{"id":2712,"date":"2026-10-19T15:36:45","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T14:36:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/?post_type=casinos&#038;p=2712"},"modified":"2026-10-20T03:09:48","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T02:09:48","slug":"video-poker-strategy-common-mistakes","status":"publish","type":"casinos","link":"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/casino\/video-poker\/video-poker-strategy-common-mistakes\/","title":{"rendered":"Video Poker Strategy: Which Cards to Hold and Mistakes to Avoid"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once the cards are dealt, your only decision is the hold. This guide shows how the best hold is chosen, how many cards it usually keeps, a 16-step order of preference for 9\/6 Jacks or Better that gives up almost nothing, six deals in which the tempting hold loses, what common mistakes cost in pounds and what no hold or system can alter.<\/p>\n\n\n<style id=\"bg-tk-css\">.bg-tk{background:#fff;border-radius:14px;padding:24px;margin:28px 0;box-shadow:0 4px 14px rgba(3,20,38,.06);border:1px solid #eef0f3;position:relative;overflow:hidden;}.bg-tk::before{content:\"\";position:absolute;left:0;top:0;bottom:0;width:5px;}.bg-tk[data-theme=\"bold-gambler\"]::before{background:#FF4A4A;}.bg-tk[data-theme=\"dica\"]::before{background:#FD5000;}.bg-tk-title{margin:0 0 14px !important;font-size:1.15rem;font-weight:800;line-height:1.3;}.bg-tk[data-theme=\"bold-gambler\"] .bg-tk-title{color:#031426;}.bg-tk[data-theme=\"dica\"] .bg-tk-title{color:#005259;}.bg-tk-body{font-size:.95rem;line-height:1.65;color:#1f2937;}.bg-tk-body p{margin:0 0 10px;}.bg-tk-body p:last-child{margin-bottom:0;}.bg-tk-body ul,.bg-tk-body ol{margin:0 0 10px;padding-left:20px;}.bg-tk-body li{margin-bottom:10px;line-height:1.6;}.bg-tk-body li:last-child{margin-bottom:0;}.bg-tk-body li strong{color:#0f172a;}.bg-tk[data-theme=\"bold-gambler\"] .bg-tk-body ul li::marker{color:#FF4A4A;font-weight:800;}.bg-tk[data-theme=\"dica\"] .bg-tk-body ul li::marker{color:#FD5000;font-weight:800;}<\/style><div class=\"bg-tk\" data-theme=\"bold-gambler\"><h3 class=\"bg-tk-title\">Key Takeaways: Video Poker Strategy and Common Mistakes<\/h3><div class=\"bg-tk-body\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Simple Strategy Value:<\/strong> Memorising a 16-step chart on 9\/6 Jacks or Better yields a 99.46% return, costing only 0.08 percentage points compared to mathematically optimal play.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Break Hands for Royals:<\/strong> The massive royal payout justifies breaking a made straight for a four-card royal draw, while holding useless kickers alongside pairs or trips only dilutes hand value.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Pre-Game Errors Cost More:<\/strong> Choosing short-pay tables like 8\/5 or betting fewer than five coins penalises your bankroll significantly more than minor strategic mistakes during hands.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Charts Do Not Transfer:<\/strong> Using a Jacks or Better chart on different games severely damages return, slightly lowering bonus game payouts and dropping full-pay Deuces Wild to 61.71%.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-how-a-best-hold-is-chosen\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">How a Best Hold Is Chosen<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A video poker deal offers 32 possible holds, from keeping every card to keeping none. To rank them, work out what each one pays on average across every draw that could follow, then pick the largest. Do that on every deal of 9\/6 Jacks or Better and you get the 99.54% return quoted for the game. The best hold can still be beaten by a weaker one on any single hand, so strategy has to be judged across millions of deals and not by the next result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Only two things feed that calculation: your five cards and the pay table on the screen. How the last hand went, how long you have been playing and how much you have left play no part. Raise one prize and every card combination that can reach it gains value, so the best hold changes whenever the table does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-hold-sizes-how-many-cards-stay\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Hold Sizes: How Many Cards Stay<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">How many cards does the best hold keep? Across all 2,598,960 possible starting hands, the table gives the answer for 9\/6 Jacks or Better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><td><strong>Cards kept<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Share of deals where that is the best hold<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>All five<\/td><td>0.7%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Four<\/td><td>11.3%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Three<\/td><td>5.7%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Two<\/td><td>63.5%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>One<\/td><td>15.5%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>None, with