Gameplay
Cards come from a single 52-card deck shuffled after each game. You are dealt five cards and may choose any that you would like to keep, while the others are replaced. If you make a winning combination you will win a payout according to the pay table below. The better your hand, the more you will win. Winners will get chance to double their money.
How to Play
First you must choose the coin. Click on the arrows beside the chip image to change between available coins. You may also choose how many lines to play by clicking on the Bet 1 button. When you do this, you'll see the selection move across the pay table, where you can see how much the game pays out. When you are ready, click on the Deal button to start. Alternatively, you can use the Bet Max button to select five lines and deal in one click.
You will now be dealt your first five cards. If any of them make up a winning hand, they will automatically be held. Click on the cards or the Hold buttons to decide which cards you would like to hold. You are free to deselect cards that have been held automatically. When you are ready, click the Deal button and any cards that are not held will be replaced with new cards from the deck. Your hand is then evaluated to see if it matches any of those in the hand rankings (below) and if so, you will win a payout according to the pay table (also below.)
If you did not make a winning hand, the game is over. Click on the New Game button to start again. If you did make a winning hand you will now be given the option to double or collect.
Note: The lowest winning hand is a pair of Jacks. Lower pairs, such as a pair of Tens, do not qualify in Video Poker Jacks or Better. Higher pairs, such as a pair of Queens, do qualify as winning hands.
Doubling
If you made a winning hand, you will be given the chance to double or collect. If you click on the Collect button you will win the amount shown and then be able to start a new game. If you click on the Double button, your winnings will become the stake and you get a chance to double up.
The deck is shuffled and you are dealt one card face up and four cards face down. The idea is to click on one of the face down cards to see if it is higher than the face up card. If so, you double your winnings. If the cards are of equal rank, then it's considered a draw and your winnings stay the same. If the card you clicked on is lower then the game ends.
If you win or draw, you will be given the option to double or collect again, up to a maximum of four times. The game is then over and any winnings you have made are yours. Click on New Game to start again.
Pay table:
| Hand |
Line 1 |
Line 2 |
Line 3 |
Line 4 |
Line 5 |
| Royal Flush |
250 |
500 |
750 |
1000 |
4000 |
| Straight Flush |
50 |
100 |
150 |
200 |
250 |
| 4 of A Kind |
25 |
50 |
75 |
100 |
125 |
| Full House |
9 |
18 |
27 |
36 |
45 |
| Flush |
6 |
12 |
18 |
24 |
30 |
| Straight or less |
4 |
8 |
12 |
16 |
20 |
| Three of a kind |
3 |
6 |
9 |
12 |
15 |
| Two pair |
2 |
4 |
6 |
8 |
10 |
| Pair - Jacks or Better |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
The table shows what multiple of the coin you will win, dependant on the number of lines you played.
For example, if you set the coin to $5, play two lines and make a full house, you will win $5 x 18, which is $90.
When playing a reasonably optimal strategy:
- The expected return to player, when playing 1 to 4 lines, is 98.09%.
- The expected return to player, when playing 5 lines, is 99.46%.
- The expected return to player from doubling is 100%.
Appendix - Hand Rankings
It's time to brush up on those all important hand rankings. Here's a list of the possible hands and how they rank, together with a short definition and, in the hope that a picture is indeed worth a thousand words, an example image.
Pair - Jacks or Better
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Any two cards of the same rank. To qualify, the cards in question must be Jacks or better. Lower pairs are not considered winning hands.
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Two Pair
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Two sets of cards of the same rank, for example two queens and two sixes.
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Three of a kind
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Also called trips, this is where you have three cards of the same rank, for example three sevens.
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Straight
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Five cards in sequential rank order, for example 8, 9, 10, Jack and a Queen. An ace may be used as both a high and a low card.
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Flush
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Five cards of the same suit, for example five diamonds.
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Full house
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A combination of a pair and three of a kind.
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Four of a kind
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Four cards of the same rank, for example four Queens.
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Straight Flush
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A straight (see above) but with all the cards in the same suit.
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Royal Flush
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The daddy of all poker hands, a royal flush is a straight flush involving the 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace.
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