Joker Poker Guide — Wild Joker Video Poker and 100.65% Full-Pay RTP at Bitcoin Casinos

Joker Poker (also called Joker's Wild) is a video poker variant played with a 53-card deck — a standard 52-card deck plus one wild Joker. The wild Joker can substitute for any card to complete any hand. Joker Poker uses a different hand ranking than standard Jacks or Better — starting from a minimum winning hand of Kings or Better (not Jacks or Better) and including a "Five of a Kind" hand (four cards + wild Joker = five of a kind, which ranks above a straight flush). Two distinct Joker Poker pay table formats exist: "Kings or Better" Joker Poker (which includes only natural hands for the royal flush — the minimum paying hand is a pair of Kings) and "Two Pair or Better" variants. Full-pay Joker Poker (Kings or Better) returns 100.65% with optimal strategy — making it one of the very few casino games with a positive expected value for skilled players. Deuces Wild returns 100.76%; Joker Poker at 100.65% is a close second.

For the Deuces Wild guide (four wild deuces — 100.76% full-pay RTP, highest video poker EV), see Deuces Wild guide. For the Double Double Bonus Poker guide (Four Aces + kicker 2000:1, 99.98% RTP), see Double Double Bonus Poker guide. For the video poker strategy guide (hold priority framework), see video poker strategy guide. For the video poker guide (all formats), see video poker guide. For the house edge guide (Joker Poker in context), see house edge guide. Full operator ranking at high roller crypto casinos.

Research: Daniel Gartland (Lead crypto betting analyst) · Review: HighLimitCasino.io Editorial Review · Researched: 2026-09-05 · Reviewed: 2026-09-05 · Updated: 2026-09-05

Joker Poker — Pay Table and Hand Rankings

Five of a Kind: 1000× bet. Four of a kind + Joker wild. Ranks above straight flush — exclusive to Joker/Wild poker variants. Highest non-natural hand.
Natural Royal Flush: 800× bet. Royal flush without the Joker — all five cards natural (A-K-Q-J-10 suited). The "natural" designation is important in Joker Poker.
Wild Royal Flush: 100× bet. Royal flush with the Joker as a wild card.
Straight Flush: 50× bet. Five consecutive suited cards (no wild).
Four of a Kind: 20× bet.
Full House: 7× bet. Flush: 5×. Straight: 3×. Three of a Kind: 2×. Two Pair: 1× (in Two Pair or Better versions). Kings or Better: 1× (in Kings or Better versions — minimum paying hand is a pair of Kings or Aces).

Joker Poker — Key Strategy Changes

Kings or Better minimum: Unlike Jacks or Better, a pair lower than Kings is not a winning hand. Pairs of 2-Q are worthless without improvement — this changes hold strategy significantly. Don't hold a low pair unless drawing for improvement is the goal.
Wild Joker held: Always hold the Joker. With Joker, priority: Royal Flush > Straight Flush > Four of a Kind > Full House > Flush. If none: draw to complete Three of a Kind, Two Pair (made), or hold Joker + high pair (Kings+).
Five of a Kind target: Four of a Kind + Joker creates Five of a Kind (1000:1). Keep all four natural matching cards + Joker when dealt.
Without Joker: Standard hierarchy applies — hold natural royals, 4-card royals above made hands below flush, straights, flushes, pairs of Kings+.
See video poker strategy guide for full hold priority.

Joker Poker at Bitcoin Casinos

Jack: Video poker library including Joker Poker. USDT TRC-20. Play Joker Poker at Jack →
BC.Game: Crypto-native video poker including Joker Poker variants. USDT TRC-20. See BC.Game review.
Pay table verification: Confirm the pay table is full-pay Kings or Better (1000/800/100/50/20/7/5/3/2/1 scaling) for 100.65% RTP. Reduced pay tables significantly lower EV.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Joker Poker?

Joker Poker is a video poker variant played with 53 cards — standard deck plus one wild Joker. The Joker substitutes for any card. Minimum paying hand is Kings or Better. Includes Five of a Kind (four cards + Joker). Full-pay returns 100.65% RTP.

What is the RTP of Joker Poker?

Full-pay Kings or Better Joker Poker returns 100.65% with optimal strategy — a slight player edge. This is below Deuces Wild (100.76%) but above Double Double Bonus Poker (99.98%) and Jacks or Better (99.54%).

What is Five of a Kind in Joker Poker?

Five of a Kind occurs when you hold four of a kind plus the wild Joker — producing five matching cards. It pays 1000× the bet and ranks above a straight flush. It's exclusive to wild card video poker variants like Joker Poker and Deuces Wild.

What is the minimum paying hand in Joker Poker?

Kings or Better — a pair of Kings or Aces. Pairs of Jacks, Queens, 2-10 are non-paying in standard Joker Poker (vs Jacks or Better in standard video poker). This key difference changes the hold strategy: low pairs have no value without improvement.

How is Joker Poker strategy different from Jacks or Better?

With the Joker: always hold it first, then pursue Five of a Kind, Wild Royal, Straight Flush in priority order. Without Joker: don't hold pairs below Kings unless drawing to three-of-a-kind is the top option. Kings are the new 'Jacks' for minimum value.

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