Suited Jack-Ten or Just the Jack in Jacks or Better?
Dealt: J♥ 10♥ 6♣ 4♦ 2♠
Best play: Hold J♥ 10♥.
Hold both. The suited ten keeps straights, flushes and the royal in play, and that is worth more than the small loss in pair chances.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| J♥ 10♥ | 0.5153 | best |
| J♥ | 0.4735 | 0.0418 |
| Draw five | 0.3409 | 0.1744 |
| J♥ 6♣ | 0.3350 | 0.1803 |
| J♥ 4♦ | 0.3350 | 0.1803 |
| J♥ 2♠ | 0.3350 | 0.1803 |
Getting this hand wrong costs 0.0418 coins per coin bet, or 4.2% 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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More hands: Every Jacks or Better hold decision · Video poker strategy · The 9/6 paytable
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