Jacks or Couldn’t Be Better
Jacks or Better is considered one of the first spin-offs of the classic poker game. It used to be called simply Draw poker. The rules as well as the winning combinations are standard. With only one exception. There is an extra combination — a pair of jacks or any other cards higher in rank. Through this extra combo, the game got its name. The main goal at Jacks or Better is the same as in other poker games. You need to hit a combination of cards, the higher your combo is, the more you will win.
The Jacks or Better combinations are standard. There are flush royal, straight flush, quads, full house, flush, straight, three cards and two pairs. As we have mentioned earlier, there is one more combo called Jacks or Better. It is basically a pair of either Jacks, or Queens, or Kings, or Aces. The usual payout for such a combo is relatively modest: 1:1 only. But at least you don’t lose your stake. What makes Jacks or Better stand out against all other poker spin-offs is its multi-hand option.
What is a hand? A common question among the newbies. A hand is a set of five cards you hold. If there is a multi-hand option, it means literally that you will be given not a single set of five cards, but more. Your odds to win more get higher with every extra hand on your hands. Excuse the tautology. How many hands can there be? There might be 1, 4, 10, 25 or even 50 hands. Today, most games have 50 as the max allowed number of hands. So your joy from a simple five-card game may get 50 times grander.
How to play Jacks or Better? It’s easy: pretty much like any other draw poker game. First you make a bet. Choosing the bet might seem complicated at first. Different machines have different approaches to betting. But usually you have to choose the value and the number of coins you would like to wager. The value may go from 0.01 to 10.00 credits. As for coins, you are usually limited to five coins tops. Usually, the maximum total bet does not exceed 2,500 credits.
Then choose the number of hands you wish to get. There is usually a special button or a control on a game’s interface so you can make your choice fast. Having done all these, press the deal button. You will get five cards or five cards times as many hands as you have chosen. If you hit a combo after the first dealing, the cards will be held automatically. If not, you may choose what cards to leave on the table and what to discard.
Then the cards are dealt again. If a combo was formed, you get paid according to the pay chart. Many providers put the pay chart right on the main table of the game, so the players may take a peek at it any time they want.
Of course there are some perks. If you win, for instance, you might be qualified for an extra option called Gamble. It is a chance to risk your winnings and try to double your them. How does it work? After you win a new window pops up and you will be offered to gamble your winnings either in full, or only half of the total amount. This feature actually raises your edge at a game of chance a lot, as it has a 50/50 chance to win.
So pick your poison: press either a Double or a Double Half button, and play an easy pick-me game against the dealer.
You will see a set of fife cards before you. The leftmost one is open. It’s the dealer’s card. The other 4 cards are dealt face down. All you need to do is to pick a card that would be higher in rank than the dealer’s. If you manage to pick the higher card, your wins get doubled or semi-doubled. You may then go on gambling, if you wish, or may just press ‘Collect’ and get back to the main game mode.
If your card is lower in rank, than you lose your wins. Whether in full or just a half of it depends on what choice you have made at the beginning. Then you return to the main mode.
As you can see the game is pretty basic, but geez, it is captivating. The best thing about it is its high winning possibilities. Jacks or Better has an RTP of over 97%. It means the gambler’s advantage over the house is extremely high. And at the same time it is a regular poker with all its pros and cons. And the winning advice would be identical to the one poker fans get.
If you have only small cards, keep the cards over 10, they may come in handy. If you have one high card, discard the rest and draw four more. And watch out for combos. If they don’t get fixed automatically, you might end up discarding them and losing hell lot of money.
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