Suited Queen-Jack or Unsuited A-K-Q-J?
Dealt: A♣ K♦ Q♠ J♠ 7♥
Best play: Hold Q♠ J♠.
This one is close. Two suited royal cards just edge out four unsuited high cards, because the royal flush stays live.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Q♠ J♠ | 0.6004 | best |
| A♣ K♦ Q♠ J♠ | 0.5957 | 0.0046 |
| K♦ Q♠ J♠ | 0.4977 | 0.1027 |
| K♦ Q♠ | 0.4699 | 0.1305 |
| K♦ J♠ | 0.4699 | 0.1305 |
| A♣ K♦ | 0.4580 | 0.1423 |
Getting this hand wrong costs 0.0046 coins per coin bet, or 0.5% of your wager on this hand. That is tiny; either play is fine.
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More hands: Every Jacks or Better hold decision · Video poker strategy · The 9/6 paytable
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