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Joker Poker Strategy For Video Poker With Paytables

The extensive video poker category includes many variations of this game. While they all enjoy a high level of popularity, Joker Poker is at the top of the list. This game includes all standard video poker features players like, along with a unique twist to the gameplay. If you’d like to learn how to play it and win, you’ve landed on the right page. Keep reading to uncover all you need to know about Joker Poker gameplay and strategy.

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Playing Joker Poker: Basics

Before we delve into the Joker Poker strategy, you should know how this game works. Joker Poker is based on Jacks or Better, so it has the standard video poker format.

Its gameplay is derived from 5 Card Draw. The computer or the video poker machine deals five cards, and you’ll have to decide which ones you want to discard to make the best possible hand. 

The cards you’ve chosen to eliminate will be replaced with new ones from the deck. Once you’re happy with the combination, you’ll press the Hold button. The game will pay out based on your hand’s ranking in its payout table.

The twist Joker Poker introduces into this gameplay is an extra card — the joker. Having more cards in the deck may not seem like an advantage, but in this scenario, it is. The extra joker acts like a wild card, which means it can substitute any other card from the deck. In that sense, it’s the strongest and the best card you can receive.

Besides this difference, Joker Poker also uses a modified hand ranking system. Most video poker variants rank two pairs or jacks or better as the lowest poker hands. However, a pair of kings comes in last in a few versions of Joker Poker. They might also offer larger payouts for five of a kind compared to the royal flush. 

The exact ranking differs between the games, but you can see a general overview in the table below. The highest ranking hand is at the top.

Hand rankingCard combination 
Royal flushSuited ace, jack, queen, king, and a 10
Straight flushFive suited cards in consecutive order
PokerFours cards of the same rank
Full houseA pair of the same cards + three of a kind
FlushFive cards of the same suit
StraightFive cards in consecutive order
Three of a kindThree cards with the same rank
Two pairTwo cards of the same rank
Pair of jacks or higherTwo jacks, queens, or kings

Joker Poker Strategy

Image of Joker Strategy Icon

Now that you have the Joker Poker basics down, we can discuss how you ought to play this game. As you may know, video poker is one of the rare casino games with an exact payback percentage. Currently, most Joker Poker games bear a payout ratio of around 99%. However, that’s only the case when you’re playing with the perfect poker strategy.

The Joker Poker strategy you need to use varies depending on the pay table each Joker Poker features. You can find the most common ones below.

Joker Poker Kings or Better (JPKB)

Winning HandPayoff Per 5 Coins Wagered
Natural Royal Flush4700
5 of a Kind1000
Royal With Joker500
Straight Flush250
Four of a Kind90
Full House35
Flush25
Straight15
Three of a Kind10
Two Pairs5
Pairs of Kings or Aces5

Joker Poker Two Pair (JP2)

Winning HandPayoff Per 5 Coins Wagered
Natural Royal Flush5000
5 of a Kind500
Royal With Joker250
Straight Flush250
Four of a Kind100
Full House40
Flush35
Straight25
Three of a Kind10
Two Pairs5

Joker Poker Two Pair With Five of Kind Jackpot (JP5K)

Winning HandPayoff Per 5 Coins Wagered
5 of a Kind4000
Natural Royal Flush500
Royal With Joker250
Straight Flush250
Four of a Kind80
Full House40
Flush25
Straight20
Three of a Kind10
Two Pairs5

The first two pay tables offer 99.29% and 99.08% payback percentages, while the last one has an RTP of 97.19%. These differences might lead you to believe that the former two variants yield better results. Then again, their jackpot frequencies might change your mind.

Both Joker Poker kings or better and Joker Poker two pair provide the highest payouts for the royal hands. However, on average, they only come around once per 38,477 and 49,270 hands, respectively. A JP5K highest-ranking hand comes up three times as often — approximately every 10,994th hand. As a result, this might be the best version you can play if you can find it online.

The differences in strategy between Joker Poker variants are mainly due to lower-paying hands. We’ll discuss the method you should use in relation to some of them below.

10♣ 9♣ 8♣ 7♣ J

In JPKB, straights pay 15, and in JP5K, straight flushes pay 500 coins, so you should hold onto those four suited cards in these two variants. However, in JP2, where straights pay 250 and straight flushes 25, you’ll have better chances if you keep all five cards.

The returns you can expect from a 5-coin bet are 15 or 20.08 in JPKB, 23.33 or 25 in JP2, and 20 or 36.98 in JP5K, depending on whether you hit a straight or a straight flush.

K♦K♠9♦7♦5♦

A pair of kings is the hand you should keep in a JP5K game, but the diamond combo is better to hold onto in JP2 and JPKB.

They’ll result in a 7.29 payout as opposed to the 3.69 you get for kings in JP2 and a 5.21 payout compared to 3.74 in JPKB.

A♥Q♠10♦7♣6♠

The Crispin is your best shot with this card combo in a JPKB game. It’ll give you a 2.29 return on its own or 1.65 if paired with a queen or a 10.

You’ll have better odds if you hold onto a middle-of-the-deck card in JP2 and JP5K, as you might get a straight or a straight flush.

You’ll get the best payback by keeping a 10 in the former and a 7 in the latter Joker Poker version.

★K♥Q♥J♥3♥

The possibility of a joker royal may sway you to keep these cards, and you’d be right two out of three times.

It will pay 36.04 in JPKB and 40 in JP5K. However, you’ll get a better return if you aim for a flush in JP2 — 35 coins.

★A♠9♥6♦4♣

If you’re playing JPKB, you’ll want to keep the joker-ace combination for an 8.47 return.

Nevertheless, you’ll make more of a joker-9 pairing in the other two variants. The two cards will score a 6.56 average payout on JP2 and 6.41 on JP5K.

    All in all, you should focus on catching any potential high-pair payback in JPKB. The other two versions of Joker Poker don’t offer these returns, so you’re free to discard high cards.

    Conclusion

    Joker Poker is one of the most interesting variations video poker offers, and it’s easy to master. With the knowledge of the optimal poker strategy and some practice, you can land some sizable wins. All you have to do is invest time and effort into finding the variant with the best pay table and try your luck at it.

    FAQ

    What’s the best Joker Poker game I can play online? The current best-paying Joker Poker pay tables feature a 99% payback percentage. However, you might have better winning chances with Joker Poker with the five of a kind jackpot feature. Its RTP is 97.19% because of how frequently you can land the top-paying hand.
    How can I win at Joker Poker? You’ll have the best winning chances if you rely on the right Joker Poker strategy. Each variation of this game involves a different approach. You can read more about it in one of the sections above.
    Can I discard any card in Joker Poker? Technically, you can. However, you should never discard the joker card. A joker acts as a wild card in this game and can help you create a winning hand more easily.

    About the Author

    Author Hi all! My name is Jayson Peter, and I am the Chief Editor here at Casino USA. I have always been a huge fan of casinos, but I noticed that there are not a lot of websites out there that discuss the gambling industry in enough detail, so that’s how the idea for CasinoUSA.com was born. With my extensive knowledge of the industry and the help of my team, I am ready to give you an insight into the exciting world of casino gambling in the United States.