Slots.lv Video Poker: Jacks or Better, Joker Poker & More
Video poker at Slots.lv carries the highest theoretical return of any game category in the library — Double Double Bonus Poker reaches up to 99.10% RTP with optimal play, and Joker Poker sits at 98.22%. These are genuinely strong returns for online casino play. The trade-off is that maximum RTP requires correct strategy for every hand, and video poker contributes only 10% toward wagering requirements when played with a bonus. This guide covers all video poker variants available at Slots.lv, RTP by variant, basic strategy, and the key rules around bonus play. All data sourced from Slots.lv game descriptions. For the full casino overview, see our Slots.lv Review.
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Video Poker Variants and RTP
| Variant | RTP (Optimal) | Wild Card? | Key Feature |
| Double Double Bonus Poker | Up to 99.10% | No | Bonus for four Aces with kicker |
| Joker Poker | 98.22% | Yes — Joker | Natural Royal pays more; Joker acts as wild |
| Jacks or Better | 97.21% | No | Classic VP — pair of Jacks or better to win |
| Bonus Deuces Wild | ~97% | Yes — all 2s | Wild 2s + bonus pays for four deuces |
| Aces and Eights | ~97% | No | Bonus pays for four Aces or four 8s |
| All American Poker | ~99% | No | Enhanced straight/flush/straight-flush pays |
ℹ️ All RTP figures assume optimal strategy for every hand. Playing without a strategy guide reduces actual return below the theoretical maximum. The in-game paytable confirms the specific pay schedule for each variant.
How Video Poker Works
Every video poker hand follows the same five-step sequence:
- Place your bet and press Deal.
- Receive five cards.
- Select which cards to Hold.
- Press Draw — discarded cards are replaced.
- Final five-card hand is evaluated against the paytable. Qualifying hands pay according to their rank.
The minimum winning hand in Jacks or Better is a pair of Jacks. Lower pairs, Ace-high, and King-high hands pay nothing. In wild card games (Joker Poker, Deuces Wild), the wild card creates additional winning combinations and changes the minimum winning hand — Joker Poker typically requires two pair or better for a payout.
Jacks or Better: The Foundation Variant
Jacks or Better is the baseline video poker variant — the simplest pay table, the most straightforward strategy, and the starting point for all VP strategy learning. At 97.21% RTP with optimal strategy, it’s not the highest-returning option in the library but it’s the best game to learn strategy on before moving to more complex variants. Basic Jacks or Better strategy:
- Always keep a Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, or Two Pair.
- Keep High Pairs (Jacks, Queens, Kings, Aces) over drawing to a flush or straight.
- Hold four cards to a Royal Flush over everything except a made Royal.
- Never break a paying hand to draw to a non-guaranteed combination.
Joker Poker: Wild Card Strategy
Joker Poker (98.22% RTP) uses a 53-card deck — the standard 52 plus a Joker wild card. The Joker substitutes for any card to complete the best possible hand. Key strategy adjustments vs standard Jacks or Better:
- Natural (no-Joker) Royal Flush typically pays more than a Joker Royal — preserve natural Royal draws over weaker made hands.
- When holding a Joker, the minimum winning hand is usually two pair or three of a kind — low pairs should be discarded in favour of draws when a Joker is held.
- The Joker dramatically increases straight and flush probability — open-ended draws become stronger hold decisions than in standard VP.
Double Double Bonus Poker: The Highest-RTP Option
Double Double Bonus Poker carries up to 99.10% RTP — the highest in the Slots.lv library. The elevated RTP comes from bonus pay schedules for four Aces (especially four Aces with a 2, 3, or 4 kicker — the ‘Double Double’ bonus). This creates a high-variance profile: the game pays out significantly less than standard Jacks or Better for common hands (two pair, for example, may return the bet amount rather than a multiple) while paying much more for the top hands.
Double Double Bonus is the right choice for experienced video poker players who know Jacks or Better strategy well and are comfortable with the elevated variance of hunting four-of-a-kind bonus pays.
Video Poker and Wagering Requirements
Video poker contributes only 10% toward wagering requirements — the same rate as standard blackjack. This means clearing a 35x wagering requirement on a bonus by playing video poker requires wagering ten times as much as playing slots for the same rollover progress.
The practical implication: do not use video poker as your primary wagering game during a bonus session. If you want to play video poker, clear your bonus first using slots, then switch to video poker with real-cash funds where the 10% contribution rate is irrelevant. For the full wagering breakdown, see our bonus terms and wagering guide.
Video Poker vs Slots: Which Has Better RTP?
Video poker wins on theoretical RTP. Double Double Bonus Poker at 99.10% and Joker Poker at 98.22% both significantly outperform Golden Buffalo’s 96% and virtually every slot in the Slots.lv library. The key difference is that video poker RTP requires active strategy decisions — wrong decisions reduce actual return below the theoretical maximum. Slots require no decisions after bet placement, so the stated slot RTP is closer to the effective return for most players.
For players willing to learn and reference a strategy chart, video poker with real-cash funds delivers better long-run value than the slot library. For casual play without strategy references, slots at 95–97% RTP are simpler and produce comparable practical returns. For the full RTP comparison across all game types, see our best paying slots and RTP guide.
Bottom Line
Video poker is the highest-RTP game category at Slots.lv when played with correct strategy. Joker Poker (98.22%) and Double Double Bonus Poker (up to 99.10%) are the standout variants. The 10% wagering contribution makes video poker impractical for bonus clearing, but it’s the optimal real-cash game for players focused on maximising theoretical return over long sessions. For the full casino picture, see the Slots.lv Review.
