The Royal Flush. It’s the unicorn of video poker, the hand that delivers that glorious 4000-coin jackpot. So when you’re dealt three suited Broadway cards—say, a Queen, Jack, and Ten of hearts—your pulse quickens. The instinct is primal: hold those three cards and chase the dream!
But what if that instinct is wrong?
While chasing the Royal is a cornerstone of expert play, it’s not an unbreakable rule. A three-card Royal Flush draw is a powerful hand, but it’s not invincible. There’s a whole hierarchy of made hands and stronger draws that offer a better mathematical return, or Expected Value (EV).
Knowing when to ditch the dream for a more profitable reality is what separates disciplined players from those who donate to the casino. Today, we’re breaking down the eight types of hands that, according to optimal 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy, you should always hold over a three-card Royal Flush draw.
The Untouchables: Made Hands That Always Win
These are the easy ones. If you are dealt one of these hands, you should never break it up, not even for a shot at the Royal.
1. A Made Straight Flush
- Hand: 8♠ 9♠ 10♠ J♠ Q♠
- The Tempting Play: Hold the 10♠ J♠ Q♠ for the Royal draw.
- The Correct Play: Hold all five cards.
- The Breakdown: This is a no-brainer, but it establishes the principle. Why chase a chance at a Royal Flush when you already have a guaranteed 50-for-1 Straight Flush? The EV of a made hand this strong is astronomical compared to any draw.
- Analyze This Hand Yourself: Video Poker Analyzer
2. A Made Flush
- Hand: K♠ Q♠ 10♠ 3♠ 2♠
- The Tempting Play: Hold the K♠ Q♠ 10♠.
- The Correct Play: Hold all five cards.
- The Breakdown: You have a guaranteed 6-for-1 payout. The EV of holding the flush is far greater than the EV of the three-card Royal draw. Don’t sacrifice a solid, guaranteed win for a longshot.
- Analyze This Hand Yourself: Video Poker Analyzer
3. A Made Straight
- Hand: 8♠ 9♣ 10♦ J♦ Q♦
- The Tempting Play: Hold the 10♦ J♦ Q♦.
- The Correct Play: Hold all five cards.
- The Breakdown: Similar to the flush, you have a guaranteed 4-for-1 payout. The EV of holding the straight (4.0) crushes the EV of the three-card Royal draw. Take the guaranteed money and don’t look back.
- Analyze This Hand Yourself: Video Poker Analyzer
4. Three of a Kind
- Hand: J♠ J♥ J♦ Q♠ K♠
- The Tempting Play: Hold the J♠ Q♠ K♠.
- The Correct Play: Hold the J♠ J♥ J♦.
- The Breakdown: A made Three of a Kind is a strong hand with an EV of about 4.31. It’s already a 3-for-1 winner and has great potential to improve to a Full House or Four of a Kind. This solid value is mathematically superior to the speculative three-card Royal draw.
- Analyze This Hand Yourself: Video Poker Analyzer
5. Two Pair
- Hand: K♠ K♥ Q♠ Q♥ J♠
- The Tempting Play: Hold the K♠ Q♠ J♠.
- The Correct Play: Hold the K♠ K♥ Q♠ Q♥.
- The Breakdown: Two Pair is a guaranteed 2-for-1 winner with a chance to improve to a Full House on the draw. Its EV is around 2.60, which is significantly better than the three-card Royal draw’s EV.
- Analyze This Hand Yourself: Video Poker Analyzer
The Strong Draws: When Potential Beats Potential
Sometimes, you have to choose between two incomplete hands. In these cases, you go with the draw that has the highest overall value.
6. Four Cards to a Straight Flush
- Hand: 9♠ 10♠ J♠ Q♠ 5♣
- The Tempting Play: Hold the 10♠ J♠ Q♠.
- The Correct Play: Hold the 9♠ 10♠ J♠ Q♠.
- The Breakdown: This is a monster draw. You have outs to a Straight Flush, a regular Flush, and a Straight. The combined EV of a four-card Straight Flush draw is much higher than a three-card Royal draw. Strategy charts place a 4-card Straight Flush far above a 3-card Royal for a reason.
- Analyze This Hand Yourself: Video Poker Analyzer
7. Four Cards to a Flush
- Hand: A♠ Q♠ 10♠ 5♠ K♦
- The Tempting Play: Hold the A♠ Q♠ 10♠.
- The Correct Play: Hold the A♠ Q♠ 10♠ 5♠.
- The Breakdown: While the allure of the Royal is strong, a four-card flush gives you a much higher probability of hitting a paying hand. With nine cards of your suit remaining in the deck, you have a solid chance at a 6-for-1 payout. This more reliable path to a win makes it the preferred play over the more speculative three-card Royal draw.
- Analyze This Hand Yourself: Video Poker Analyzer
The Ultimate Discipline Test
This is the one that trips up the most players. It requires ignoring the siren song of the Royal for the cold, hard math of a guaranteed payout.
8. A High Pair (Jacks or Better)
- Hand: J♠ J♥ Q♠ K♠ 5♣
- The Tempting Play: Hold the J♠ Q♠ K♠.
- The Correct Play: Hold the J♠ J♥.
- The Breakdown: This is the moment of truth for any serious player. You have a guaranteed 1-for-1 payout with the high pair, and it has a great chance to improve to Two Pair, Three of a Kind, or better. Strategy charts confirm that the EV of a High Pair is higher than a three-card Royal draw. It feels less exciting, but it is the mathematically superior play every single time.
- Analyze This Hand Yourself: Video Poker Analyzer
Know the Pecking Order
The Royal Flush is the ultimate goal, but you can’t pursue it blindly. Optimal video poker is a game of discipline, and that means knowing the strict hierarchy of hands. A three-card Royal draw is a valuable starting point, but it gets outranked by any made hand, a four-card flush, a four-card straight flush, and—most importantly—a paying high pair.
Internalizing this pecking order is the key to making the right decision, every time. Use the hand analyzer, test these scenarios, and build the discipline to turn off your gut and trust the numbers.