Low Pair or Four to a Flush? The Exact Jacks or Better Play
Dealt: 4♠ 4♦ 7♠ 9♠ K♠
Best play: Hold 4♠ 7♠ 9♠ K♠.
A low pair doesn't pay on its own; it has to improve. Four to a flush hits on 9 of the 47 cards left, and a flush pays 6 for 1, so the draw is worth more. The king you keep with the flush also pays when it pairs.
Every hold that matters, exactly
Expected return per coin bet on 9/6 Jacks or Better, averaged over every possible draw. A return of 1.000 gets your bet back on average.
| Hold | Return | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 4♠ 7♠ 9♠ K♠ | 1.2128 | best |
| 4♠ 4♦ | 0.8237 | 0.3891 |
| 4♠ 4♦ 7♠ | 0.6753 | 0.5375 |
| 4♠ 4♦ 9♠ | 0.6753 | 0.5375 |
| 4♠ 4♦ K♠ | 0.6753 | 0.5375 |
| K♠ | 0.4668 | 0.7460 |
Getting this hand wrong costs 0.3891 coins per coin bet, or 38.9% of your wager on this hand. Over thousands of hands, mistakes like this are what separate a 99.5% game from a 97% one.
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Casino Trainer deals you real video poker hands, solves every one of the 32 possible holds, and shows exactly what each mistake cost. It's the same calculation as on this page.
More hands: Every Jacks or Better hold decision · Video poker strategy · The 9/6 paytable
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