five new cards drawn<\/td><td>3.2%<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pairs and combinations of high cards settle most deals, which is why two-card holds top the list. Keeping all five cards is right in only 0.7% of deals, even though 20.6% of deals already pay something before the draw. The skill lies mostly in choosing between small holds, which a ranked list handles well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-sixteen-steps-for-9-6-jacks-or-better\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sixteen Steps for 9\/6 Jacks or Better<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Read the list from the top and stop at the first line your hand matches, keeping exactly those cards. High cards means jacks, queens, kings and aces. An outside straight draw is four consecutive cards that can be completed at either end, such as 5-6-7-8, which needs a 4 or a 9. Each line starts with the share of deals in which it applies first. Played faithfully, the list returns 99.46%, which is 0.08 points below the 99.54% of perfect play. It follows the simple strategy that the Wizard of Odds publishes for this table, though the return was recomputed here by an exact count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>0.03% of deals: keep a made royal flush, straight flush or four of a kind.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>0.04% of deals: keep four cards to a royal flush.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2.84% of deals: keep a made full house, flush, straight or three of a kind.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>0.20% of deals: keep four cards to a straight flush.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>4.75% of deals: keep two pair.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>12.98% of deals: keep a pair of jacks, queens, kings or aces.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1.09% of deals: keep three cards to a royal flush.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>3.29% of deals: keep four cards to a flush.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>28.22% of deals: keep a pair of tens or lower.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2.27% of deals: keep four cards to an outside straight.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>6.82% of deals: keep two suited high cards.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2.53% of deals: keep three cards to a straight flush.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>15.55% of deals: keep two unsuited high cards (from three or more, keep the lowest two).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1.14% of deals: keep the 10 when it is suited with a jack, queen or king.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>15.01% of deals: keep a single high card.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>3.25% of deals: keep nothing and draw five new cards.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The shortcut has a price. The list differs from the best hold in 2.3% of deals, which works out at one bet lost per 1,181 hands, or 51p an hour at \u00a31 a hand and 600 hands an hour. For a list you can memorise, that is a small fee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-six-deals-where-instinct-loses\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Six Deals Where Instinct Loses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A few holds look wrong until you see the numbers. Each row gives a deal, the tempting hold and the better one, with each hold&#8217;s average return per coin bet, on the 9\/6 Jacks or Better table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><td><strong>Deal<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Tempting hold<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Worth<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Better hold<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Worth<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Gap per coin bet<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>K\u2666 Q\u2666 J\u2666 9\u2666 2\u2663<\/td><td>Three to a royal flush<\/td><td>1.43<\/td><td>Four cards to a flush<\/td><td>2.53<\/td><td>1.10<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>A\u2660 K\u2660 Q\u2660 J\u2660 10\u2666<\/td><td>The made straight<\/td><td>4.00<\/td><td>Four cards to a royal flush<\/td><td>18.47<\/td><td>14.47<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>K\u2663 Q\u2663 7\u2660 7\u2665 7\u2666<\/td><td>The three 7s and the queen<\/td><td>3.85<\/td><td>The three 7s alone<\/td><td>4.30<\/td><td>0.45<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>K\u2660 Q\u2665 J\u2665 8\u2666 3\u2663<\/td><td>Three high cards<\/td><td>0.52<\/td><td>The suited jack and queen<\/td><td>0.61<\/td><td>0.09<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>K\u2660 Q\u2660 