Joker Poker is unlike any other mainstream video poker variant. It adds a single joker to the standard 52-card deck, creating a 53-card game with unique hand possibilities — including five of a kind and joker royal flushes. The minimum qualifying hand is raised to a pair of kings or better, reflecting the increased frequency of made hands.
The full-pay Kings or Better version returns 100.64% with optimal strategy. That is not a typo. This is one of the rare video poker games where perfect play gives the player a mathematical edge over the house, not the other way around.
How to Identify the Best Joker Poker Pay Table
Joker Poker comes in several variants with different minimum qualifying hands and pay structures. The version you want is "Kings or Better" — meaning the lowest paying hand is a pair of kings or better.
Other variants include "Two Pair or Better" (much lower RTP) and "Aces or Better" (different structure entirely). Always check what the minimum paying hand is before you play.
For the Kings or Better version, the identifying feature is the natural royal flush paying 800 coins (per coin bet) and five of a kind paying 200. If you see those two numbers at the top of the pay table along with "Kings or Better" as the minimum qualifier, you have the right game.
Pay Table Comparison: Kings or Better vs Short-Pay Variants
| Hand | Kings or Better (Full Pay) | Two Pair or Better | Aces or Better |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural Royal Flush | 800 | 800 | 800 |
| Five of a Kind | 200 | 100 | 100 |
| Joker Royal Flush | 100 | 50 | 50 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| Four of a Kind | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Full House | 7 | 7 | 8 |
| Flush | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Straight | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Three of a Kind | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Two Pair | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Kings or Better | 1 | — | — |
| Aces or Better | — | — | 1 |
| Minimum Hand | Pair of Kings | Two Pair | Pair of Aces |
*Payouts shown per coin wagered. Maximum bet (5 coins) for the enhanced Royal Flush jackpot.*
The RTP Gap Between Versions
| Version | RTP (Optimal Strategy) | Player Edge? |
|---|---|---|
| Kings or Better (Full Pay) | 100.64% | Yes (+0.64%) |
| Aces or Better | ~98.60% | No |
| Two Pair or Better | ~97.19% | No |
The difference is staggering. Kings or Better full-pay Joker Poker is one of only a handful of video poker games in existence where the expected return exceeds 100%. Players with perfect strategy have a 0.64% mathematical advantage — the casino is the one facing a house edge.
This is precisely why full-pay Joker Poker is extremely rare in physical casinos. When casinos do offer it, the machines are typically placed in high-limit areas where maximum bet sizes generate enough revenue to offset the negative expected value for the house.
Why Full-Pay Joker Poker Is Almost Impossible to Find
A game that mathematically favors the player is obviously not something casinos offer freely. Full-pay Kings or Better Joker Poker exists, but locating it requires dedication:
- Las Vegas strip: Virtually nonexistent. You might find it at off-strip locals casinos occasionally.
- Online platforms: Your best bet. Several online video poker sites offer the full-pay version because they can limit maximum bets or attract players through volume.
- High-limit rooms: Some properties offer it at $5 or $25 denominations where the variance protects the house in practice (most players go broke before reaching theoretical expected value).
The casinos that do offer it understand that achieving 100.64% requires flawless strategy on every single hand across thousands of decisions. Human error typically erodes 1-3% of theoretical return, keeping most players below 100% in practice even on a player-advantage machine.
The Unique Hands in Joker Poker
The 53rd card creates hand possibilities that do not exist in standard video poker:
Five of a Kind. Four natural cards of the same rank plus the joker. This is the second-highest hand in the game, paying 200 coins. In a standard 52-card game, this hand is impossible.
Joker Royal Flush. A royal flush that uses the joker to substitute for one of the five royal cards (10, J, Q, K, A of one suit). It pays 100 coins — significantly less than a natural royal (800) because it occurs far more frequently.
Natural Royal Flush. Still the top hand, but now harder to achieve than in standard games because you are drawing from 53 cards instead of 52. The extra card slightly dilutes your chances of hitting specific cards.
The joker also affects lower-tier hands. Three of a kind, straights, and flushes all become more common because the joker can substitute for any card. This increased frequency is why the minimum qualifying hand is raised to kings or better — without that threshold, too many hands would pay and the game would be unsustainable.
Strategy Differences from Standard Video Poker
Joker Poker strategy is fundamentally different from Jacks or Better or any non-wild game. The presence of the joker changes every decision:
When you hold the joker: Your hand has a built-in wild card. Strategy revolves around maximizing the joker's contribution. Holding the joker alone (discarding four cards) is sometimes correct because the joker creates so many possible winning draws.
When you do not hold the joker: You are playing a slightly worse version of standard video poker — 53 cards in the deck instead of 52 means your draw odds are marginally lower. But you still have a chance of drawing the joker on the replacement cards.
Hand frequencies shift dramatically. Three of a kind becomes much more common (the joker pairs with any existing pair). Flushes and straights gain probability. But two pair becomes relatively less valuable because the game does not pay two pair in most versions — you need kings or better.
Key strategic departures:
- A single king is worth holding in Joker Poker (it is one card away from the minimum paying hand). In Jacks or Better, you would never hold a single high card unless it was jack or above.
- Suited high cards gain value because joker royal flushes pay 100 coins.
- Low pairs below kings are worthless as paying hands, changing how you evaluate pair + kicker combinations.
Memorizing Joker Poker strategy takes significantly more effort than Jacks or Better because the decision trees split based on whether the joker is in your hand.
The Bottom Line
Joker Poker Kings or Better is mathematically the best standard video poker game a player can sit down at. A 100.64% RTP means the odds favor you — but only with perfect strategy on every hand across a very large sample size.
The practical challenge is twofold: finding the game (rare in physical casinos) and executing flawless strategy (the 53-card wild game has complex decision trees). But for serious video poker players willing to invest the study time, Joker Poker represents a genuine edge.
Even if you do not play perfectly, the Kings or Better version still returns significantly more than the Two Pair or Aces or Better variants. Knowing which version you are sitting at is the critical first step.
Play Joker Poker Free — Practice with the Kings or Better full-pay table and learn the wild-card strategy.
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