Complete strategy for Kings or Better Joker Poker — played with a 53-card deck including one wild Joker. Two separate strategy tables required: hands with the Joker and hands without. Another positive-EV game for multi-hand play.
A single Joker is added to the standard 52-card deck, making it 53 cards. The Joker is completely wild — it can substitute for any card. Because the minimum qualifying hand is Kings or Better (a pair of Kings or better), strategy for non-Joker hands shifts: lower pairs (2s through Queens) don't pay, so you play differently when you don't have a Joker. Like Deuces Wild, the game requires two completely separate strategy tables based on whether your dealt hand contains the Joker.
The minimum paying hand is a pair of Kings or Aces. Pairs of 2s through Queens pay nothing. Five of a Kind (200x) requires the Joker. The 100.65% RTP is only achieved with optimal strategy for both Joker and non-Joker hands.
Without the Joker, you need Kings or Aces to qualify with a pair. Pairs of 2s–Queens have zero value. Strategy shifts significantly toward high-card draws.
| Rank | Hold This Hand | Approx. EV | Notes & Multi-Hand Considerations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Natural Royal Flush | 800.00 | Hold all 5. Maximum payout. 100H: Hits multiple times per session |
| 2 | Straight Flush (pat) | 50.00 | Hold all 5. Do not break for royal unless 4 to a natural royal. |
| 3 | Four of a Kind | 20.00 | Hold all 4, discard kicker. |
| 4 | 4 to a Royal Flush | ~16.40 | Break a straight, flush, full house for this. The 800x natural royal drives this high ranking. |
| 5 | Full House (pat) | 7.00 | Hold all 5. |
| 6 | Flush (pat) | 5.00 | Hold all 5 unless 4 to a royal present. |
| 7 | Three of a Kind | 3.40 | Hold 3, draw 2. |
| 8 | Straight (pat) | 3.00 | Hold all 5 unless 4 to a royal present. |
| 9 | 4 to a Straight Flush | 2.00–3.00 | Break a paying hand (two pair, Kings pair) for an open-ended SF draw. |
| 10 | Two Pair | 1.87 | Hold both pairs, draw 1. Two pair pays 1x — it's the full house draw that makes this worth holding. |
| 11 | High Pair (Kings or Aces) | 1.54 | Hold the pair, draw 3. Only Kings and Aces qualify — pairs of 2s–Queens have no cash value without the Joker. Multi-H: Hold K-K or A-A aggressively |
| 12 | 3 to a Royal Flush | 0.78–1.41 | Strong draw — beats low pairs and many single-card holds. Especially powerful with K or A as the high card. |
| 13 | 4 to a Flush (with K or A) | 1.00 | Hold 4 suited cards including a K or A. Adds pair potential on top of flush draw. |
| 14 | Low Pair (2s–Queens) | 0.59 | Low pairs have no direct payout value. Hold only when no better draw is available — the three-of-a-kind draw is the only value here. |
| 15 | 4 to a Flush (no K or A) | 0.88 | 4 suited non-high cards. Hold when nothing better available. |
| 16 | Open-Ended Straight Draw (with K or A) | 0.87 | 4 consecutive cards including K or A. The high card adds pair draw value. |
| 17 | 2 High Cards (K and/or A) | 0.56 | Hold both K and A (or two Aces, or two Kings). These are the only pair draws with cash value. |
| 18 | 3 to a Straight Flush | 0.52–0.70 | 3 suited consecutive cards. Beats a single high card in many configurations. |
| 19 | 1 High Card (K or A only) | 0.46 | Hold a single K or A when nothing better available. Only K and A qualify with a pair. |
| — | Discard All 5 | 0.36 | When no hand ranks above. More common in Joker Poker since low pairs have no payout value. Multi-H: Common — non-Joker hands without K/A often discard all |
When you hold the Joker, you already have a powerful wild card. Never discard the Joker. Strategy focuses on maximizing the wild card's value.
