Video Poker Guide 2026 — Best Games, Strategy & Pay Tables
Video poker offers some of the highest RTPs in the casino — over 99% with optimal play. Learn Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, and Double Bonus strategies, plus the best video poker sites for 2026.
Why Video Poker Has the Best RTP in the Casino
Video poker uniquely combines skill and chance — the choices you make in which cards to hold directly affect your expected return. Full-pay Jacks or Better (the 9/6 version) has a theoretical RTP of 99.54% with optimal play. Full-pay Deuces Wild returns 100.76% — mathematically favourable for the player. Double Double Bonus Poker pays 98.98%. These RTPs assume perfect strategy; most players achieve 95–97% in practice. No slot machine and few table games can match these figures, making video poker one of the casino floor's best-kept secrets.
Jacks or Better: The Foundational Game
Jacks or Better is the entry point for video poker and the basis for all other variants. The hand rankings follow standard poker: Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, Jacks or Better pair. Minimum paying hand is a pair of Jacks or higher. On the 9/6 pay table (Full House pays 9:1, Flush pays 6:1), the optimal strategy is documented in strategy charts available free online. Core rules: always keep a Royal Flush draw open, never break a made hand for a Royal Flush draw worth less than four cards.
Understanding Pay Tables
The pay table is critical to video poker RTP. On Jacks or Better, the standard (best) pay table is 9/6 — Full House at 9:1, Flush at 6:1. The 8/6 table returns 98.39% (down 1.15%). 8/5 returns 97.3%. Even smaller differences compound significantly over many hands. Always seek the highest full-house and flush payouts available. In Nevada casinos, 9/6 tables are common; online, they vary by operator. Before playing, check the pay table by looking at the Full House and Flush line payouts per coin.
Deuces Wild Strategy
Deuces Wild uses a 52-card deck where all four 2s are wild cards that substitute for any other card. Natural Royal Flush pays the top prize; Five of a Kind (four deuces plus any card) pays the second prize. The minimum paying hand is Three of a Kind (pairs no longer qualify). Full-pay Deuces Wild ('NSUD' or '25/15/9/5') returns 100.76% with optimal strategy. Key difference from Jacks or Better: never hold a pair unless it's four of a kind, always hold any three-card Royal Flush, and always keep deuces — never discard a deuce under any circumstances.
Multi-Line Video Poker
Many online casinos offer multi-play video poker — 3, 10, 25, 50, or even 100 lines where the same initial hand is dealt but you draw independently to each line. Multi-play dramatically reduces variance (short-term swings) by averaging results across many lines simultaneously. However, it also multiplies your stake per deal — 50-line $0.25 play costs $12.50 per hand at max coins. For bankroll management, stick to 3-play or 5-play at lower coin denominations unless you have a substantial session budget.
Best Video Poker Sites for 2026
Top online video poker sites include Bovada (best for US players, largest selection of variants), BetMGM Casino (best US-licensed selection with mobile-optimised play), 888casino (strong European player video poker library), Golden Nugget Online Casino (deep New Jersey and Michigan video poker offering), and Ignition Casino (crypto-friendly with aggressive video poker promotions). Look for sites that specifically offer 9/6 Jacks or Better, not just the generic lower-paying variants. Some sites advertise 'video poker' but only offer 8/5 or worse pay tables.