card flush and the two-card high-card holds, but I did not compute the EVs.

Two pair (3s and 5s) is a made hand that pays 2 per credit now, and drawing one card for a full house (4 outs of 47) beats breaking up the pairs.

Keeping the four hearts (9h, Kh, 3h, 8h) gives 9 flush outs at 6 credits each, plus 3 kings that make a paying pair. That is about 1.21 credits per credit bet, which beats any high-card hold.

Jh Jd Qs Qh is two pair, and holding all four pair cards while discarding the Kd gives an 8/47 chance at a full house. Standing pat on two pair guarantees a 10-credit payout; drawing to the full house has a higher expected value than any alternative.