Video Poker table

There is no pair or four-card draw, so the best hold is the two unsuited high cards, Q and K. That gives about 0.43 credits per credit bet, more than a single high card or the suited 6-5.

A low pair of sixes (about 0.82 credits EV) beats the 4-5-6 diamond three-card draw, which has no four-card flush or open-ended straight draw. Hold only the 6d and 6c.

A low pair of 4s has the highest expected value here, since it can reach three of a kind, two pair, a full house or four of a kind. The 2-3-4 straight draw is worth less.

Three nines is trips; holding only the three 9s and drawing two cards gives the best chance at four of a kind or a full house.

Nothing here beats two unsuited high cards, so I hold K and Q. They have a higher expected value than a single high card or the weak 2-3-5 wheel draw.

With no high cards or flush draw, the low pair of sixes is the best hold, since a pair has higher expected value than the 8-9 open-ended straight draw or any other holding.

Holding the pair of fives is best here: a low pair is worth about 0.82 credits per credit bet. The 4-5-6 cards give only a weak straight draw once the pair is kept, so I discard Td, 4s and 6c.

No pair, straight draw or flush draw is available, so the best hold is the two unsuited high cards, Jc and As. Standard 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy ranks two high cards above any single high card.

A low pair of 8s (about 0.82 credits per credit bet) beats the inside straight draw 4-6-7-8, which needs a 5 and is worth only about 0.34. So I hold the two 8s and discard the rest.

Keeping the low pair of sixes has the highest expected value here. The other options are weak: a 6-7-9 three-card straight draw, or the queen alone.

With no pair, draw, or flush, holding the two unsuited high cards (Jh and As) has a higher expected value than holding the suited 6c-7c or a single ace.

No pair or four-card draw is available. Three diamonds (6d 7d 9d) give flush and straight-flush chances and are worth more than keeping the lone ace.

A pair of jacks is a made paying hand with the best expected value here. Keeping the king as a kicker is worse than drawing three cards to the pair.

Holding the suited 5-6-7 of hearts (three to a straight flush) has an expected payout of about 0.53 credits per credit bet. That beats the inside straight draws at about 0.34 and the plain three-card flush draw.

Holding the pair of sevens has the highest expected value here, roughly 0.82 per credit against about 0.47 for a lone ace. Keeping a low pair beats drawing to a single high card.

A low pair of nines is worth more than holding the lone jack, so I keep the pair of 9s and discard the other three cards.

With no pair, flush or straight draw, the best play is to hold the two high cards J and Q of different suits, which has a higher expected value than holding a single high card.

No pair, no four-card draw and no high card to hold. A pair of tens or nines pays nothing, and the 9-10 and 5-9 two-card holds are worth less than redrawing all five, so I discard everything.

A low pair of nines (9h, 9c) is worth more than any alternative such as keeping the Qs alone or a 7-5 suited draw, so hold the pair and discard the rest.

No pair, flush or good straight draw, so I keep the two unsuited high cards (Q and A). Their chance of pairing to jacks or better gives a higher expected payout than the weak 4-6-7 inside draw.

The only inside straight draw is 4-5-7-8, which needs a 6 and has just 4 outs, so it is worth about 0.34 credits per credit bet. Holding the lone jack is worth more, because pairing it pays 1 and I recall single-jack holds being roughly 0.45 or higher. I am relying on memory of standard 9/6 strategy tables rather than a full calculation.

A low pair (about 0.82 per credit) beats the open-ended 4-5-6-7 straight draw (8 outs, about 0.68 per credit), so I keep the pair of 4s and discard the rest.

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There is no pair or four-card draw, so the best hold is the two unsuited high cards, King and Queen. Their chance of pairing to Jacks or Better outweighs the weak three-card flush draw to the hearts.

Holding the pair of nines (about 0.82 credits per credit bet) beats any high-card or draw option from this hand, such as A-J unsuited.

A pair of kings is a made paying hand, and holding just the pair beats keeping the Kd-Jd suited high cards or any other draw in expected value.

A low pair of eights is worth holding in 9/6 Jacks or Better (about 0.82 EV per credit). That beats keeping the K and Q high cards, which are worth only about 0.5 or less. I discard the other three cards.

No pair, flush or straight draw is available, so I keep the two unsuited high cards, J and K. This should be at least as good as the suited K-T royal draw, though I am recalling the ranking from the standard 9/6 strategy rather than computing it.

There is no pair, flush draw or four-card straight draw. Holding only the king, a single high card, has a higher expected value than discarding everything or holding low straight fragments like 6-7 or 4-6-7. This is the standard play from memory of 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy, not an exact calculation.

8-9-T-J is an open-ended straight draw with 8 outs (any 7 or Q), worth about 0.68 credits per credit bet. That beats holding the lone jack, which is worth about 0.47.

Keeping Kh, Ah and Th gives three suited cards to a royal flush, which has a higher expected payout than holding only the high cards or Ah alone.

Two pair (Qd, Qc, Ts, Td) is already a paying hand, and holding all four cards for a one-in-ten-and-a-bit full house draw beats breaking up the pairs.

The hand has no pair, no flush draw and no real straight draw, so the best play is to keep the lone king (a high card) and draw four. Its expected value beats holding two low suited cards.

Keeping the four spades (8s, 5s, Qs, 4s) is worth about 1.25 credits per credit bet. That counts 9 flush outs at 6 plus 5 pair outs at 1, over 47 cards. Holding the low pair of 8s is worth only about 0.82, so the flush draw is better.

Holding the pair of 7s is worth about 0.82 credits per credit bet. That beats the offsuit Q-J high-card draw, which is worth about 0.6.

The hand has no pair, flush draw or real straight draw, so I keep the lone Jack, which can still pair into a paying jacks-or-better hand. This is the standard best hold for an unpaired hand of this shape.

Holding the pair of 4s is worth more than holding J and Q unsuited, since a low pair has an expected return of about 0.82 per credit against about 0.48 for two unsuited high cards.

Three queens (Qh, Qs, Qd) is a made three of a kind; holding just the trips and drawing two cards has the best expected value, as it offers chances at four of a kind or a full house.

Holding only the queen has an estimated EV of about 0.47 credits per credit bet. Holding 8-9-T-Q for the inside straight is worth only about 0.40, so I discarded the other four cards. Both figures are rough hand estimates, not an exact enumeration.

There is no pair or four-card draw, so I keep the two unsuited high cards (Ace and King), which have a slightly higher expected value than holding the Ace alone or a weak three-card flush draw.