For the video poker strategy guide (optimal hold decisions and Jacks or Better strategy chart), see video poker strategy guide.
Video poker is the highest-RTP game available at most crypto casinos — Jacks or Better with full-pay paytable achieves 99.54% RTP with optimal strategy, better than any slot machine and comparable to baccarat. Unlike slots, video poker is a skill game — the correct hold/discard decision changes the house edge. Playing perfect strategy on a full-pay Jacks or Better game reduces the house edge to 0.46%. This guide covers the best video poker variants by RTP, complete Jacks or Better strategy, how to identify a full-pay paytable, and practical video poker for crypto players.
Jacks or Better — Full Pay (9/6): RTP 99.54% with optimal strategy. The benchmark video poker game. Full pay paytable: Full House pays 9:1; Flush pays 6:1 (this is the "9/6" designation). Royal Flush: 800:1 (at 5 credits bet — always bet max). Pair of Jacks or Better is the minimum winning hand. House edge: 0.46%. The most widely available video poker variant at crypto casinos.
Deuces Wild — Full Pay: RTP 100.76% with optimal strategy (positive expectation). All four 2s are wild cards. Full pay paytable: Natural Royal Flush 800:1; Four Deuces 200:1; Wild Royal Flush 25:1; Five of a Kind 15:1; Straight Flush 9:1; Four of a Kind 5:1. Rarely available at crypto casinos in the full-pay configuration — most casinos use reduced-pay Deuces Wild (98%–99% RTP). Always check the paytable before playing Deuces Wild.
Double Bonus Poker — Full Pay (10/7): RTP 100.17% with optimal strategy. Full pay: Full House 10:1; Flush 7:1. Enhanced payouts for four Aces (160:1), four 2s-4s (80:1), four 5s-Ks (50:1). Variance is much higher than Jacks or Better. Positive EV in full-pay configuration, but the enhanced four-of-a-kind payouts create significant swings.
Double Double Bonus Poker — Full Pay (9/6): RTP 98.98% with optimal strategy. Enhanced payouts for four Aces with specific kicker cards (A/2/3/4 kicker: 400:1). Very high variance — large jackpot potential for specific four-of-a-kind combinations. House edge 1.02% — worse than standard JoB but with higher jackpot volatility.
Bonus Poker — Full Pay: RTP 99.17% with optimal strategy. Similar to JoB with enhanced four Aces payout (80:1 instead of 25:1). Moderate variance. Good alternative to JoB for players who want enhanced four-of-a-kind payouts without the extreme variance of Double Bonus.
House edge comparison:
Deuces Wild (full pay): −0.76% (player advantage with perfect strategy)
Double Bonus (full pay): −0.17% (player advantage with perfect strategy)
Jacks or Better (full pay 9/6): 0.46%
Bonus Poker (full pay): 0.83%
Double Double Bonus (full pay 9/6): 1.02%
Jacks or Better (short pay 8/5): 2.70% — house edge nearly 6× worse than full pay
Jacks or Better Strategy — Complete Guide
Video poker strategy ranks which cards to hold based on expected value (EV). The correct hold is always the combination with the highest EV. Below is the priority order for Jacks or Better (9/6) — hold the HIGHEST-priority combination you have:
Always hold (in order of priority):
Royal Flush (never discard a completed Royal Flush)
Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind
4 to a Royal Flush (e.g., hold A♥K♥Q♥J♥, discard the 5th card even if it completes a flush)
Two Pair
High Pair (Jacks, Queens, Kings, or Aces)
3 to a Royal Flush (3 cards of the same suit toward a Royal)
4 to a Flush (4 suited cards)
Low Pair (2s through 10s)
4 to an Outside Straight (e.g., 5-6-7-8, open-ended, both ends can complete the straight)
2 High Cards (hold 2 unsuited Jack-or-better cards)
3 to a Straight Flush (not gap-heavy)
1 High Card (J, Q, K, or A)
Discard everything (draw 5 new cards)
Critical rule — never break a made hand for a straight/flush draw: Do not break a made Straight, Flush, Full House, or Four of a Kind to draw for a Royal Flush (unless you have 4 to a Royal Flush, in which case you DO break a Straight or Flush — but NOT a Full House, Four of a Kind, or Royal Flush). The 4-to-Royal-Flush exception: if you have 4 cards to a Royal Flush and a Straight or Flush, discard the off-suit card and draw for the Royal.
Paytable identification (full pay vs short pay): At the video poker machine: look at the paytable column for Full House and Flush at max credits bet. Full pay (best): Full House = 9 credits, Flush = 6 credits. Short pay variants: 8/5 (Full House 8, Flush 5) = 2.70% house edge; 7/5 = 3.85% house edge. Always play 9/6 (full pay) if available. If only 8/5 is available, consider playing a different game (blackjack with basic strategy has lower house edge).
Crypto Video Poker vs Slots — Why Video Poker Wins on EV
RTP comparison: Full-pay JoB video poker: 99.54% RTP. High-RTP slots: Blood Suckers 98.00%, Book of Dead 96.21%, Starburst 96.09%. Typical slots: 92–96% RTP. Video poker beats all slots on RTP in the full-pay configuration. The only casino games with comparable or better RTP are blackjack (0.5% HE with basic strategy) and baccarat banker bet (1.06% HE).
Skill element: Unlike slots, video poker has a skill component — the correct hold/discard decision is calculable and deterministic. Wrong decisions on key hands (breaking a pair for a 4-to-flush draw in JoB, for example) increase the house edge significantly. Perfect strategy is learnable — unlike games of pure chance.
Provably fair video poker: Some crypto casinos (BC.Game, Duelbits) offer provably fair video poker with player-verifiable outcomes. Standard video poker at licensed casinos uses audited RNG (eCOGRA, GLI). Provably fair video poker provides the same player-verifiable fairness as provably fair dice or crash games — the best option for players who prioritise mathematical verification.
Practical consideration: Video poker's optimal play requires memorising or referencing a strategy table. For recreational players who don't want to learn strategy, the difference between perfect play (99.54%) and rough play (97–98%) is not enormous. But for serious high-limit players, the 3% difference (rough vs perfect) represents $30,000 saved per $1,000,000 wagered.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best RTP video poker game at crypto casinos?
Full-pay Jacks or Better (9/6 paytable): 99.54% RTP — house edge 0.46% with optimal strategy. Full-pay Deuces Wild: 100.76% RTP (player advantage). Full-pay Double Bonus Poker (10/7): 100.17% RTP (player advantage). Most crypto casinos offer full-pay Jacks or Better. Identify full pay by checking the paytable: Full House = 9 credits, Flush = 6 credits at max bet. Short-pay variants (8/5, 7/5) have 2.7%+ house edge — avoid them.
How do I play video poker at a crypto casino?
Deposit USDT or BTC. Open video poker (select Jacks or Better or your preferred variant). Always bet max credits (typically 5 coins) — this triggers the Royal Flush jackpot at 800:1 (vs 250:1 for fewer coins). You receive 5 cards. Apply the hold/discard strategy to decide which cards to keep. Click 'Draw' — new cards replace discarded ones. Winning hands are paid automatically. Minimum winning hand in JoB: a pair of Jacks or better.
Is video poker better than slots at crypto casinos?
Yes — for RTP and control. Full-pay JoB video poker: 99.54% RTP (0.46% house edge). Typical crypto casino slots: 94–96% RTP (4–6% house edge). Video poker has better expected return by 3.5–5.5 percentage points. Video poker also has a skill element (optimal hold strategy), making it better for players who study the game. Slots are easier (no strategy required) and offer higher volatility with jackpot potential. For pure EV, video poker is superior to slots.