Jacks or better poker is the most commonly known and regular played version of online video poker. There are many variations to the game, all of whom are played in casinos the world over. When gambling online you can play it in the comfort of your home.
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Jacks or Better Poker theory
The game of Jacks or Better poker is played on a video poker machine and the poker winning hands start at a pair of jacks. The higher the hands get, the higher your pay-outs would be. There is nothing strange or tricky to Jacks or Better.
Many people also refer to Jacks or Better as draw poker and having a good understanding of how to play draw poker will stand you in good stead when playing Jacks or Better. Pay-out tables for the game vary vastly depending on the casinos you play at. Full pay machines are still available in a few casinos in Vegas, but these machines you will not find anywhere else.
There are some common mistakes you can avoid when playing Jacks or Better poker and the most common mistake is drawing to a stronger hand that is unlikely to hit. If you already have a winning hand, don’t break it up. Just try to improve on this hand.
Jacks or Better poker can be played at all of the online casinos for money on our website and you can have a look at our online casinos page for options or just have a look at the chosen options to the right of this page.
Different varieties of Jacks or Better poker
The standard version of Jacks or Better poker is played using a full pay-table. The other varieties will not always be mentioned by name in the casinos you play at, but their pay-outs are slightly worse. Any pay-outs mentioned below should only be seen as the maximum mathematical possible pay-out. It doesn’t mean that you will definitely receive it, but you can reach this level.
The other full pay-table versions of Jacks or better you will play are:
Tens or Better poker – a variation of 6/5 Jacks or Better, Bonus poker, double bonus poker and double double bonus poker all variations of Jacks or Better with the only changes being how the pay-outs are made on four of a kinds.
Some of the other varieties, which provide a lower pay-out are:
In 9/5 Jacks or Better the pay-out for making a flush is cut from six times your bet to five times your bet. This reduces your maximum pay-out to 98.45% if you play the maximum amount of coins.
When playing 8/6 Jacks or Better the pay-out for making a full house is changed from nine times your bet to eight times. The result is that your pay-out percentage will drop a little more to 98.39% if you play the maximum amount of coins.
In 8/5 Jacks or Better there are two changes made with a flush changing from nine times to eight times your bet and a flush goes down to five times your bet from six times. The impact on your possible pay-out percentage is that the maximum changes to 97.3% only when playing the full five possible coins.
When you get to 7/5 Jacks or Better the full house is cut down even further to seven times your bet from nine times your bet and you will only get five times your bet instead of six times. The result on your maximum possible pay-out is that it drops to 96.15%.
6/5 Jacks or Better poker sees the biggest change in pay-outs as you will only receive six times your bet for a full house instead of nine times. You will also online receive five times your bet instead of six times on a flush. The result is that you will see a maximum pay-out of 95% when playing the maximum coins.
Which Jacks or Better machine to play at
Forget about the myths and legends of machines being due as it is just not true. When you find a Jacks and Better machine, first see what the pay-outs are for full houses and flushes. If the full houses pay nine times or at the lowest eight times your bet you are halfway there. Then you must make sure that flushes are paid at six times or at the lowest five times your bet.
To go with this you need to always play the maximum amount of coins available as the biggest difference in pay-out percentages in Jacks or Better comes when you hit the Royal Flush. This paid at a much higher level if you play the maximum amount of coins. All of these suggestions work as well when gambling online as when you are playing at a regular casino as both versions work 100% the same.













