Video Poker table

With no pair or four-card draw, the best hold is the lone queen, since a single high card has higher EV than a bare three-card flush (9-2-3 of diamonds) or a low gutshot.

Holding the suited 6-7-8 of hearts (three to a straight flush) has a higher expected value than the inside straight draw or a lone queen.

No pair, no four-card draw. Holding the two unsuited high cards (Ace and Queen) has a higher expected value than a lone Queen or a weak three-card flush (3h 7h Qh).

9d 7d Td is a three-card straight flush draw with straight and flush outs, which I judge slightly better than holding Qc alone. I did not compute the exact EV, so this is close.

Three tens (Th, Ts, Td) is a made three of a kind; holding just the trips and discarding the ace and king gives the highest expected value versus keeping kickers.

Holding the pair of queens is the standard optimal play; the pair has a much higher expected value than keeping the ace kicker or any other draw.

The 4-5-6-8 inside straight draw is worth about 0.34 credits per credit bet (4 outs, pays 4). A lone king is worth about 0.4 or more because of the chance to pair a high card, so I hold only the king. These figures are estimates from memory, not an exact calculation.

Holding Q-J-K-T gives an open-ended straight draw: 8 outs pay 4 and 9 outs pairing a J, Q or K pay 1, so EV is about 0.87 per credit. That beats the other holds, such as unsuited high cards or the suited J-K.

Two pair (aces and fours) is the best hold: it keeps a made 10-credit hand with a full house draw of about 4/47. Holding just the aces is worse in EV.

Keeping the suited Js-Ks (two high cards with flush and royal chances) has a higher expected value than any low-card draw with the 2, 4 and 5.

A low pair (3s) has higher expected value than holding a lone jack or any other partial hand, so keep the pair and discard the other three cards.

A low pair of 3s (about 0.82 EV per credit) beats any other holding here, such as the ace alone or the A-2-3 draw.

No made hand or strong draw, so I keep the suited king and jack (Kc, Jc). That gives high-pair chances plus flush and royal potential, and it should be about equal to or slightly better in EV than holding the unsuited A-K-J. I didn't compute the exact EVs, so this is an estimate.

A low pair of 7s (EV about 0.82 per credit) beats the 4-card inside straight (only four 8s complete it), the three-diamond draw, and a lone jack.

There is no pair and no four-card draw, so I keep the two high cards, Ac and Qd. Unsuited AQ has a higher expected return than a single high card, a three-card straight draw like A-2-3, or a weak three-card flush draw.

There is no pair, no high card, and no four-card draw. I estimated (not calculated) that holding 9-T beats the other options, because the three drawn cards can make a jacks-or-better pair or a straight.

No pair or four-card draw is available. The suited King-Ten of clubs (Kc, Tc) has the best expected value of the remaining holds, ahead of a lone King or the 6-8-T inside straight draw.

With a low pair (6c, 6d) and no high cards, flush or straight draws, holding just the pair has the highest expected value, about 0.82 per credit, more than any draw.

With no pair or straight/flush draw, holding the suited high cards Jh and Kh has the best expected value. It keeps high-pair chances and some flush and straight potential.

There is no pair or straight draw, so I keep the suited Tc and Qc. That two-card royal draw is worth more in expectation than Qc alone or the three-club flush draw with the 5c.

There is no pair, flush draw or straight draw worth keeping, so I keep the lone jack. It gives the best chance to draw a paying jacks-or-better pair. I chose it over J-T unsuited from memory of standard strategy tables, not an exact calculation, and the two are close.

Holding 8-9-T-J gives an open-ended straight draw. Eight outs (7 or Q) pay 4 each and three jacks pay 1 each, so EV is about 35/47 = 0.745 per credit, better than the alternatives such as suited J-T.

Holding the pair of fives (about 0.82 credits per credit bet) beats any high-card or straight draw from this hand, which are worth roughly 0.5 or less.

The hand has no made pair or flush draw. The 6-7-8-T inside straight draw is worth about 0.34 credits per credit bet. I recall that a lone king ranks slightly higher in standard 9/6 strategy, so I hold the king, but I did not compute that exactly.

Keeping the suited K-Q of spades gives high-pair, flush and royal draws, and should be worth slightly more than the unsuited K-Q-T straight draw.

There is no pair and no strong draw, so the best play is to keep the unsuited high cards K and J. That gives the best chance of a jacks-or-better pair, and the other three cards are discarded.

A low pair of 4s (EV about 0.82 per credit) beats holding the Q and J high cards (about 0.48), so keep the pair of 4s and discard the rest.

A pair of tens is a made low pair with the best expected value here; nothing else in the hand (7s, 2c, 5c) offers a stronger draw, so keep the tens and discard the rest.

There is no pair, flush draw or four-card straight draw, so I kept the lone Queen. From memory of standard strategy, a single high card is worth more than the inside three-card straight Q-T-9, which I estimate at roughly 0.44 against 0.47 per credit.

There is no pair and no four-card draw, so I keep the lone queen, a single high card that can pair into a jacks-or-better payout, and discard the rest. I'm going from memory of standard 9/6 strategy, not an exact calculation, and I judged a lone queen slightly better than Q9 suited or the 2-4-5 wheel draw.

A low pair of 2s is the best hold here: about 0.82 EV per credit, which beats holding the lone Queen (about 0.47) or any of the draw options.

There is no pair, draw or flush draw, so I keep the two high cards Qc and Th. From memory of standard 9/6 strategy, two unsuited high cards have slightly higher EV than a lone Queen. I did not compute the exact EVs.

There is no pair and no high card, so I keep the four-card inside straight (6-8-9-T), which needs one of four sevens. I chose it from memory of standard 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy rather than computing exact EVs, and I believe it beats the weak flush and suited-connector holds and a full discard.

A low pair of 3s (EV about 0.82 per credit) is worth more than the unsuited J-K high cards (about 0.47), so I hold the pair and discard the other three cards.

A pair of kings is a made high pair with strong draw equity to trips, full house or quads, so hold the two kings and discard the 5, 9 and 2.

No pair, four-card straight or four-card flush is available; only three diamonds (5d, 7d, Td) or a gapped 7-8-T. Holding the lone king to draw to a high pair has the best expected value of the options I considered. This comes from memory of standard strategy, not an exact calculation.

Jc and Qs are two unsuited high cards, which have a higher expected value than a three-card club flush draw with only one high card or a fresh five-card draw. I chose this from memory of standard 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy rather than an exact calculation.

Holding the pair of aces (As, Ac) is the optimal play over any single high-card or draw option, since the pair of aces has the highest expected value in Jacks or Better.

A low pair (about 0.82 EV per credit) beats the open-ended straight draw 6-7-8-9 (8 outs, about 0.68 EV per credit), so I keep the pair of nines and discard the rest.

The 4-6-7-8 is only an inside straight draw with 4 outs (about 0.34 credits per credit bet), which is less than keeping the lone king (about 0.44), so I hold just the Ks.