Video Poker table

There is no pair, no four-card draw and no suited high cards. Under 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy, holding the lone queen beats drawing to a three-card low flush.

Keeping the open three-card straight flush draw in hearts (6-7-8) has a higher expected value than the inside straight draw 6-7-8-T or keeping the lone queen. Standard 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy ranks this draw above both.

There is no pair or strong draw here. Keeping the two unsuited high cards (A and Q) beats a three-card flush draw or keeping a lone Q under standard 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy.

The 7-9-T of diamonds is a three-card straight flush draw with one gap and no high cards. Standard 9/6 strategy ranks that above holding the lone queen.

Three tens is already a paying three of a kind, and holding just the trips while drawing two has the highest expected value, since the draw can make a full house or four of a kind.

Holding the pair of queens (EV about 1.54 per credit) beats the two-card royal draw with Qs As. Discard the ace kicker and the other cards.

There is no made hand or strong draw here. A lone king, worth about 0.45 per credit, beats both the no-high-card inside straight 4-5-6-8 (about 0.34) and the three-card flush with only one high card.

KQJT is an open-ended straight draw with three high cards (EV about 0.87 per credit). That beats holding the suited KJ or the three high cards alone.

This is two pair (aces and fours), so I keep all four paired cards and draw one, which is the optimal play (about 2.6 per credit, with a full house possible). No flush or straight draw here comes close to that value.

Suited KJ is a two-card royal draw, and it has the highest expected value here. The low cards offer no better draw, so keep only the Js and Ks.

A low pair (3-3) has a higher expected value (~0.82) than a single jack (~0.47), so I hold the pair of threes and discard the rest.

Holding a low pair (the two 3s) is worth more on average than any of the other holds here. Standard 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy ranks a low pair above lone high cards and weak straight draws.

In 9/6 Jacks or Better, suited KJ ranks above three unsuited high cards, so keep Jc and Kc and discard the rest.

A low pair of sevens (EV about 0.82) beats the inside straight draw 7-9-T-J and the three-card straight flush 7-9-T of diamonds. Hold the 7s and draw three.

With no pair, draw, or suited high cards, standard 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy keeps two unsuited high cards. So I hold the ace and queen and draw three.

There are no high cards, no pairs, and no four-card or three-card straight-flush draws. Under 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy, drawing five new cards is the best play here.

There is no pair or draw, so the suited Kc-Tc two-card royal ranks above holding the lone king. No discarded clubs or straight cards weaken it.

A low pair (6-6) is worth more than the 4-card outside straight 5-6-8-T (which is actually an inside draw) or any other hold. Keep the pair and draw three.

There is no made hand, no four-card straight and no four-card flush. Suited KJ (two high cards toward a possible royal) is the strongest hold in standard 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy.

Holding the suited Q-T of clubs keeps a two-card royal draw. It has a higher expected value than holding the queen alone, the three-card flush, or discarding all five.

With no pair, suited high cards or strong draw, holding the lone jack is the standard optimal play in 9/6 Jacks or Better. It beats keeping the unsuited J-T or drawing five new cards.

Holding 8-9-T-J gives an open-ended straight draw with eight outs (any 7 or Q), plus a chance to pair the jack. At about 0.74 per credit it beats holding the jack alone or the suited J-T.

A low pair (EV about 0.82) beats holding the two unsuited high cards Jc and Ad (about 0.46), so keep the pair of fives and draw three.

A lone king (about 0.45 per credit) beats the no-high-card inside straight draw 6-7-8-T (about 0.34), so I hold only the king.

Holding the suited K-Q, a two-card royal draw, has the highest expected value for this hand under 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy. It beats the unsuited K-Q-T straight draw and holding the two high cards with the off-suit ten.

The hand has no pair, no four-card draw and no worthwhile suited cards, so the standard 9/6 play is to hold the unsuited K and J. That keeps two high cards that can each pair for a paying hand.

In 9/6 Jacks or Better, a low pair (EV about 0.82) beats holding two unsuited high cards like QJ (about 0.49). So I keep the pair of 4s and draw three.

A low pair of tens (EV about 0.82) beats any three-card flush or straight draw here, so keep both tens and draw three.

There is no pair, no suited high-card combination, and no four-card straight or flush draw. Keeping the lone queen follows standard 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy.

The only high card is the queen, and there is no pair or strong draw. Under 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy, holding a lone queen beats holding three to a flush with one high card (Qs 9s 5s).

A low pair (EV about 0.82) beats holding a single high card (about 0.47), so keep the pair of 2s and draw three.

There is no pair, no suited draw, and no open straight draw. Holding the lone high card (the queen) is the standard best play; the ten is a different suit, so keeping it adds nothing.

With no high cards, pairs, or strong suited draws, the best hold is the four-card inside straight 6-8-9-T. This follows standard 9/6 strategy, which ranks it above discarding everything.

A low pair (3-3) is worth more than two unsuited high cards (KJ) in 9/6 Jacks or Better, so I keep the pair of threes and draw three.

A pair of kings is a high pair, and holding it is optimal here. There is no stronger draw in this hand.

There is no pair, no four-card draw, and no high-card suited combination. Holding the lone king is expected to return more than the three-card diamond flush draw with no high cards.

Holding the two unsuited high cards, Q and J, has a higher expected value than drawing to the three-card club flush with only one high card or holding a single jack.

A high pair (aces) is the strongest holding here, ahead of the three-card royal A-T-clubs and the two-card royal. Keeping both aces and drawing three is the optimal play.

In 9/6 Jacks or Better, holding a low pair (about 0.82 per credit) is worth more than a 4-card open-ended straight draw (about 0.68). So I keep the pair of nines.

Holding the lone King is worth roughly 0.46 per credit. The inside straight draw 4-6-7-8 only needs a 5 and returns about 0.34 per credit, so the King is the better hold.