Video Poker table

Hold the Jack and King (both jacks or better), discard the low cards (9, 2, 6) to maximize the probability of forming a paying hand. This gives multiple drawing chances for a pair of jacks or better, straight, flush, or better.

Holding the pair of threes keeps a made hand worth 15 credits. Discarding 6d, 3h, 4s gives three chances to improve to a full house, three of a kind, or better. The King is kept as a backup in case we hit a single high card pairing it for jacks or better.

Holding Queen and Ace gives the best expected value. The Queen is a paying hand (Jacks or better), and the Ace has potential for high pairs or straights/royal flush if we draw lucky cards. Discarding 7, 9, 3 maximizes our chances of improvement.

Hold the Qc and Ac (pair of high cards that qualifies for jacks-or-better payout). Discard 3c, 6d, and 9s to draw three new cards, hoping to complete a full house, three of a kind, or flush. This maximizes expected value by keeping the guaranteed jacks-or-better payout while drawing toward higher-paying hands.

Hold the Jack and King, both paying cards. Discarding 4h, 7h, 8c gives three chances to draw toward a pair of jacks or better, or complete a straight/flush, maximizing expected value.

Holding Jd and Td gives two chances to complete a straight (needs 9, Q, K, or A), while discarding the weak 8-6-8c combination. A pair of eights doesn't pay, so breaking it for higher-value draw potential (straight at 4x or better) is optimal.

Hold Qh-Ks-9s-Ac for a four-card flush draw (three spades plus two high cards). Discarding the 3s gives the best expected value: we have multiple ways to make a flush (13 remaining spades) or keep high-card value with Qh-Ks-Ac, maximizing win probability.

Hold J, 8♠, 5♠, K (discard 2♠). Three spades with two high cards gives multiple strong draws: flush (needs 1 spade), straight possibilities (A-4, 7-8-9, 9-T-J-Q, Q-K-A), and high pair backup. Expected value of 0.554 credits per hand beats holding just the pair of high cards (0.262).

Holding the pair of sixes (6d, 6s) is optimal. While the hand currently pays nothing, a pair of sixes can improve to three of a kind, four of a kind, or full house on the draw. Discarding all five cards or breaking up the pair reduces expected value compared to holding this made hand.

Holding the pair of threes (3h, 3s) gives the best expected value. While the hand currently pays nothing, keeping the pair preserves the possibility of making three of a kind, full house, or four of a kind on the draw. Discarding all and hoping for premium hands has lower EV than retaining this low pair and drawing three new cards.

Hold As, Jd, 3d for a four-card flush draw with one overcards (Ace). Discarding 2d and 7h gives the best expected value by pursuing the flush (6 credits) while retaining the Ace as a kicker.

Hold K-Q-J (three high cards: K, Q, J). This gives 3 cards to a royal flush (missing A and 10), plus multiple opportunities for pairs of jacks or better, straights, and other high-value hands. Discarding 2s and 7h maximizes expected value.

Holding Queen and Ace gives the best EV. The Queen provides a natural pair of Jacks or Better, while the Ace offers flexibility to draw toward a high straight (with Q-K-J-T), higher pair, or other premium hands. Discarding 9d, 6d, 5s leaves three fresh cards to complete stronger combinations.

Hold the Ten-high; it's the only card with potential (ten is a high card toward a straight or royal). Discarding 7h, 6s, 9h, Kd gives the best chance to draw toward jacks or better or a straight.

Dealt two pair (queens and kings). Holding both pairs and the kicker (K-d) maximizes the chance of improving to a full house (15 credits) or retaining two pair (10 credits), both of which exceed the payout for a single pair. Discarding the 9h gives the best expected value.

Current hand has a pair of aces (Ah, Ad), which guarantees a payout of 5 credits (jacks or better). The optimal strategy is to hold both aces and discard 2d, 9h, and 3c to maximize the chance of improving to three of a kind, four of a kind, or a full house, all of which pay more than a single pair.

Only the Jack of diamonds qualifies as a paying hand (Jacks or Better). Discarding the 7, 10, 9, and 5 gives the best chance to improve by drawing four new cards, which could form a flush (three diamonds already), straight, or better pair.

Hold Ac-Qs-Jd for a draw to a royal flush (A-K-Q-J-T of same suits), which maximizes expected value. The pair of 7s is weak (no payout) compared to the high card potential and the AQJ combination gives multiple strong draws: royal flush (highest), straight flush, regular straight, and high pair outcomes.

Hold Ah and Jh, discarding 8c, 2d, 3s. The Ace-Jack suited combination gives the best expected value: keeping the high pair (Ah-Jh) along with potential straight and flush draws. Jacks or better guarantees a 5-credit return, and any additional hits improve the hand significantly.

Hold the pair of tens (Td, Tc) for a guaranteed 5-credit payout. Discarding Qh, 8s, and 3c gives the best expected value by keeping the made hand while maximizing draw potential for a full house or three of a kind.

