Paybacks In Jacks Or Better

Here is a typical pay table for a Jacks or Better game:

Hand One Coin----Five Coins

Royal Flush 800------------4000
Straight Flush 50--------------250
Four of a Kind 25--------------125
Full House 9---------------45
Flush 6---------------30
Straight 4---------------20
Three of a Kind 3--------------15
Two Pair 2---------------10
One Pair, 1---------------5
Jacks or Better

A few things should be pointed out here in terms of the numbers. In your best case scenario, that is, when you are employing a perfect basic strategy in video poker, you are going to win on 45% of your hands in the Jacks or Better game. The essential element to all of this - what makes the payback figures on the games viable - is hitting the Royal Flush. The player will have a losing expectation unless the attainment of Royal Flushes is inserted into the equation. The Royal Flush is where bonus units kick in when the player is wagering the maximum number of units.

The chances of hitting a Royal Flush in the Jacks or Better game are approximately 1 in 40,000 (1 in 40,400, to be exact). To hit a Straight Flush it's about 1 in 9000; to hit Four of a Kind, it's 1 in 425; to hit a Full House, it's 1 in 87; to hit a Flush, it's 1 in 91; to hit a Straight, it's 1 in 89. Three of a Kind is a 1 in 14 proposition, while Two pairs are achieved one time in eight. The player will get a pair of jacks or better one time in five.