In the world of video poker, Poker Joker is just another variation of Jacks or Better, and it differs from Jacks or Better with the addition of a wild card, which is the Joker. The Joker card serves as a valuable card that can make a difference in the value of your hand and can, in turn, yield a big payout. That is why it is called a wild card. Do you know how to play Joker Poker?

The cards needed to create a winning hand, the strategies required to play the game of Poker Joker, the paytable, and every other detail that needs to be understood will be explained thoroughly in this video poker guide.

Rules on How to Play Joker Poker

The rules for playing Poker Joker are the same as every other video poker game available. Follow the steps below to play Joker Poker:

1. Place a wager

The first step you need to take to start a video poker round is first to place a bet. Next, you select the amount of money you want to bet, and the online poker machine will convert it into credits or coins depending on the denomination of the device. You can find several denominations at online poker machines, so you need to confirm which denomination it is before inserting your money.

For example, if you insert $50 into a quarter ($0.25) machine, you have 200 credits or coins. 

After converting your finds into credits, you can now choose how many credits you want to wager per hand. You can wager the min and max credits are one and five, respectively. It is always advisable to wager the maximum credit, which is five. The reason for betting the max wager is because the top hand, Royal flush, pay off 200 to 1 for one credit but pays off 800 to 1 for five coins. And that is a big difference in the payout.

2. Deal

Once you have placed the wager, the next thing to do is click the ‘Deal’ button. Once done, you’ll get five initial cards.

3. Draw or Discard

After being dealt the initial five cards, you must decide which cards to hold or discard to create a winning hand combination. Then, you must click the ‘Draw’ and ‘Hold’ buttons to draw and hold the cards you want.

You need to understand the hand ranking to learn how to play Joker Poker. Below are the hands available in Joker Poker:

• Five of a kind: A hand that contains wild cards. It includes five matching cards.
• Royal flush: It contains a straight flush with the highest-value cards. Examples are 10, J, Q, K, and A of spades.
• Straight flush: It contains both a straight and flush hand. It means that it includes five consecutive cards of the same suit. Examples of hearts are 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7.
• Four-of-a-kind: A four-of-a-kind hand is comprised of four matching cards or four cards of the same value.
• Full house: This hand contains a pair hand and a three-of-a-kind hand. An example is a pair of 5s and three 8s. They do not need to match, and the suit of the cards does not matter.
• Flush: A flush hand contains five cards of the same suit. An example is 2, 6, 8, J, and Q of spades.
• Straight: A straight hand contains five consecutive cards of different suits. Players can use an Ace card to start or end the hand.
• Three of a kind: Three of a kind consists of three matching cards. An example is the three 6s.
• Two pairs: A two-pair hand contains two pairs of cards. An example is two 5s and two jacks.
• Kings or Better: One pair of aces or kings make up a king or better hand. The other three cards are irrelevant.

Following the cards dealt to you, you can make hands with this information on how to create hands.

How To Play Joker Poker: Strategy

We have a good understanding of how to play Joker Poker now. But more than just knowing how to play Joker Poker is needed; players must understand some strategies for playing Poker Joker. Take, for example, knowing what moves to make when you have a Joker or when you don’t have a Joker.

A list of actions for you to take for different hands with or without a Joker will be listed below. Follow the list and make decisions based on your cards. 

Take the following actions when you have a Joker card:

• Hold a royal flush
• Hold five of a kind, including a joker
• Hold four of a kind and drop the fifth card
• Hold four to a wild royal flush. Let the king be the high card.
• Hold a full house
• Hold four to a wild royal flush. Let the ace be the high card
• Hold four to an outside straight flush except it is A-2-3 or 2-3-4
• Hold a flush
• Hold four to a straight flush with about two gaps, including A-2-3 and 2-3-4
• Hold three of a kind
• Hold a straight
• Hold four to a flush with one or two kings or better
• Hold four to a straight flush with no gaps
• Hold three to a wild flush with no gaps
• Hold three to a straight flush with one gap
• Hold Joker and any unsuited card of 10-J-K or 10-Q-K or J-Q-K
• Hold the Joker cards and Ace or King
• Hold three to a straight flush with two gaps
• Hold four to an outside straight
• Hold four to a flush with no high card
• Hold the Joker card

Take the following actions when you do not have a joker card:

• Hold a royal flush and a natural royal flush
• Hold four-of-a-kind hand
• Hold a full house hand
• Hold a flush hand
• Hold four to a straight flush hand
• Hold three-of-a-kind hand
• Hold a straight hand
• Hold a three to a natural royal flush together with a king or queen
• Hold two pair 
• Hold three to a natural royal flush, with the ace being the highest card.
• Hold an A-A or K-K, don’t keep the other three cards.
• Hold four to a flush, and discard the other cards.
• Hold three to a straight flush, and discard the other cards.
• Hold any pair.
• Hold any unsuited cards of 10, J, Q, and K
• Hold three to a straight flush
• Hold 10-K,  J-K, or Q-K of the same suit.
• Hold 10-A,  J-A, or Q-A of the same suit.
• Hold ace or king cards.
• Hold 10-J, J-Q, or 10-Q of the same suit.
• Discard all.

If you learn how to play Joker Poker with this optimal strategy, you have a return-to-player percentage of 100.64%, which means you have an edge of 0.64% over the house. So stick to using this optimal strategy and win big.

Joker Poker Pay Table

Having learned how to play Joker Poker, we need to know the payout for each hand in Joker Poker. Every video poker pay table differs in payout, and here’s the best pay table you can find in Joker Poker:

• Natural royal flush- 800 to 1
• Five of a kind- 200 to 1
• Wild royal flush- 100 to 1
• Straight flush- 50 to 1
• Four of a kind- 20 to 1
• Full house-7 to 1
• Flush- 5 to 1
• Straight- 3 to 1
• Two pairs- 1 to 1
• Kings or Better- 1 to 1

Final Thoughts

The above tips on how to play Joker Poker would save you from losing much money online. To play it, visit Slots Paradise Casino and practice in our online Casino School, where you can learn about video poker pay tables, rules, strategies, and more!

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