Video Poker Strategy: The Basic Hold Chart
Last reviewed: October 2026
In 9/6 Jacks or Better, four cards to a royal can be worth more than a completed straight or flush. The right hold depends on the money each possible draw returns, not just on how often it makes a winning hand.
The baseline: 9/6 Jacks or Better
The examples below use a standard 52-card deck, no wild cards, and the full-pay schedule: royal 800, straight flush 50, quads 25, full house 9, flush 6, straight 4, trips 3, two pair 2, and a pair of jacks or higher 1. Those are credits returned per credit wagered, with the 800-unit royal available at the usual five-credit bet. See how to read the paytable.
Under those rules, exact optimal play returns about 99.54% over all possible deals and draws. That is a long-run average, not the result to expect from one session. A shorter beginner checklist does not reproduce every optimal decision.
The hold hierarchy
Work down this table and use the first applicable row. It covers the stronger hands and common draws; it deliberately stops before the more complicated unpaired hands.
| Priority | What is in your hand? | What to keep |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A completed royal or straight flush, or four of a kind | All five cards of the flush; the four matching cards for quads |
| 2 | Four cards of one suit from 10, J, Q, K, A | Those four royal cards |
| 3 | Full house, ordinary flush, ordinary straight, or three of a kind | All five for the completed five-card hand; just the three matching cards for trips |
| 4 | Four suited cards that can complete a straight flush | The four-card draw |
| 5 | Two pairs | Both pairs; discard the fifth card |
| 6 | One pair of jacks, queens, kings, or aces | The pair alone |
| 7 | Three cards of one suit from 10, J, Q, K, A | The three royal cards |
| 8 | Four cards sharing a suit | Those four cards |
| 9 | One pair of 2s through 10s | The pair alone |
If none applies, use a complete strategy chart or the video poker trainer. The remaining decisions depend on straight gaps, suited high cards, and the cards you would discard. “Keep any two high cards” is not a complete rule. This abbreviated ordering is consistent with the upper portion of the 9/6 beginner strategy.
An ace belongs at either end of a straight, never in the middle: A-2-3-4-5 is possible; Q-K-A-2-3 is not. A four-card straight-flush draw must have a genuine one-card completion.
Common mistakes
Keeping a kicker with an ordinary pair. With K♣ K♦ 4♥ 7♠ 9♣, keep the kings and replace the other three cards. Holding the 4 as well removes a draw that could improve the pair. This advice is for Jacks or Better; bonus games can have different priorities.
Keeping a flush over four royal cards. J♥ Q♥ K♥ A♥ 5♥ is already a five-card flush. Under this paytable, discard the 5 and keep the four royal cards. There is only one card that completes the royal, the 10♥, among 47 available draw cards. Its contribution alone is 800 ÷ 47, about 17.02 credits per credit wagered, greater than the flush’s guaranteed 6. Other paying draws add to that expectation.
Confusing a straight draw with a straight-flush draw. With 2♣ 2♦ 3♥ 4♠ 5♣, keep the pair. The mixed-suit 2-3-4-5 draw cannot make a flush. With 2♣ 2♦ 3♣ 4♣ 5♣, the suited 2-3-4-5 draw takes priority over the pair.
Why the hierarchy works
Consider J♥ Q♥ K♥ A♥ 10♣. Keeping all five returns 4 for a straight. Keeping the four hearts leaves 47 equally likely draws:
| Draw result | Available cards | Return per credit |
|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | 1 | 800 |
| Ordinary flush | 8 | 6 |
| Ordinary straight | 2 | 4 |
| High pair | 12 | 1 |
| No payment | 24 | 0 |
The average return is (800 + 8 × 6 + 2 × 4 + 12) ÷ 47 = 18.47. That is well above 4, even though most individual draws lose. The discarded 10♣ does not go back into the draw deck.
This is expected value in practice: count every outcome, multiply each by its payment, and compare the totals. Counting only royal outs or only the chance of any win misses the decision.
Paytable matters critically
Changing the royal prize, adding wild cards, or changing the lower payouts can change which cards to keep. A progressive royal can also change the best hold. Use a chart that matches the whole game and its selected bet, not just the words “video poker.”
For full 9/6 strategy, including the close unpaired decisions, consult the optimal chart and its exceptions. Our practice game compares all 32 possible holds for its selected paytable; the methodology explains the calculation.
Educational explanation only. No real-money gambling happens on LearnTheOdds.
Responsible gambling: Play for entertainment, not income; the math favors the house over time. Set limits, never chase losses, and if it stops being fun, take a break. 21+. Need help? Call 1-800-MY-RESET (1800myreset.org).