Free Drill
The 20 most misplayed hands in video poker, dealt at random until you cannot get them wrong. Tap the cards to hold, check your play, and see the exact EV of your decision versus optimal — graded by the same engine behind the trainer. Game: 9/6 Jacks or Better.
Every hand here sits on a knife edge: a low pair against four to a flush, a pat straight against four to a royal, a lone ace against a lone jack. These are the decisions that separate a 99.5% player from a 97% player, because the wrong choice looks completely reasonable. The drill deals randomized versions of each pattern so you learn the rule, not the specific cards. Penalty-card situations occasionally flip a close call — the engine grades whatever is actually on the screen, so the verdict is always exact for that hand.
| Pattern | The temptation |
|---|---|
| Low pair vs four to a flush | Chasing the flush |
| High pair vs four to a flush | Breaking a paying pair |
| Low pair vs four to a straight | Chasing the open ender |
| High pair vs three to a royal | Chasing the royal |
| Three to a royal inside four to a flush | Settling for the flush draw |
| Pat straight vs four to a royal | Keeping the sure 4 coins |
| Pat flush vs four to a royal | Keeping the sure 6 coins |
| Pat flush with three to a royal | Breaking the flush too early |
| Pat straight vs four to a straight flush | Both directions feel right |
| AKQJ inside straight | Holding fewer high cards |
| KQJ mixed vs QJ suited | Holding the extra king |
| Suited 10-J vs lone jack | Dropping the ten |
| Trips with an ace kicker | Keeping the kicker |
| Two pair with a kicker | Holding only the high pair |
| Low pair vs two high cards | Ditching the pair for K-Q |
| Low pair vs three to a royal | Clinging to the pair |
| Inside straight with three high cards | Dropping to KQJ alone |
| Three high cards with an ace | Holding all three |
| Three to a straight flush vs two high cards | Grabbing the paint |
| Junk with a lone ten | Holding something |