J\u2660 5\u2660 5\u2665<\/td><td>The pair of fives<\/td><td>0.82<\/td><td>Three to a royal flush<\/td><td>1.48<\/td><td>0.66<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>A\u2660 K\u2665 9\u2660 4\u2666 4\u2663<\/td><td>The ace and king<\/td><td>0.48<\/td><td>The pair of fours<\/td><td>0.82<\/td><td>0.34<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Each row has its own lesson. Four to a royal flush is worth 18.47 against 4.00 for a made straight, because the prize at the top dwarfs everything else. In the first row, four to a flush beats three to a royal, helped by the 10 of diamonds, which would also complete a straight flush. Three of a kind is better with two fresh cards than with a kicker kept beside it, and the same logic favours throwing away the fifth card. In the fourth row, adding the king to a suited jack and queen lowers the value, since a suited pair is worth more than three mixed high cards. Three to a royal beats a low pair, and a low pair beats two unsuited high cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-what-common-mistakes-cost\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Common Mistakes Cost<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many costly mistakes happen before the first deal, in the choice of game and the number of coins, and others come from carrying a chart to the wrong game. The table prices each habit against perfect play on the same game, giving the extra expected cost per \u00a31,000 staked and across a 600-hand hour at \u00a31 a hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><td><strong>Habit<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Extra cost per \u00a31,000 staked<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Extra cost per 600-hand hour<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Return it leaves<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Betting four coins instead of five<\/td><td>\u00a311.70<\/td><td>\u00a37.02<\/td><td>98.37%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Playing 8\/5 instead of 9\/6<\/td><td>\u00a322.45<\/td><td>\u00a313.47<\/td><td>97.30%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Always keeping a made flush or straight<\/td><td>\u00a31.17<\/td><td>70p<\/td><td>99.43%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Relying on the 16-step list<\/td><td>85p<\/td><td>51p<\/td><td>99.46%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Borrowing the Jacks or Better chart for Double Double Bonus 9\/6<\/td><td>\u00a35.39<\/td><td>\u00a33.23<\/td><td>98.44%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Borrowing the Jacks or Better chart for Triple Double Bonus 9\/7<\/td><td>\u00a324.30<\/td><td>\u00a314.58<\/td><td>97.15%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Borrowing the Jacks or Better chart for full-pay Deuces Wild<\/td><td>\u00a3390.48<\/td><td>\u00a3234.29<\/td><td>61.71%<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Notice the last three rows. A chart carried to the wrong game can cost far more than a stray wrong hold, and the last row costs more than every other habit in the table combined. The next table ranks nine games and pay tables by what the Jacks or Better chart loses on them, smallest first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><td><strong>Game<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Points of return lost<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Return with its own chart<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Return with the Jacks or Better chart<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Deals with a different best hold<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Jacks or Better 8\/5<\/td><td>0.01<\/td><td>97.30%<\/td><td>97.29%<\/td><td>0.4%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Bonus Poker 8\/5<\/td><td>0.01<\/td><td>99.17%<\/td><td>99.16%<\/td><td>0.5%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Aces and Faces 8\/5<\/td><td>0.01<\/td><td>99.26%<\/td><td>99.25%<\/td><td>0.6%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Bonus Poker Deluxe 9\/6<\/td><td>0.03<\/td><td>99.64%<\/td><td>99.61%<\/td><td>2.5%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Double Double Bonus Poker 9\/6<\/td><td>0.54<\/td><td>98.98%<\/td><td>98.44%<\/td><td>10.8%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Double Bonus Poker 10\/7<\/td><td>0.54<\/td><td>100.17%<\/td><td>99.63%<\/td><td>17.0%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Triple Double Bonus Poker 9\/7<\/td><td>2.43<\/td><td>99.58%<\/td><td>97.15%<\/td><td>20.9%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>All American Poker 35\/8<\/td><td>3.44<\/td><td>99.60%<\/td><td>96.16%<\/td><td>23.5%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Deuces Wild, full pay<\/td><td>39.05<\/td><td>100.76%<\/td><td>61.71%<\/td><td>57.7%<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the tables that share the shape of the parent game, the borrowed chart loses almost nothing. As the pay table moves away from it, the