When playing jacks or better video poker are the odds better if....?

[Mr. DJ]

If on my first hand I get two different face cards and three smaller cards. Should I hold one face card, or should I hold both. What if im playing 10's or better should it be a different stragity.What if I get 3 face cards and 2 low ones?And lastly what if i get J K Q A and a scrub do i keep them and go for the strait?

[Pat S]

Assuming you're playing straight jacks or better, not a bonus-aces machine:1. Hold both face cards and draw three.2. Stay away from 10s or better. Some of the other payoff amounts are lessened to make up for it. It's not worth it.3. If any two face cards are of the same suit, hold them. If they're different suits, and one is an ace, discard the ace and hold the other two. The reason for that is you improve your odds of catching a straight without the ace. It's still a long shot, but you want all the help you can get. If all three are different suits and you don't have an ace, just pick two and hold them. Some players will hold all three in that case, hoping to pair one of them up. I can't fault that move.4. No. Never go for an inside or open-on-one-end straight. The only exception is if all the cards are the same suit. In that case, you'd definitely go for the royal flush.Good luck.

[Vegas Matt]

FYI they sell strategy cards for Jacks or Better and other forms of video poker. It's worth the $2 investment.

[Jesse W]

1.) Optimal strategy is to hold both high cards unless you have a small pair in your three smaller cards in which case you should hold the small pair.

2.) Same strategy for tens or better in regards to holding both high cards.

3.) With 3 face cards and 2 low ones you should in order of highest expected value:a.) Hold all three high cards if they are all of the exact same suit (royal flush draw)b.) Hold the two low cards if and only if it is a low pair (i.e. 6spades/6clubs).c.) Hold two of the three high cards if they are of the same suit. (I.E. Jack of Diamonds, Queen of Spades, Ace of Diamonds, you should hold the Ace and Jack of Diamonds).d.) If all three high cards are different suits and the two low cards are not a low pair, you should hold the two lowest high cards (i.e. Jack of Diamonds, Queen of Spades, Ace of Clubs hold the Jack and Queen).

4.) The highest expected value play is again dependent on which suits your cards are. In order you should do one of these three things:a.) If you have either three or four cards to a royal, you should hold those three or four cards. IE, you have Jack Diamonds, Queen Diamonds, King Spades, Ace Diamonds you would hold the suited J, Q, and Ace.b.)If you have a suited Jack and Queen but the other two cards are not the same suit, you should hold the suited Jack/Queen only. Note that this suited exception is ONLY for the Jack and Queen specifically, any other two cards you should:c.) Hold all four high cards.

Contrary to what the previous poster wrote, it is definitely the play with the highest expected value given Jack through Ace high to draw to the inside straight, which is the only time in Jacks or Better it is correct to draw to an inside straight.If you had a ten instead of the four high cards for the inside straight draw, you should instead play a suited King/Queen, King/Jack, Ace/King, Ace/Queen or Ace/Jack over the inside draw, and only hold the inside draw if each of your four cards is of a different suit.