In standard (non-wild card) video poker games, the proper hold for many of the dealt hands is reasonably evident. In most cases any paying hand of a high pair or better is the proper hold.
Also, four cards of a royal flush or four cards of a straight flush are easy to spot as proper holds. Three cards of a royal flush, four cards of a flush, a low pair, and four cards of an open straight are also easy to spot.
Two high cards (A, K, Q, J) of a royal flush or three cards of a straight flush fall in line next. But what about a suited Jack-10? These two cards could produce a royal flush, or a straight flush, four of a kind, full house, as well as any other paying hand in the pay table.
This article explores the possibilities. The games are jacks or better-based such as Jacks or Better, Double Bonus Poker, etc., not wild card games. To achieve the best return in wild card casino games the logic for deciding the proper hold must be dramatically altered so it is not included in this article.
Contents
- Suited jack/10 with junk
- Suited jack/10 with another unsuited high card
- Suited jack/10 with other helpful cards
- Summary
Suited jack/10 with junk
The first example looks at what happens to the possibilities with a hand containing a suited Jack-10 with three other worthless cards – no other high cards, no other suited cards, no other cards that might help a straight. The hand looks something like this:
Jh Th 2d 5c 7s
It is true that the 7 of spades could make a straight with the Jack-10, but there are two gaps. This is probably not a viable hold. Here is the proof. In a full-pay (9/6) Jacks or Better game, on average:
- Holding the Jh Th 7s returns 1.2812 credits for 5 credits played.
- Holding the Jh Th returns 2.5569.
There are, in fact nine holds that are better than the Jh Th 7h. They are:
- Jh – 2.3621 credits
- Jh 7s – 1.7342 credits
- Redraw – 1.7019 credits
- Jh 2d or Jh 5c – 1.6750 credits
- Holding any single low card – is also better than holding the Jh Th 7s
Conclusion: Holding the Jack-10 allows for any paying hand on the pay table to appear. By adding the 7 to the hold, the only possible winning hands are: straight, three of a kind, two pairs, or a high pair. The lack of possible winning hands – especially the royal flush – when adding the 7 to the hold, obliterates the return.
If this article interests you, keep reading. Alternatively, explore other topics like how to win at slots, roulette wheel, and blackjack side bets.
Suited Jack-10 with another unsuited high card
If the dealt hand also includes another unsuited high card (another suited high card would make three cards of a royal flush), the proper hold could very well change. We will look at three different hands containing a suited Jack-10 and an unsuited high card.
First hand: Jh Th 2d 5c As. The top five holds are:
- Jh Th – 2.5236 credits
- Jh As – 2.3716 credits
- As – 2.3067 credits
- Jh – 2.3041 credits
- Jh Th As – 1.7808 credits
Second hand: Jh Th 2d 5c Ks. The top five holds are:
- Jh Th – 2.5039 credits
- Jh Ks – 2.4308 credits
- Ks – 2.3067 credits
- Jh – 2.2987 credits
- Jh Th Ks – 2.0768 credits
Third hand: Jh Th 2d 5c Qs. The top three holds are:
- Jh Qs – 2.4900 credits
- Jh Th – 2.4841 credits
- Jh Th Qs – 2.3728 credits
In the first two hands, holding the suited Jack-10 is the proper hold. Things change in the third hand. The counts of winning hands are shown below:
| Winning Hand | Jh Qs | Jh Th |
| Royal Flush | 0 | 1 |
| Straight Flush | 0 | 3 |
| Four of a kind | 2 | 2 |
| Full House | 18 | 18 |
| Flush | 0 | 161 |
| Straight | 144 | 204 |
| Three of a kind | 381 | 381 |
| Two Pairs | 711 | 711 |
| Jacks or Better | 5022 | 2847 |
It may seem a bit counter-intuitive, but the nearly double the appearance of Jacks or Better winners for the Jack-Queen hold, more than offsets the extra royal flush, straight flush, flush, and straight winning hands for the Jack-10 hold.
Suited Jack-10 with other helpful cards
Other helpful cards for the suited Jack-10 include additional card or cards that would help produce a straight or flush without being a high card, and without making four cards of a flush or four cards of an open straight.
First hand: Jh Th 2d 5c 3h. This hand has three cards of a flush. The top three holds are:
- Jh Th – 2.4934 credits
- Jh – 2.3473 credits
- Jh Th 3h – 2.2340 credits
Second hand: Jh Th 2d 5c 9s. This hand has three cards of an inside straight. The top three holds are:
- Jh Th – 2.5174 credits
- Jh – 2.3513 credits
- Jh Th 9s – 1.8733 credits
Third hand: Jh Th 2d 7c 9s. This hand has four cards of an inside straight. The top three holds are:
- Jh Th – 2.5026 credits
- Jh – 2.3473 credits
- Jh Th 7c 9s – 2.0213 credits
Notice that in all cases, the Jack-10 is the proper hold and the lone jack is the next best hold. When playing video poker at a casino, holding the additional one or two cards eliminates the possibility of higher-paying winning hands. Holding additional cards reduces the number of possible hands. See the table below.
| Winning Hand | Jh Th | Jh Th 3h | Jh Th | Jh Th 9s | Jh Th | Jh Th 7c 9s |
| Royal Flush | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Straight Flush | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Four of a kind | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Full House | 18 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Flush | 116 | 45 | 161 | 0 | 161 | 0 |
| Straight | 252 | 0 | 204 | 48 | 192 | 4 |
| Three of a kind | 381 | 9 | 381 | 9 | 381 | 0 |
| Two Pairs | 711 | 27 | 711 | 27 | 711 | 0 |
| Jacks or Better | 2847 | 132 | 2847 | 132 | 2847 | 3 |
Notice the reduction in paying hands for the last column. When these additional held cards hurt the prospects of achieving high-paying winners, they lose their power and therefore their appeal.
Summary
Choosing the proper hold for many – even most – dealt hands can be intuitive. Certain hands, even though they may have the possibility of producing top-paying winning hands, can also require some complex thinking and have non-intuitive holds.
