Stake Video Poker Strategy Guide 2026
The only casino game where skill changes your outcome. Master the optimal hold strategy for Stake's Video Poker and maximise your 99% RTP.
How Stake Video Poker Works
You are dealt 5 cards from a standard 52-card deck. Choose which cards to Hold. The held cards remain; the rest are replaced by new draws. Your final 5-card hand pays based on the Jacks or Better pay table.
Unlike slots or Crash, your hold decisions directly affect expected value. Optimal play (holding the mathematically best cards) maximises the 99% RTP. Suboptimal holds lower your effective return.
The deal and draws are provably fair — all 52 cards are shuffled and committed to a cryptographic seed before you receive your first card.
Optimal Hold Strategy
Always Hold a Pair or Better
Any existing pair, two pair, three-of-a-kind, or higher hand should almost always be held. Breaking a made hand to chase a straight or flush is rarely mathematically justified — the math favours keeping guaranteed value.
Hold Four-Card Flushes and Straights
Four cards to a flush or open-ended straight are draws worth pursuing. Break a low pair to draw to a four-card flush — the odds of completing the flush (~19%) typically outweigh the pair's expected value at 99% RTP.
Never Break a High Pair for a Draw
A pair of Jacks or higher is a guaranteed payout. Breaking it to chase a straight or flush sacrifices a certain win for an uncertain improvement. Hold Jacks or better and draw the fifth card.
Keep High Cards When Dealt Nothing
When dealt no pairs or draws, keep any high cards (Jack, Queen, King, Ace). These give the highest probability of pairing on the draw — especially two high cards of the same suit (potential flush draw too).
Optimal Hold Strategy for Jacks or Better
Stake's Video Poker is based on Jacks or Better. The full optimal hold order: Royal Flush draw > Straight Flush draw > Four of a kind > Full House > Flush > Straight > Three of a kind > Two pair > High pair > Four-card Royal draw > Low pair > High cards.
Every Deal is Provably Fair
Your initial five-card deal and all drawn cards are determined by a cryptographic seed before the hand begins. The cards are fixed — only your hold decisions affect the outcome.
Jacks or Better Pay Table Reference
| HAND | PAYOUT | APPROX. FREQUENCY |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 800× | 1 in ~40,000 |
| Straight Flush | 50× | 1 in ~9,000 |
| Four of a Kind | 25× | 1 in ~423 |
| Full House | 9× | 1 in ~87 |
| Flush | 6× | 1 in ~91 |
| Straight | 4× | 1 in ~89 |
| Three of a Kind | 3× | 1 in ~13 |
| Two Pair | 2× | 1 in ~8 |
| Jacks or Better | 1× | 1 in ~5 |
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Breaking a complete winning hand to chase a higher but less probable combination
Drawing to an inside straight instead of an outside straight or an existing pair
Not checking the current pay table before playing — RTP varies meaningfully by variant
Discarding low pairs in favour of high-card hands that rarely improve on the draw
Playing without a session budget and stop-loss — Video Poker variance can accumulate quickly
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