Video Poker table

There is no pair, no four-card draw and no suited high-card combination worth keeping. Standard 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy says to keep the lone queen as the best single high card.

With no pair, no flush draw and no strong straight draw, keeping the lone jack and drawing four new cards gives the best expected return under 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy.

A low pair (9-9) has a higher expected value than a lone ace or any straight draw, so I keep the pair of nines and draw three.

There is no pair, no four-card draw and no suited high-card combination. Under standard 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy, a lone king beats a three-card flush with only one high card, so I hold just the king.

A low pair (2-2) is worth about 0.82 per credit, more than holding the lone jack or the three-card flush (2s Js 5s). Hold the pair and draw three.

A low pair of nines is worth more than any draw here, since there is no four-card straight or flush and no high cards. Hold the 9s and draw three.

Three of a kind is a guaranteed paying hand, and holding the trips and drawing two maximizes EV (about 4.30 per credit). That is far better than breaking it for the A-Q suited royal draw.

Holding the pair of aces is the optimal play here, worth about 1.54 per credit. None of the other options (three-card holds or kickers) comes close.

Th-Jh-8h is a three-card straight-flush draw with one high card covering one gap. In the 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy order, that ranks above suited J-T, unsuited Q-J and the inside straight draw.

In 9/6 Jacks or Better, a low pair (EV about 0.82 per credit) is worth more than a suited J-T royal draw. So I keep the pair of 3s.

There is no made hand, no pair and no four-card draw, so the strongest standard Jacks or Better play is to keep the lone ace for its high-pair potential. A suited ace with a low card is a weaker hold.

Holding the four to a royal flush (J, A, K, Q of spades) is far the best play. Its expected value (about 18.4 per credit) beats the 4-card flush or straight alternatives.

Two pair (8s and 2s) is already a paying hand, so keep both pairs and draw one card for a full-house chance. This is the optimal play over keeping a single pair with the jack.

With no pair, flush draw or straight draw, the strongest hold in 9/6 Jacks or Better is the two unsuited high cards, King and Queen. Keeping both gives the best chance of making a paying pair of jacks or better.

There is no four-card straight or flush draw here, only three to a straight. In 9/6 Jacks or Better, holding the low pair of sevens has the highest expected value.

A low pair of threes is worth more in expected value than a lone jack or a three-card flush draw, so I hold the 3s and draw three.

There is no pair or strong draw here. Basic 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy holds an unsuited AJ over a single high card or a three-card flush with one high card.

A high pair of aces is the best hold here, since there is no better draw available. Keep both aces and discard the other three cards.

A high pair of jacks is the strongest hold here. There is no four-card flush or royal draw that beats it.

Under 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy, a three-card straight flush draw with one gap and no high cards (4-5-7 of clubs) ranks above holding a lone ace. It also beats the ace-low inside straight draw.

2-3-4-5 is an open-ended straight draw, completed by any ace or six (8 outs). Holding it is worth about 0.68 per credit, far better than any other hold.

A low pair of 2s (positions 2 and 4) beats discarding everything, and there is no high card or better draw. Hold the pair and draw three cards.

A low pair of nines (EV about 0.82 per credit) beats the three-card club flush draw and any straight draw here. Hold both nines and draw three.

With no pair or strong draw, standard 9/6 strategy keeps two unsuited high cards. Holding AQ has higher expected value than holding a lone ace or redrawing all five.

Two suited high cards (QJ of hearts) have a higher expected value than the 4-card inside straight draw 8-T-J-Q, which has only two high cards.

With no pair, no four-card draw and only one high card, suited K-T (two to a royal) is the strongest hold in 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy. It ranks above a lone king or a three-card flush with one high card.

A high pair of kings is the best hold here, since nothing else in the hand comes close. Holding the pair and drawing three gives about 1.54 expected return per credit.

With no pair or strong draw, keeping the two unsuited high cards (A and J) is the best option in 9/6 Jacks or Better. It beats holding a single high card or the three-card spade flush with only one high card.

There is no made hand. A lone jack has an expected value of about 0.47 per credit. That beats the 5-7-9 diamond straight-flush draw at about 0.41 and the inside straight draw with no high cards at about 0.34.

There is no pair, no draw of four to a flush or straight, and no suited high cards. Keeping the lone queen gives a better expected value than drawing five new cards or keeping the low cards.

A low pair of sixes is worth more than a lone queen or any three-card straight or flush draw in 9/6 Jacks or Better. So I hold 6s and 6d and draw three cards.

A low pair (the two 4s) has higher expected value than the inside straight draw 4-5-6-8 or the three-card spade straight-flush draw under 9/6 strategy.

There is no pair, four-card draw or useful suited cards here. Keeping the lone jack and drawing four is the standard best play in 9/6 Jacks or Better.

There is no pair, flush draw or four-card straight draw here. Holding the lone queen and drawing four cards gives the best expected value under 9/6 strategy.

A pair of jacks is a guaranteed paying hand, and holding the high pair (EV about 1.54 per credit) beats drawing to the three-card club flush. So I keep both jacks and draw three.

A low pair of tens has a higher expected value (about 0.82 per credit) than the suited J-T royral draw. So I keep the two tens and draw three.

Two pair (queens and eights) is already a paying hand, and holding both pairs and drawing one card is the optimal play. That draw gives an EV of about 2.6 per credit.

Four to a flush (Td Kd 9d 2d) outranks the lone king and the three-card straight-flush draw. Discarding the 7s gives about 1.21 expected return per credit.

There is no four-card straight or flush draw here, so the pair of fours is the strongest hold. It beats any three-card straight hold in expected value.

A low pair of threes has a higher expected value (about 0.82 per credit) than holding the lone jack or the 3-4-5 straight fragments. So keep the pair and draw three.