chart fails fast, so before you try an unfamiliar game, find the strategy written for that exact table. The <a href=\"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/casino\/video-poker\/jacks-or-better-bonus-double-bonus-poker\/\">guide to Double Bonus and its relatives<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/casino\/video-poker\/deuces-wild-joker-poker-guide\/\">Deuces Wild and Joker guide<\/a> show where the holds move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-what-no-hold-or-system-can-change\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">What No Hold or System Can Change<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A hold cannot move the pay table. Even perfect play on 8\/5 Jacks or Better is expected to cost 2.70% of everything staked, and on 9\/6 only 36.6% of 600-hand hours end ahead, a point the <a href=\"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/casino\/video-poker\/video-poker-maths-rtp-volatility-guide\/\">guide to hours and budgets<\/a> develops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Strategy cannot find patterns either, because there are none to find. A fresh shuffle precedes every hand, no royal flush is ever due and counting the cards you have seen tells you nothing about the next deal. RTS 7A of the Gambling Commission&#8217;s technical standards requires results to be acceptably random and says that adaptive behaviour, which it defines as a compensated game, is not permitted. Its guidance adds that this rules out automatic or manual interventions that change the probabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Betting systems fail too. The house keeps the same fixed fraction of everything staked whether you raise your bet after a loss or trim it after a win, so a bigger or smaller bet changes the money at risk and never the fraction kept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-where-strategy-meets-the-rest-of-the-series\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where Strategy Meets the Rest of the Series<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seven other guides pick up where this one stops. They are listed below, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/hub\/video-poker\/\">overview of the whole series<\/a> puts all eight side by side:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/casino\/video-poker\/how-to-play-video-poker-uk\/\">how to play video poker in the UK<\/a>: bet, deal, hold and draw followed through one real hand, with an hour priced in pounds.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/casino\/video-poker\/video-poker-hands-pay-tables-explained\/\">how to read a pay table<\/a>: which rows set the price of a game and where its return comes from.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/casino\/video-poker\/jacks-or-better-bonus-double-bonus-poker\/\">Bonus Poker and Double Bonus compared<\/a>: return, hit rate and swing for each well-known table.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/casino\/video-poker\/deuces-wild-joker-poker-guide\/\">wild-card video poker explained<\/a>: Deuces Wild in three pay tables, Joker Poker and the holds that change.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/casino\/video-poker\/multi-hand-ultimate-x-spin-poker-guide\/\">the multi-hand video poker guide<\/a>: three to a hundred hands from a single deal, priced in pounds.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/casino\/video-poker\/video-poker-maths-rtp-volatility-guide\/\">how video poker returns are worked out<\/a>: house edge, the royal flush share and how to size a stake.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/casino\/video-poker\/online-video-poker-regulations-uk-player-safety\/\">how the Gambling Commission oversees casino games<\/a>: licensing, technical standards, complaints and the checks to make before a deposit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-a-better-hold-still-has-a-price\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Better Hold Still Has a Price<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Good holds make video poker cheaper without making it free. It stays paid entertainment, every hand carries an expected cost and no chart, system or hot streak opens a route to profit. Agree a budget and a time limit before the first deal, and lean on the tools that our <a href=\"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/safer-gambling\/\">safer gambling pages<\/a> explain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"faq-section\">\n    <h3 class=\"faq-title\"><span>\u2753<\/span> Video Poker Strategy and the Costliest Mistakes: Frequently Asked Questions<\/h3>\n\n    <details class=\"faq-item\">\n        <summary><h4>How accurate is a memorised list of holds?<\/h4><\/summary>\n        <div class=\"faq-answer\">\n            Played faithfully, the 16-step list returns 99.46% on 9\/6 Jacks or Better, which is 0.08 points under the 99.54% of perfect play. That gap costs about 51p an hour at \u00a31 a hand and 600 hands an hour. <strong>A memorised list gives up only a sliver<\/strong>.