Jacks or Better – 9/6 or 8/5? 2r456

24 May 2025

By Jerry Stickman

4nu1k

Hi Stickman,

I read your articles regularly and you always favor 9/6 Jacks or Better. As you mention in your articles, 9/6 Jacks or Better is becoming extremely difficult to find in today’s casinos. Usually, the best Jacks or Better game I can find is 8/5.

I know the house edge is higher on this game, but how bad is it?

Sam in Colorado

Hi Sam,

You are very correct, Sam. Full-pay 9/6 (9-for-1 for a full house and 6-for-1 for a flush) are nearly at the point of extinction.

The return on a full pay jacks or better game is 99.54 percent. That is an excellent return. The house edge is only 46 cents for every 100 dollars run through the game.

For reference, here is the five-credit pay table for the full pay jacks or better game:
Hand Pay
Royal Flush 4000
Straight Flush 250
Four of a Kind 125
Full House 45 (9 times five credits bet)
Flush 30 (6 times five credits bet)
Straight 20
Three of a Kind 15
Two Pair 10
Pair - Jacks or Better 5

Here is an 8/5 jacks or better pay table for five credits bet:
Hand Pay
Royal Flush 4000
Straight Flush 250
Four of a Kind 125
Full House 40 (8 times five credits bet)
Flush 25 (5 times five credits bet)
Straight 20
Three of a Kind 15
Two Pair 10
Pair - Jacks or Better 5

The only differences are the full house and flush pays are decreased by one unit each. That may seem like a small amount, but it carries a big impact since these hands are relatively common. The return from this game is 97.30 percent. The house edge is $2.70 per 100 dollars played through this game. By simply reducing the pays by one credit each the casino increases its edge nearly six-fold.

Is it any wonder casinos are phasing out the 9/6 games and phasing in the 8/5?

If the best jacks or better game at your favorite casino has an 8/5 pay table, check for a bonus poker game with the same 8/5 pay table. These are a bit more common than 9/6 jacks or better games. The 8/5 bonus poker game returns 99.17. Not as good as 9/6 jacks or better, but close.

The video poker landscape is constantly changing. It is up to you, the player, to determine how bad is “too bad” and stop playing at casinos that fall below that threshold.

As always, may all your wins be swift and large, and your losses be slow and tiny.

Jerry “Stickman”

Jerry “Stickman” is an expert in craps, blackjack and video poker and advantage slot machine play. He is a regular contributor to top gaming magazines and 888casino.com. He authored the video poker section of Everything Casino Poker: Get the Edge at Video Poker, Texas Hold'em, Omaha Hi-Lo, and Pai Gow Poker! You can Jerry “Stickman” at [email protected]