Video Poker table

Hold the Queen-high and King-low for potential straight (Q-K-A or 10-J-Q-K-A), or to draw to a pair of high cards. Discarding 8-2-9 maximizes expected value compared to other hold patterns.

Hold the three hearts (Qh, Kh, 3h) for a flush draw with two high cards. Discard 9h and 9d to maximize expected value, as the flush draw (9 outs) plus potential high-card pairs offers better long-term return than keeping the low pair of 9s.

Keep the pair of tens (Th, Td). This gives a made hand worth 5 credits. The Jack is unsuited to the tens and the low cards (4c, 2h) offer poor draw possibilities. The pair of tens is currently the best return and discarding gives us only a 5-card draw chance with low EV.

Hold the pair of 7s. While there is a diamond flush draw (7d, 8d, Kd), keeping the pair guarantees at least 5 credits and has higher expected value than discarding both 7s and relying on the low-probability flush or straight completions.

Hold the 8h to pursue a flush draw (4 hearts). With 3h, 7h, 8h, and one more heart in the remaining deck, the flush draw has strong EV. Discarding the pair of 7s and the Kc gives the best expected return compared to holding the pair (which only pays 0) or other hold patterns.

Hold the pair of deuces and Jack. Discarding 3h and 8d gives the best expected value by pursuing three of a kind (15 credits) or two pair (10 credits) while keeping the Jack-high kicker for potential improvement to a paying hand.

Hold the three aces (positions 0, 2, 4) for a guaranteed three of a kind (15 credits). Discard the 7h and 3s to draw two new cards, giving a chance to improve to a full house or four of a kind while securing the minimum three-of-a-kind payout.

Hold K-K-A for a pair of Kings (Jacks or Better paying 5 credits). Discarding 2s and 3d gives the best chance to improve to two pair, trips, or full house. The Ace is held both as a potential kicker and because it can contribute to straight/flush possibilities.

Hold Ad and Qd (pair of aces with queen kicker). This gives the best expected value by keeping the high pair while discarding Ts, 5c, 5d to draw three fresh cards with potential for trips, full house, or broadway/wheel straights.

Holding the pair of Kings (Kh, Kd) is optimal. This guarantees a payout of 5 credits (jacks or better), and the draw has reasonable chances to improve to two pair or trips. Discarding the Queen, 5h, and 5c maximizes expected value given the paytable and remaining deck composition.

Dealt Q♠ J♦ T♠ 5♥ K♥. Keep Q♠ J♦ (high cards) and discard T♠ 5♥ K♥. This gives the best chance to make a high pair or broadway straight, which are more valuable long-term than discarding two high cards.

Keep the Ace. The hand contains no pairs or strong combinations. Holding the Ace provides the best chance to make a paying hand (potential for a pair of Aces, or drawing into straights/flushes). Discarding the weak cards 9c, 6d, 5s, 2d gives maximum flexibility for the draw.

Holding K-Q offers the best expected value by playing for a straight (A-2-3-4-5, 6-7-8-9-T, 9-T-J-Q-K, or T-J-Q-K-A) or upgrading to a pair of jacks or better. The 7-T-4 are low cards with poor synergy; discarding all three maximizes our draw potential from the remaining 47 cards.

Holding only the King (a high card) gives the best expected value. With no pairs, straights, or flushes possible from this weak hand, keeping the single high card (which qualifies for jacks or better if paired) and discarding four cards maximizes the probability of drawing to a paying hand like a pair of jacks or better, three of a kind, or better.

Hold the pair of aces (Ah, Ad). This guarantees at least a pair of jacks or better (pays 5 credits). Discarding 3h, 4c, 4s gives the best chance to improve to three of a kind, full house, or four of a kind. The pair of fours is not payable (below jacks), so we prioritize the premium pair.

Keep the King (Kh) as it provides a potential for a paying hand (jacks or better). Discarding 8c, 5s, 6c, 9d gives the best expected value by maximizing chances of drawing to a pair of jacks or better, or a straight/flush.

Hold the pair of deuces and the Jack. Discarding 4c, 8d, and Jd gives the best expected value by keeping potential for improvement while retaining a guaranteed payout if no high pair materializes. The deuce pair alone isn't a paying hand, but combined with the Jack gives flexibility to draw toward a full house, three of a kind, or the Jack itself for a paying hand.

Two pair (Kings and Queens) is a strong hand paying 10 credits. Keeping all five cards secures this guaranteed win. Discarding the 7s risks the full house draw but significantly reduces overall EV—holding the pair of queens and king improves draw odds to full house or better while maintaining the two pair baseline.

Hold Th-Qs (pair of jacks or better) for the guaranteed 5-credit payout. Discarding 7d-3h-5h gives the best chance to improve to a paying hand (three of a kind, two pair, or better) while preserving the sure win.

Holding the pair of nines and jack gives a solid foundation with potential to improve to three of a kind, full house, or two pair. Discarding the 6s and 3h maximizes draw potential while retaining jacks-or-better value.

