The full 9/6 Jacks or Better pay table plus the hold priority list — read top to bottom, keep the first line that matches. Played perfectly this machine returns 99.54%.
| Hand | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 250 | 500 | 750 | 1000 | 4000 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| Four of a Kind | 25 | 50 | 75 | 100 | 125 |
| Full House | 9 | 18 | 27 | 36 | 45 |
| Flush | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 | 30 |
| Straight | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 |
| Two Pair | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Always bet 5 coins | The royal pays 4000 instead of 1250 — that bonus is most of the return | ||||
| 1. Royal flush · straight flush · four of a kind — hold all five |
| 2. Four to a royal flush |
| 3. Full house · flush · straight · three of a kind |
| 4. Four to a straight flush |
| 5. Two pair |
| 6. High pair (jacks or better) |
| 7. Three to a royal flush |
| 8. Four to a flush |
| 9. Low pair (tens or lower) |
| 10. Four to an outside straight |
| 11. Two suited high cards |
| 12. Three to a straight flush |
| 13. Two unsuited high cards — keep the lowest two |
| 14. One high card |
| 15. Nothing above — discard all five |
Deal five cards, then read the priority list from the top and stop at the first line that matches your hand. Hold those cards, discard the rest. That single rule is complete basic strategy for Jacks or Better — there is no judgement involved and no situation it fails to cover.
The list is ordered by expected value, so a line higher up is always worth more than a line lower down, even when the lower one looks more exciting.
"9/6" refers to the full house paying 9 coins and the flush paying 6 per coin bet. That is the full-pay version, and it returns 99.54% with perfect play — one of the best games in any casino.
Machines that pay 8/5 or 7/5 look almost identical on the glass but return roughly 97.3% and 96.2%. Always check those two rows before sitting down; it is the single highest-value habit in video poker.
The royal flush pays 250 per coin at one through four coins, but jumps to 4,000 at five coins rather than the proportional 1,250. That bonus is worth about 1.4% of total return, which is most of the difference between a good game and a mediocre one.
If five coins is more than you want to risk, drop to a lower denomination machine rather than betting fewer coins.
Never break a made flush or straight to draw at a royal. The royal is worth a great deal, but you are surrendering a certain payout for a one-in-47 shot.
Never hold a kicker with a pair. Holding an ace alongside a pair of sixes feels like keeping strength. It is not — it removes a card from your draw and strictly lowers your expected value.
A low pair beats four to an outside straight. The pair can improve to trips, a full house or quads; the straight draw can only make a straight.
Hold two suited high cards over one high card. The flush and royal potential outweighs the single high card almost every time.
What does 9/6 Jacks or Better return? About 99.54% with perfect play and five coins bet.
Is video poker better than slots? On a full-pay machine played correctly, dramatically — slots commonly return 88–94%, and unlike slots the video poker return is published on the pay table.