| Rank | Hold This Hand (includes Joker) | Approx. EV | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wild Royal Flush — Hold All 5 | 100.00 | Hold all 5. Joker |
| 2 | Five of a Kind — Hold All 5 | 200.00 | Hold all 5. Only achievable with the Joker. Joker |
| 3 | Straight Flush — Hold All 5 | 50.00 | Hold all 5. Joker |
| 4 | 4 to a Wild Royal Flush | ~20.00 | Break 4-of-a-kind or straight flush (except pat SF) for a 4-card wild royal draw. Joker |
| 5 | Four of a Kind — Hold All 5 | 20.00 | Hold all 5. Joker |
| 6 | Full House — Hold All 5 | 7.00 | Hold all 5. Joker |
| 7 | 4 to a Straight Flush (open-ended) | 5.20 | Break a pat flush for this. Strong draw with wild card assistance. Joker |
| 8 | Flush — Hold All 5 | 5.00 | Hold all 5 unless a stronger draw is present. Joker |
| 9 | Three of a Kind (Joker included) | 3.40 | Hold 3, draw 2. The Joker counts as one of the three. Joker |
| 10 | Straight — Hold All 5 | 3.00 | Hold all 5 unless a stronger draw exists. Joker |
| 11 | 4 to a Straight Flush (1 gap) | 2.60 | Inside SF draw with Joker. Still strong with wild card. Joker |
| 12 | 3 to a Royal Flush (with Joker) | 2.20 | Joker + 2 royal cards. Powerful draw for the wild royal (100x) or natural royal (800x). Joker |
| 13 | 3 to a Straight Flush (open-ended) | 1.60 | Joker + 2 suited connectors. Reasonable draw. Joker |
| 14 | Joker + 1 High Card (K or A) | 1.48 | Hold Joker + K or A when no better draw exists. The Joker guarantees at least Kings or Better. Joker |
| 15 | Joker Only (no qualifying draw) | ~1.30 | Hold just the Joker, draw 4. Always better than discarding the Joker. The Joker alone guarantees at minimum a three-of-a-kind draw on every hand. Joker Multi-H: Joker held alone is still very valuable across all hands |
At 100.65% return with correct strategy, Joker Poker joins Full Pay Deuces Wild and 10/7 Double Bonus as one of the rare video poker games where the player has a mathematical edge. In multi-hand play, this edge applies simultaneously to every hand you're playing. Over long sessions at 50–100 hands, the positive EV becomes meaningful. Serious multi-hand players hunt for Kings or Better Joker Poker machines for this reason.
With one Joker in 53 cards, you'll be dealt the Joker in your initial 5 cards roughly once every 10.6 deals on average. In 100-hand play you play 100 deals per session, so you'll receive the Joker deal about 9–10 times per session. Each Joker deal is an opportunity for a big hand — Five of a Kind (200x), Wild Royal (100x), or Straight Flush (50x).
| Hands | Cost/Deal | Std Dev/Deal | Recommended Bankroll |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $0.25 | ~$1.50 | $180 |
| 3 | $0.75 | ~$2.60 | $400 |
| 5 | $1.25 | ~$3.35 | $600 |
| 10 | $2.50 | ~$4.74 | $1,100 |
| 25 | $6.25 | ~$7.50 | $2,400 |
| 50 | $12.50 | ~$10.61 | $4,200 |
| 100 | $25.00 | ~$15.00 | $7,500 |
Use our variance calculator for custom scenarios.
Pairs of 2s through Queens pay nothing — don't prioritize them. With no Joker, you need Kings or Aces to qualify with a pair. Low pairs are only worth holding when no better draw (K/A draw, SF draw, etc.) is available.
Never discard the Joker — ever. Even holding just the Joker and drawing 4 new cards has an EV well above the discard-all baseline. The Joker alone is your best card in the deck.
The game literally requires two separate strategy tables. Non-Joker hands deprioritize low pairs entirely and emphasize K/A draws. Joker hands focus on maximizing the wild card. Playing a single strategy for both costs you significant EV.
There are multiple Joker Poker variants. "Two Pair or Better" versions typically have lower returns. Always verify the minimum qualifying hand is "Kings or Better" and check the Five of a Kind payout (should be 200) before sitting down.
Kings or Better Joker Poker offers the second-best return of any positive-EV video poker game (after Full Pay Deuces Wild), and its strategy — while requiring two tables — is more intuitive for many players than Deuces Wild because there's only one wild card to track. The Five of a Kind and Wild Royal payouts make Joker hands exciting events, and the game plays smoothly in multi-hand format where the Joker appears regularly across sessions.
The top positive-EV game at 100.76%. Four wild cards vs one — more complex strategy but higher edge.
View Strategy →The non-wild baseline — 99.54% RTP with simpler strategy. Compare to understand how the Joker changes EV.
View Strategy →No wild cards but bonus payouts for Aces and face card quads. Popular online variant with manageable variance.
View Strategy →Try our Multi-Hand Variance Calculator to see how Joker Poker plays at different hand counts and compare its variance profile to Deuces Wild.