Holding the pair of 3s gives a baseline payout of 5 credits. Discarding A, 9, 5 leaves three cards to be drawn. The pair of 3s is below jacks (which pays 5 credits), but holding it guarantees a break-even outcome while maintaining equity for potential three-of-a-kind or trips improvement.

Holding the two diamonds (Qd, Kd) gives the best expected value. This leaves three draws to complete a flush (nine remaining diamonds), while also maintaining a pair of jacks or better if we catch another Q or K. Discarding 7h, 2s, and 4d maximizes the probability of reaching a paying hand.

Hold Ks-Qd for a potential high pair (jacks or better). The pair of 4s is weak, and breaking them up keeps flexibility for straights or other combinations while maximizing expected value.

Hold the two suited high cards (Js, Qs) for maximum potential. This gives four cards to a royal flush (needing only the Ks) and four cards to a flush (9 outs), while discarding the three low cards (4d, 3s, 5d) that have no immediate value.

Hold the three tens and jack (T-T-J) to maximize the probability of making a full house or three of a kind. Discarding the 7 and 2 gives the best expected value as we have two tens already and the jack provides high-card value and straight possibilities.

Hold Ac and Kh as premium high cards, and keep 9s to maintain the pair of nines. Discarding 9d and 2s gives the best chance to improve to a paying hand (high pair, two pair, three of a kind, or better) while preserving the current pair.

Hold the two aces and king for a strong high card with three cards to a pair of aces and potential royal flush draw (A-K-Q-J-10 in diamonds if lucky). Discarding 5s and 6c gives the best expected value, as the aces are already a strong base hand worth 5 credits if nothing improves, and we have upside potential.

Holding K-A-Q (three cards to a royal) offers the best expected value. These three high cards give multiple paths to strong hands: a royal flush (if we catch 10 and J), a straight flush, a flush, or a straight. Discarding the 4c and 6d leaves the best drawing potential. Single honor holds or other patterns are suboptimal.

Hold the 4c and 8c to pursue a flush draw (three clubs). The Ah is too weak to keep (low kicker with no pair), and the 3s and 7c don't contribute to flush or straight possibilities. The two-card flush draw offers the best expected value.

Hold the two high cards (Ks and Js) to pursue a pair of jacks or better. Discarding 4h, 7c, and 8d gives the best expected value by keeping live cards for high-pair completion while maintaining flexibility for straights and other premium hands.

Hold the pair of 4s (cards 2 and 3). This gives a guaranteed 10 credits (two pair payout). Discarding Q♠, 9♣, and 8♣ leaves three draws to improve to three of a kind, full house, or four of a kind. Holding only the Q♠ would leave me needing three more points to make a paying hand from five discards, which has lower expected value. The pair of 4s is the strongest foundation.

Hold the pair of Queens for a guaranteed 5-credit payout (jacks or better). Discarding the 8, 5, and 2 gives the best expected value, as the three remaining cards offer minimal draw potential for straights or flushes while keeping the winning pair.

Three hearts (J-8-7) with two high cards nearby offer the best draw potential. Holding J♥-8♥-7♥ gives four flush draws and two inside straight draws (9-10 for broadway, 6-5 for low), maximizing expected value over other patterns.

Holding the Ace and 4 of spades gives the best draw probability. This three-card straight draw to A-2-3-4-5 (wheel straight) combined with a four-flush draw to spades offers multiple winning possibilities. Drawing three cards to this combination maximizes expected value against the 9/6 paytable.

Hold the two queens (Qc and Qs) to pursue a pair of jacks or better, which pays 1 credit. This gives a solid guaranteed return while maintaining chances to draw into a full house (45 credits) or three of a kind (15 credits). Discarding the weak kicker cards (Td, 8c, 9s) maximizes expected value on the draw.

This hand contains no pairs, no flush draw, and no straight draw. Discarding all five cards offers the best expected value by allowing a fresh draw from the remaining 47 cards, with reasonable chances of hitting a paying hand (pair of jacks or better, three of a kind, two pair, or better).

Hold the pair of jacks for a guaranteed 5-credit payout (jacks or better). Discarding the 9c and 5c gives two fresh draws for potential improvement to two pair, three of a kind, or full house. This maximizes expected value on a weak starting hand.

Current hand is two pair (6s and 7s), which pays 10 credits. Holding all four cards that make the pair gives the best EV by improving to a full house or four of a kind on the draw, while discarding the 3d (the lowest card) maximizes the chance of hitting a high card that completes a full house.

Hold the pair of sevens and the Ace. The pair of sevens already guarantees a payout (3 credits). Discarding the 6d, 7h, and Qd gives us three chances to improve to three of a kind, a full house, or potentially a straight if we catch a 5 or 8. This is the optimal hold pattern for this hand.

This is the final hand (40/40). The Jack of Diamonds is the only card with potential value in Jacks or Better. Discarding 8h, 9c, 4h, 3c gives the best chance to improve the hand via draw, aiming for a pair of jacks or better, or a straight/flush to increase the payout above the 5-credit baseline.