Rules On How To Play
Jacks Or Better Poker

The player to the dealer's left starts with an "opening bet" (or may pass and not raise the bet). If that player raises the bet, he/she calls out the new bet amount required to stay in the game AND places his/her bet "in the pot" in the center of the table. ALL players must match that bet, putting the chips/cash in the "pot". Any player who fails to match the bet "folds" and quits this hand of cards.

The next player to the left then does the same thing, IE, either raises the bet or "passes" and does not raise the bet. This continues until each player has the chance to raise the bet or pass. Each player gets ONLY ONE CHANCE to raise the bet or pass. Any player may fold at any time. This is unlike some forms of poker where a player can continue to raise the bet as many times as they'd like. If all but one player folds, the remaining player wins the pot.

Once the round of betting is completed, if two or more players remain, Each player will discarded and the cards they don't want to keep. The dealer will deal each player replacement cards so all players end up five cards each. Whoever is showing the best hand wins the pot.

In video Jacks Or Better, you would select the cards you want to keep (either by clicking on each card you want to keep OR on the "Hold" button below each card).

Below is a table that ranks poker hands from the top hand, that always wins, to the lowest hand that can win.

The cards themselves are ranked according to the value of the number on the card or the value of the face. The ranking, from highest to lowest, goes as such: Ace (A), King (K), Queen (Q), Jack (J), 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. The ace can also be used to complete a low straight; A, 2, 3, 4, 5. As well as numbers and faces there are 4 different types of suits which are used to determine the value of a poker hand. These are: Spades, Clubs, Diamonds and Hearts. The color suit of Hearts and Diamonds is red. The color suit of Spades and Clubs is black.

If two hands are tied in rank, the following rules apply:

1) If two players both have straight flushes, flushes, or straights, the highest card that is part of the hand determines the winning hand. If the highest card still results in a tie then the next highest card will determine the winner. And so on...

2) If both players have a full house, then the highest 3 of a kind will determine the winner.

3) If both players have three of a kind the highest ranking three of a kind will be determined the winner.

4) The highest-ranking pair in the hand will decide two hands with two pair. If this still results in a tie then the remaining pairs will be compared and the highest-ranking pair will then decide the winner.

5) If both players have a single pair then the highest-ranking pair will win. If this is also a tie then next highest-ranking single card will determine the winner. If this still results in a tie then the next highest single ranking card will determine the winner.

6) Two hands with no pairs, flushes, or straights are compared and the card with the highest ranking single card will be determined the winner. If this still yields no winner then the next highest card will be determined the winner. And so on.

The payout in video poker depends on two factors:

1) How much you bet, the ante, before the video game deals the cards. The more you bet, the higher the payout for a winning hand.

2) The ranking of a winning hand. The table above applies to winning hands, IE, a royal flush pays more than a straight flush; a straight pays more than 2 pair and so on.

Below is an example of what you would see in a video Jacks or Better game which shows the winning hands and the payout amounts. Note the payouts get larger based how much you bet before the cards are dealt.