Video Poker table

With unsuited A-K-Q and no pair, flush draw or suited high cards, optimal 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy keeps the two lower high cards, K-Q. Dropping the ace gives better straight potential than keeping all three.

A low pair (7h 7s) has higher expected value than holding a single king or the 5-7-8 straight fragment, so keep the sevens and draw three.

A high pair (jacks) is the best hold here, with an EV of about 1.54 per credit. There is no flush or straight draw worth more, so I keep both jacks and draw three.

A low pair of nines (EV about 0.82 per credit) beats the three-card straight flush 6h-7h-9h. There is no four-card straight or flush draw available.

A high pair of jacks is the strongest hold here. Keeping the pair and drawing three beats any straight draw (9-J-8 has a gap and no flush support).

Three of a kind (sevens) is the optimal hold; discarding the other two gives the best chance at quads or a full house (EV about 4.30 per credit).

9-T-J-Q is an open-ended four to a straight with two high cards (EV about 0.81 per credit). That beats the 9-T-Q spade straight-flush draw and the unsuited Q-J.

Under 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy, a low pair (about 0.82 EV) outranks two suited high cards like KJ of clubs (about 0.6 EV), so I hold the pair of 8s.

A low pair of sixes (EV about 0.82 per credit) is worth more than the inside straight draw 2-3-5-6 (about 0.43). So I hold the two sixes and discard the rest.

A low pair (EV about 0.82) beats holding the high cards: AQ unsuited is about 0.47-0.48 and the 3-card flush 4s 9s Qs is weaker still. So hold the pair of 4s and draw three.

There is no pair or strong draw here. The three hearts are low with no high cards, and Q9 suited is weaker than a lone queen. Keeping just the queen gives the best expected value.

A low pair of fives is the strongest hold here (about 0.82 EV per credit). It beats keeping the lone jack or a three-card straight fragment.

There is no paying hand, straight draw, or straight-flush draw here. Holding the lone jack is the standard best play and beats holding three clubs, which is a weaker draw.

A low pair (2s 2d) is the best hold here; no high cards and no stronger draws are present. It beats any three-card straight or flush draw in 9/6 Jacks or Better.

There are no high cards and no pairs. Holding 2-4-5-6 as a four-card inside straight draw is the standard 9/6 choice, just ahead of discarding everything.

A pair of aces (EV about 1.54 per credit) is worth more than the three-card heart flush draw, so I keep both aces and draw three.

A low pair (sixes) has a higher expected value than holding the lone jack or the three-card flush draw, so I keep the pair of sixes.

Under optimal 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy, a low pair of threes has a higher expected value than the three-card straight flush draw 3c-4c-5c or the lone king. So I keep the pair and draw three cards.

There is no three-card royal draw here, only A-K suited. The pair of 2s (EV about 0.82 per credit) beats a two-card royal draw.

A high pair (queens) is worth more than any other draw here; the Q-J-8-7 straight draw has a gap and the hearts are only three cards, so hold QQ and draw three (EV about 1.54 per credit).

A low pair (EV ~0.82) beats holding a lone king or pair plus kicker in 9/6 Jacks or Better, so I keep the sixes and draw three.

Under optimal 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy, a suited JT (two cards to a royal) beats holding the lone jack. Nothing else in the hand is worth keeping.

Keeping the pair of jacks is optimal here. A high pair returns about 1.54 per credit, and nothing else in this hand comes close.

A pair of kings already pays. Holding the high pair and drawing three is the optimal play, and no straight or flush draw here beats it.

Holding the unsuited King and Jack is the better standard-strategy play. It has a higher expected value than three to a flush with no high cards.

In 9/6 Jacks or Better a low pair (EV about 0.82) beats holding a single jack (about 0.47), so keep the 6s and draw three.

Three to a royal flush (J-T-K of diamonds) is the strongest holding here and outranks a four-card flush or straight draw, which this hand does not have anyway. Keep Jd, Td and Kd and draw two.

There is no pair or strong draw here. Basic Jacks or Better strategy ranks two unsuited high cards (A-J) above a three-card flush with only one high card, so I keep the ace and jack.

Holding the suited QJ in hearts ranks above the 9-J-Q-K inside straight draw and above unsuited KQJ in optimal 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy.

A low pair of nines is the best hold here, since there is no four-card straight or flush draw. Keeping the pair has a higher expected value than any other pattern.

There is no pair, no four-card draw, and no strong suited high-card combination. Holding the lone jack alone is the highest-EV play under optimal 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy.

Holding 2-3-4-5 gives an open-ended straight draw with 8 outs (any ace or six), worth about 0.68 per credit. That beats keeping the lone King, so the King is discarded.

A low pair of eights (EV about 0.82 per credit) beats the open-ended 7-8-T inside-straight options, so I hold the 8c and 8h and discard the rest.

A high pair of kings beats every other hold here, including the open-ended inside draw with T-Q-K. Keeping the KK and drawing three is the optimal play, worth about 1.54 per credit.

A low pair (7d, 7c) beats a single high card and a three-card flush draw in 9/6 Jacks or Better. The hand holds about 0.82 per credit by keeping the pair.

Two suited high cards (KQ of clubs) is the strongest hold here, outranking three unsuited high cards. The 8c is too far from the royal cards to form a straight-flush draw.

With no pair, no four-card draw and no worthwhile suited high cards, holding the lone king and drawing four is the standard best play. The 4c next to it adds nothing worth keeping.

Holding three to a royal flush (Kd Jd Td) has a higher expected value than the four-card inside straight K-J-T-9 or keeping just the high cards.

Two suited high cards (Ad Jd) is the strongest holding available here, keeping a royal draw alive and beating the inside straight draw or a lone high card in standard 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy.

Four to a flush (Th Ah 5h 6h) has an expected return of about 1.21 per credit. That beats keeping the low pair of sixes, which returns about 0.82, so I discard the 6c.