Video Poker table

The suited A-K high-card hold (about 0.55 credits per credit bet) beats the inside straight draw A-3-4-5 (about 0.40), the 3-card club flush draw, and other options. So I keep Kc and Ac and discard the rest.

Nothing is made here, and the inside straight draw to the 8 is weak with only one high card (about 0.40 credits per credit bet). I held the unsuited Js-Tc pair of high cards, which I estimate at about 0.48 and recall is roughly the best of the available holds, though I did not compute all 32 exactly.

The hand has no pair, flush draw, or four-card straight draw. Keeping the lone king, a high card that can pair for a jacks-or-better payout, has a higher expected value than keeping the unsuited 3-4-5 or discarding everything.

Holding the four spades (A, 8, 6, 3) and discarding the Tc gives about 1.21 credits per credit bet. That comes from 9 flush outs paying 6 and 3 aces paying 1, out of 47 cards. Holding the ace alone is worth only about 0.47.

There is no pair, and the only draws are weak (3c-Ac and Js-6s are just two-card flush starts). Holding the unsuited Jack and Ace gives two chances at a high pair, which has the best expected value, slightly above keeping the Ace alone.

There is no pair and no real straight or flush draw, so the best play is to keep the two high cards, Ac and Kc, which are suited and give a chance at a royal flush as well as a high pair.

Holding the ace and queen (two high cards) has a higher expected value than the A-2-4-5 inside straight draw, which is roughly 0.40 per credit by my estimate; the AQ value is an approximation, not an exact calculation.

No pairs, flush draws, or straight draws are worth keeping, so I hold only the queen, the lone high card that can still make jacks or better.

There is no pair, flush draw or straight draw, so I hold the unsuited K and J. Two high cards have a higher expected value than any single high card or a full redraw, since pairing either one pays.

With no pair or four-card draw, the best play is to keep the two unsuited high cards Q and J and discard the rest. This gives better expected value than keeping a single high card or the 2-4-5 low straight draw.

There is no pair, flush draw or real straight draw (2-3-6-7 needs both a 4 and a 5), so I keep the lone Jack, which has the highest EV of the available holds. It pays on any matching Jack or higher pair draw.

A pair of aces (high pair) is the best hold here; keeping just the two aces and discarding 5d, 2c, 7c has the highest expected payout versus drawing to a wheel straight or other holds.

A low pair is worth more than any draw available from 5-6-7-T, which has no four-card straight draw, so I keep the pair of fives and discard the rest.

There is no pair, no flush draw and no real straight draw, so the best hold is the two unsuited high cards, A and K. That keeps the chance of making jacks or better and has higher expected value than the weak 5-6-8 straight draw.

A low pair of nines (EV about 0.82 per credit) beats the weak 2-3-5 straight draw, so I keep the pair and discard the other three cards.

Four hearts to a flush (4h 6h Jh 2h) has 9 outs in 47 cards for 6 credits per credit bet, EV about 1.15 per credit, which beats any hold that keeps the Ace or Jack.

Two pair (4s 4h 3s 3h) is dealt; holding all four paired cards and drawing one card gives a guaranteed 2 credits per bet plus a 4/47 chance of a full house, which beats breaking up the pairs.

There is no pair, flush draw or royal draw, so I hold the four high cards A-K-Q-J, which gives 4 outs to a straight (any ten) and 12 outs to a paying high pair. That is worth about 0.60 credits per credit bet, more than keeping any three-card subset such as K-Q-J.

There is no made hand or four-card draw, so I hold the two unsuited high cards (Ks, Ac), which I recall as slightly higher in EV than suited K-T or a bare high card. This is from memory of the standard 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy ranking, not a computed EV.

Four to a flush in hearts (K, Q, 6, 3) has EV about 1.28 credits per credit bet: 9 flush outs plus 6 outs to a high pair. That beats any smaller hold such as K-Q suited.

Holding J-Q-T-9 gives an open-ended straight draw: 8 outs (four 8s, four kings) pay 4, and 6 more outs that pair a J or Q pay 1. That is about 0.81 per credit, ahead of holding A-J-Q-T, which is about 0.53.

Keep A-2-4-5, an inside wheel straight draw with an ace, and discard the 8. It has about 4 outs to a straight (20 credits each) plus 3 aces that make a pair of aces. By my rough estimate that is about 0.40 credits per credit bet, versus roughly 0.37 for holding the ace alone.

With no pair or four-card draw, the suited King-Ten (Kh, Th) is the best hold in 9/6 Jacks or Better. It beats a lone King and the weak three-card flush that includes the 2h.

Four to a flush in diamonds (2d, Ad, 3d, Qd) is the best hold. It has 9 flush outs plus 6 outs to a high pair, worth about 1.28 credits per credit bet, which beats any high-card hold.

Holding the unsuited K-Q gives two chances to pair a high card, which has a higher expected payout than the 6-7-8 three-card straight draw or any other hold.

A low pair of eights (8d, 8c) is the best hold here; its expected value beats any draw from Ts, 8d, 7d, which has only a weak straight or flush chance.

There is no pair, straight or flush draw, so I keep the two unsuited high cards, Jd and Kc. That holds a better expected value than any single high card, and I discard the rest.

A low pair of 4s (4h, 4d) has a higher expected value than any alternative such as keeping the ace alone, so hold the pair and discard the other three cards.

The pair of sevens is worth more than any straight draw here; 4-6-7-8 is only an inside draw with 4 outs. Keeping the pair gives about 0.82 per credit, so I hold the 7d and 7h and discard the rest.

With a low pair of deuces and no better draw, holding the pair (2c, 2s) has the highest expected value in 9/6 Jacks or Better, ahead of any 3-card or 4-card draw here.

A pair of kings is a made paying hand and the best hold here; the other three cards are unrelated and are discarded.

There is no pair, no four-card draw and no two high cards. Holding the lone queen has the best expected value, ahead of the weak three-card club flush and a full redraw.

The hand has no pair, flush draw or four-card straight draw. Holding the two high cards, Ten and Jack, keeps the best chances of making jacks or better and the highest expected value among the available holds.

A low pair of deuces (2s, 2h) has the best expected value here, about 0.82 per credit, which beats keeping the lone ace (about 0.48). I discard the ace, 9 and 4 to draw three cards.

Holding the unsuited King and Queen keeps two high cards, which has a higher expected value than the 9-8 suited connectors or a 3-card flush draw in 9/6 Jacks or Better. This is from memory of standard strategy values, not an exact calculation.

The hand has no pair, so I keep the connected 8-9-T and discard 4 and 3 to draw to a straight and to trips, two pair or a jacks-or-better pair. I did not compute exact EVs for all 32 hold patterns; the 8-9-T hold is my estimate of the best of the close options, about 0.3 credits per credit bet, versus roughly 0.3 for 9-T suited.

Two pair (jacks and twos) is a made hand paying 2 per credit; holding the four paired cards gives a 4/47 chance of a full house, which beats breaking up the pairs.

Four hearts to a flush (9 outs at 6 credits each, EV about 1.15 per credit bet) beats any high-card hold, which is worth about 0.6 or less.

A pair of kings is a made paying hand and has the best expected value against any alternative. Hold both kings (Kd, Ks) and discard Tc, 5s and Ad.

There is no pair, no four-card draw, and the three spades (2, 5, T) are a weak flush draw. Holding the Jack alone is the best option, because unsuited J-T gains little and is not clearly better.