Full pay jacks or better is the gold standard for video poker players who combine strategy, discipline, and patience. If you enjoy a game where skill meaningfully reduces the house edge, understanding the nuances of full pay jacks or better will improve your results and your enjoyment. Below I share practical strategy, bankroll guidance, and real-world lessons that helped me move from casual play to consistent, measured improvement.
What exactly is full pay jacks or better?
“Full pay jacks or better” refers to a specific video poker paytable—often called 9/6 Jacks or Better—where a full house pays 9 coins for 1 and a flush pays 6 coins for 1 on a five-coin bet. That small change in the paytable makes a major difference: with perfect strategy, this paytable offers one of the highest returns available in casino table-or-machine games. Players who learn optimal play can achieve an expected return that rivals many other casino offerings.
Throughout this article you’ll see the phrase full pay jacks or better used as a reference point for strategy and choices—look for it when evaluating machines and online games so you know you’re getting the best possible base return.
Why full pay matters: RTP, variance, and real expectations
Small differences in paytables change the long-term return (RTP) by tenths of a percent. Full pay jacks or better is prized because, at optimal play, it delivers one of the highest RTPs for non-progressive video poker. That doesn’t mean you’ll win each session—variance still governs short-term results—but it does mean your bankroll and skill have more influence on outcomes than in many other casino games.
Think of full pay jacks or better like a high-quality bicycle on a long tour: you still face hills (variance), wind (bad runs), and mechanical issues (mistakes), but with better equipment (paytable) and good technique (optimal strategy), you can cover ground more efficiently and enjoy the ride more.
Core strategy principles for full pay jacks or better
Good strategy in jacks or better is about making the play that maximizes expected return on each hand. Below are practical priorities I use and teach; learning these lines reduces costly errors more quickly than memorizing an exhaustive chart.
- Hold high pairs over single high cards. For example, keep a pair of jacks rather than holding an ace or king alone.
- Prefer 4 to a royal flush over 3 to a straight flush. A 4-card royal has huge upside; err on its side in marginal situations.
- Choose 4 to a straight flush over 4 to a flush when the straight is more likely to complete a higher payoff. Context matters—look at gaps and suit overlap.
- Keep 3 to a royal only when there are no higher expected-value options. It’s tempting but often suboptimal unless you’ve eliminated better holds.
- Always discard isolated low cards when they don’t contribute to two-card or better draws. Low singletons rarely increase your expected return.
Example decisions:
- Hand: J♠ J♦ 7♣ 2♠ 4♥ — Keep the pair of jacks, discard the rest.
- Hand: A♠ K♠ Q♠ 10♠ 2♥ — This is a 4 to a royal; keep A-K-Q-10 of spades and draw for the royal.
- Hand: 9♣ 10♣ J♣ Q♦ K♥ — Keep the 4 to a straight (9–10–J-Q-K) if suits aren’t creating a straight flush possibility; but if four are of a suit, the straight flush may be preferred depending on the exact cards.
Practical strategy hierarchy (short form)
If you prefer a compact, prioritized checklist to carry in your head at the machine:
- Royal flush (5-card) — already made.
- Straight flush (5-card) — already made.
- Four of a kind, full house, flush, straight — hold as made hands.
- 4 to a royal.
- Three of a kind, 4 to a straight flush.
- High pair (Jacks or better) > 2 high cards suited > 1 high card.
- 4 to a flush, 4 to an open-ended straight, low pair, and so on.
Remember: perfect play charts break every scenario down in detail, but the above covers most everyday decisions and will keep you close to optimal for long sessions.
Bankroll and bet sizing: how to play with confidence
Bankroll management matters more in video poker than many players expect. Because the game has relatively low variance compared with slots, you can use slightly smaller bankroll multipliers than you would on high-variance games—but you still need a plan.
- When chasing the best long-term return, play five coins per hand (the full bet) because the royal pays an enhanced jackpot only when you wager maximum coins. This is where full pay jacks or better delivers its top RTP.
- Set session limits: decide in advance how many hands or hours you will play and stick to it. Fatigue and tilt lead to strategy mistakes.
- Use a unit size that makes five coins per hand fit comfortably within your bankroll. Conservative players often size to a session bankroll of several hundred units to weather downswings.
Finding full pay jacks or better
Full pay games are increasingly rare on casino floors, but they still exist—especially in competitive markets and quality online casinos. When inspecting a machine or online lobby, check the paytable carefully. The phrase full pay jacks or better should lead you to the 9/6 configuration (full house = 9, flush = 6) or an equivalent full-pay paytable. Small differences—like a 8/5 table—reduce the RTP notably.
Online play and reputable software providers often make paytables easy to view. Before you commit money, verify the paytable and look for game reviews or player feedback about the software’s RNG fairness and payout history.
Common beginner mistakes—and how to avoid them
Many players lose value through a few repeatable mistakes. I made them too, early on—watching the royal flash past because I held a singleton ace was an expensive lesson. Here’s what to watch for:
- Playing fewer than five coins when chasing the royal: you may be saving per-hand cost, but you’re surrendering the royal’s maximum payoff.
- Ignoring the paytable: not all “Jacks or Better” games are full pay; always check.
- Letting emotions override strategy: after a bad beat, players often tighten or loosen their plays in ways that reduce expected value.
- Failing to practice: optimal play has patterns. Use a trainer or practice on free-play mode to internalize choices.
Tools and practice methods that actually work
When I committed to serious improvement, I used three approaches that paid off quickly:
- Video poker trainers that score each decision against perfect strategy—this feedback loop accelerates learning.
- Session reviews: I recorded hands and reviewed mistakes, especially times I split a winning pair for a new draw and regretted it afterwards.
- Staggered practice: short daily sessions where I focused on one decision type (e.g., 4-to-a-royal vs 4-to-a-flush) until it felt automatic.
When to chase progressives and special promotions
Progressive jackpots can make a lower-pay table attractive if the progressive has climbed high enough to make the overall expected return exceed full pay. This requires calculation: factor the progressive’s current contribution to the royal and weigh it against the base paytable loss. Only chase progressives when the math favors it. Otherwise, stick with genuine full pay jacks or better for a more predictable long-term edge.
Session planning and mental game
Good players treat jacks or better like a sport: warm up, set objectives, and analyze afterwards. Keep sessions focused—aim for quality decisions rather than chasing variance. When tired, stop; fatigue is the number one cause of drift from optimal play.
My personal takeaway
I remember a night playing a full pay machine where I spent hours practicing a single tricky decision: whether to keep three to a royal versus a low pair. That persistent attention to one recurring scenario changed my play enough that my monthly results improved measurably. The lesson: incremental gains compound. Learn the small edges, preserve your bankroll, and the mathematical advantage of full pay jacks or better will work for you over time.
Summary: how to get the most from full pay jacks or better
Full pay jacks or better rewards preparation. Find true full pay tables, play five coins when appropriate, use strategy trainers to internalize optimal decisions, size your bets to a well-funded bankroll, and keep sessions deliberate. With diligence and practice, you’ll convert short-term variance into consistent, skill-driven play.
If you want to start evaluating games and paytables right away, search for full pay jacks or better hosts and reviews that let you compare RTPs, software providers, and progressive levels. Armed with good tools and a clear plan, you’ll enjoy the strategic depth and genuine value this game offers.