\n        <\/div>\n    <\/details>\n\n    <details class=\"faq-item\">\n        <summary><h4>Should I keep a made straight when I hold four to a royal flush?<\/h4><\/summary>\n        <div class=\"faq-answer\">\n            No. Dealt A\u2660 K\u2660 Q\u2660 J\u2660 10\u2666, the four royal cards are worth 18.47 per coin bet, while the made straight is worth 4.00. Always keeping a made flush or straight adds \u00a31.17 to the cost of every \u00a31,000 staked. <strong>Break a straight or flush when the draw is worth far more<\/strong>.\n        <\/div>\n    <\/details>\n\n    <details class=\"faq-item\">\n        <summary><h4>Should I keep a low pair or three to a royal flush?<\/h4><\/summary>\n        <div class=\"faq-answer\">\n            In 9\/6 Jacks or Better, keep the royal draw. Dealt K\u2660 Q\u2660 J\u2660 5\u2660 5\u2665, three to the royal is worth 1.48 per coin bet, four to the flush 1.34 and the pair of fives 0.82. <strong>A suited run of high cards outranks a low pair<\/strong>.\n        <\/div>\n    <\/details>\n\n    <details class=\"faq-item\">\n        <summary><h4>Do bigger bets after a loss improve my chances?<\/h4><\/summary>\n        <div class=\"faq-answer\">\n            No. The house keeps a fixed fraction of everything staked, so changing your bet changes how much is at risk and nothing more. Each hand also follows a fresh shuffle, and RTS 7A bars a licensed game from adapting its odds to your results. <strong>Your bet size never changes the fraction the house keeps<\/strong>.\n        <\/div>\n    <\/details>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Once the cards are dealt, your only decision is the hold. This guide shows how the best hold is chosen, how many cards it usually keeps, a 16-step order of preference for 9\/6 Jacks or Better that gives up almost nothing, six deals in which the tempting hold loses, what common mistakes cost in pounds&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"cat_casino":[66],"hub_relacionado":[132],"class_list":["post-2712","casinos","type-casinos","status-publish","hentry","cat_casino-video-poker","hub_relacionado-video-poker"],"acf":{"hreflang_group":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.3.1 (Yoast SEO v28.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Video Poker Strategy: 16-Step Hold Chart &amp; Common Mistakes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Master video poker strategy: learn the 16-step chart for 9\/6 Jacks or Better, avoid costly mistakes, and make optimal card holds.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/casino\/video-poker\/video-poker-strategy-common-mistakes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Video Poker Strategy: Which Cards to Hold and Mistakes to Avoid\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Master video poker strategy: learn the 16-step chart for 9\/6 Jacks or Better, avoid costly mistakes, and make optimal card holds.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/casino\/video-poker\/video-poker-strategy-common-mistakes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Bold Gambler UK\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-10-20T02:09:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/boldgambler.com\\\/uk\\\/casino\\\/video-poker\\\/video-poker-strategy-common-mistakes\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/boldgambler.com\\\/uk\\\/casino\\\/video-poker\\\/video-poker-strategy-common-mistakes\\\/\",\"name\":\"Video Poker Strategy: 16-Step Hold Chart & Common Mistakes\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/boldgambler.com\\\/uk\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-19T14:36:45+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-20T02:09:48+00:00\",\"description\":\"Master video poker strategy: learn the 16-step chart for 9\\\/6 Jacks or Better, avoid costly mistakes, and make optimal card holds.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/boldgambler.com\\\/uk\\\/casino\\\/video-poker\\\/video-poker-strategy-common-mistakes\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/boldgambler.com\\\/uk\\\/casino\\\/video-poker\\\/video-poker-strategy-common-mistakes\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/boldgambler.com\\\/uk\\\/casino\\\/video-poker\\\/video-poker-strategy-common-mistakes\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"In\u00edcio\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/boldgambler.com\\\/uk\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Video Poker\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/boldgambler.com\\\/uk\\\/casino\\\/video-poker\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Video Poker Strategy: Which Cards to Hold and Mistakes to Avoid\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/boldgambler.com\\\/uk\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/boldgambler.com\\\/uk\\\/\",\"name\":\"Bold Gambler UK\",\"description\":\"Trusted and Genuine Information on Online Games\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/boldgambler.com\\\/uk\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/boldgambler.com\\\/uk\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/boldgambler.com\\\/uk\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Bold Gambler UK\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/boldgambler.com\\\/uk\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/boldgambler.com\\\/uk\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/boldgambler.