Video Poker
Five-card draw, Jacks or Better paytable. Played optimally (perfect hold/discard decisions) the house edge falls to 0.46% — the lowest non-zero edge of any Duel original. The decisions matter; play them right and the math is on your side.
How Video Poker works
Place a bet. Get dealt 5 cards. Choose which to hold (0–5). Discarded cards are replaced by fresh draws. Final hand is paid against a published table: Pair of Jacks or higher (1×), Two Pair (2×), Three of a Kind (3×), Straight (4×), Flush (6×), Full House (9×), Four of a Kind (25×), Straight Flush (50×), Royal Flush (800× on max bet).
Optimal hold decisions
There is exactly one mathematically correct hold for every 5-card hand. Memorising a basic-strategy table for Jacks or Better drops the edge from ~5% to 0.46%. The Royal Flush bonus on max-bet (800× vs 250× per coin) means always playing max-bet is part of optimal strategy. Hand ranking heuristics: hold pairs over kickers, hold 4-to-flush over 3-to-straight, never break a made flush for a Royal draw.
How to verify a Video Poker hand
Both the initial 5-card deal and the replacement cards are drawn from a deterministic Fisher-Yates shuffle of the 52-card deck, derived from the seed pair + nonce. Recompute the shuffle locally and confirm the dealt order matches the casino's published log.
Read the full fairness guideVideo Poker FAQ
Is Video Poker the same EV as a slot machine?
No. A slot's EV is fixed at the published RTP. Video Poker EV depends on hold decisions — perfect play returns 99.54%, random play returns ~95%. The skill component is real and worth ~4.5%.
Why does max bet matter for Royal Flush payouts?
Max bet (5 coins) pays 800× on Royal Flush; 1-coin pays 250×. Always playing max bet is part of optimal strategy — it raises long-run RTP by ~2%.
Can I see a strategy chart while playing?
Yes. The casino does not police external strategy aids — if you want to follow a printed Jacks or Better optimal-play table, that is exactly the math the casino expects players to use.
What is the variance like compared to other originals?
Lower than Mines or Crash, higher than Castle Roulette or Blackjack. The Royal Flush is a once-per-40,000-hand event; without it the game runs as a steady high-frequency, low-volatility grind.