Hold the pair of fives and discard Q-T-6. While this doesn't guarantee a win, keeping the made hand preserves the current equity and allows for improvement to three of a kind or better. Discarding three cards to try for a flush or straight draw is suboptimal from an expected value perspective.

Hold the King of spades and Ace of spades (high card pair with broadway potential). Discarding the small hearts and the 4 gives the best expected value by aiming for broadway cards, pairs of jacks or better, or an ace-high straight.

The Ace of hearts is the only card with potential value in this hand. Discarding all other cards gives the best expected value by maximizing chances to draw to a paying hand (jacks or better, straight, flush, or better). Holding just the Ace keeps low unpaired cards (3, 5, 6, K) that cannot form a paying combination.

No pair, no straight, no flush draw—this hand has no value. Discarding all five cards gives the best expected return by drawing five completely new cards from the remaining deck, maximizing the chance of forming a paying hand.

Holding Jh and Ks (pair of high cards) gives us jacks-or-better coverage. Discarding Ts, 6c, and 2s maximizes the chance to draw into a second high pair, three of a kind, or better while maintaining the guaranteed 5-credit payout if we whiff.

Four spades (9s, Ks, Js, 3s) with a Jack gives a strong flush draw plus a pair of jacks. Discarding 9s and Th maximizes the chance of completing a flush while keeping the pat pair as insurance. The four-flush plus one overcard (or another spade for flush, or ten for straight) has higher expected value than holding the pair alone.

The hand contains only one card of value: the King of diamonds. Holding the K gives a chance to draw four cards that could form a paying hand (pair of kings or better, straight, flush, or straight flush). Discarding four random cards to chase pairs or straights is the highest EV play from this weak starting position.

Three clubs (K-T-7) with a queen kicker offers the best expected value. Holding K-T-7c keeps a flush draw (4 outs to make 30 credits) while also maintaining a straight draw potential. Discarding the 2d and Qd gives maximum flexibility for the draw while respecting the paytable structure.

Hold Ts, Js, Kh (three high cards jacks or better). Discard 2c and 2s to draw two cards for potential flush (three spades) or straight, while maintaining guaranteed pair of jacks minimum if neither materializes.

Hold the pair of Queens (Qh, Qc) and the Ace (As) for three cards to draw. This gives the best chance to improve to trips, a full house, or even four of a kind. Discarding 3h and 8d maximizes expected value by keeping the high cards and strongest pair.

Hold the King and pair of Tens. The pair of tens qualifies for payout (jacks or better), guaranteeing 5 credits. Discarding the 3, 2, and 10 gives three cards to draw, with potential to improve to two pair, three of a kind, full house, or four of a kind. This hold pattern maximizes expected value compared to alternatives like holding all low cards or breaking the pair.

Dealt 6c 8h 7d 9d 5s - no made hand. Holding the 9d (single high card) maximizes expected value by keeping one overcard that could pair or help form a straight/flush on the draw. Discarding four cards gives the best chance at improvement versus holding multiple low cards or discarding everything.

The dealt hand is 7h-Qs-Kd-6c-Tc with no made hand. Holding the two high cards (Q and K) gives the best expected value by maximizing chances to form a pair of jacks or better, straight, or flush on the draw, while discarding the three weak cards (7, 6, T) that don't contribute to premium hands.

Holding only the ace gives the best expected value. While we have three hearts (8s, 7h, 6h), they're too low to form a strong flush draw. The ace has the highest utility—it can contribute to a royal flush, a pair of aces (which pays), or a straight. Discarding the low cards and redrawing offers better expected payout than chasing a weak flush draw.

Hold the pair of threes. While we have an ace, a pair of threes is guaranteed at least 0 credits, and breaking it to chase ace-high or other draws carries more risk than the modest improvement from a three-of-a-kind, full house, or four-of-a-kind draw.

Holding Q♥, J♠, K♥ gives a three-card high-card combo with potential for a pair of jacks or better, straight, or flush. Discarding 9♥ and 3♠ removes low cards that don't contribute to premium hands. This hold pattern maximizes expected value by keeping three high cards that can draw to a winning hand while eliminating the weakest cards.

Holding the pair of fives gives a guaranteed 5-credit payout (jacks or better equivalent in value) and a reasonable chance to improve to three of a kind, full house, or four of a kind by drawing three cards. Discarding the 9, 8, and 6 maximizes the probability of hitting trips or better.

Hold Jack and King (both are jacks-or-better high cards). Discard 5, 4, 8 to pursue straights, flushes, or high-card combinations. With two unpaired face cards, the expected value of holding both and drawing three fresh cards exceeds other patterns.

Holding the Jd (Jacks or Better) guarantees a 5-credit payout. The other cards (9d, 8h, 6c, 5d) do not form a strong draw (incomplete straight or flush), so discarding them and hoping for a pair or higher to the Jack is the optimal strategy. This maximizes expected value on the final hand of the session.

Hold the Jc and Tc (both clubs), discarding 2c, 3d, and 6s. This gives four cards to a flush with two high cards (Jack and Ten), which has solid expected value. The Jack alone qualifies for the payout floor (jacks or better), so there's guaranteed value if the draw misses the flush.