If you are thinking about trying video poker, or if you are a beginner video poker player trying to develop your skills, the game you should be playing is Jacks or Better. This variation of video poker has one of the best payout rations; if you play it correctly you can actually make enough money and develop your playing strategy in the same time.

First of all, find Jacks or Better machines with good payout. You may find 7/5 Jacks or Better — 7/5 means you get 7 coins for a full house and 5 coins for a flush. You need to avoid playing on these machines because the house’s advantage is too high.

One of the most common mistakes when playing Jacks or Better is keeping a kicker. You don’t need to keep an extra high card with your pair; just draw three cards and you will have a better chance of scoring three of a kind or even better. Never break up two-pairs just because you want to aim at the four of a kind. Jacks or Better is very simple, and you need to keep your playing strategy simple as well. If you see two pairs, keep them and draw one instead. They payout ratio is high enough, and aiming at the big prize constantly will cost you your coins.

Once you can develop a certain playing style, you can move on to other variations of video poker or stick to Jacks or Better for better playing experiences.