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/7\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/cropped-Bold-Gambler-Transparente-Home.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/boldgambler.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/7\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/cropped-Bold-Gambler-Transparente-Home.webp\",\"width\":1535,\"height\":614,\"caption\":\"Bold Gambler UK\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/boldgambler.com\\\/uk\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Video Poker Strategy: 16-Step Hold Chart & Common Mistakes","description":"Master video poker strategy: learn the 16-step chart for 9\/6 Jacks or Better, avoid costly mistakes, and make optimal card holds.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/casino\/video-poker\/video-poker-strategy-common-mistakes\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Video Poker Strategy: Which Cards to Hold and Mistakes to Avoid","og_description":"Master video poker strategy: learn the 16-step chart for 9\/6 Jacks or Better, avoid costly mistakes, and make optimal card holds.","og_url":"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/casino\/video-poker\/video-poker-strategy-common-mistakes\/","og_site_name":"Bold Gambler UK","article_modified_time":"2026-10-20T02:09:48+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Estimated reading time":"10 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/casino\/video-poker\/video-poker-strategy-common-mistakes\/","url":"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/casino\/video-poker\/video-poker-strategy-common-mistakes\/","name":"Video Poker Strategy: 16-Step Hold Chart & Common Mistakes","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-10-19T14:36:45+00:00","dateModified":"2026-10-20T02:09:48+00:00","description":"Master video poker strategy: learn the 16-step chart for 9\/6 Jacks or Better, avoid costly mistakes, and make optimal card holds.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/casino\/video-poker\/video-poker-strategy-common-mistakes\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/casino\/video-poker\/video-poker-strategy-common-mistakes\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/casino\/video-poker\/video-poker-strategy-common-mistakes\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"In\u00edcio","item":"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Video Poker","item":"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/casino\/video-poker\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Video Poker Strategy: Which Cards to Hold and Mistakes to Avoid"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/#website","url":"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/","name":"Bold Gambler UK","description":"Trusted and Genuine Information on Online Games","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/#organization","name":"Bold Gambler UK","url":"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/10\/cropped-Bold-Gambler-Transparente-Home.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/10\/cropped-Bold-Gambler-Transparente-Home.webp","width":1535,"height":614,"caption":"Bold Gambler UK"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"taxonomy_info":{"cat_casino":[{"value":66,"label":"Video Poker"}],"hub_relacionado":[{"value":132,"label":"Video Poker"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":{"display_name":"Lucas Portela","author_link":"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/author\/loucosporapostasgmail-com\/"},"comment_info":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/casinos\/2712","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/casinos"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/casinos"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2712"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/casinos\/2712\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2742,"href":"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/casinos\/2712\/revisions\/2742"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2712"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cat_casino","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cat_casino?post=2712"},{"taxonomy":"hub_relacionado","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/boldgambler.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hub_relacionado?post=2712"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}