Joker Poker
Joker Poker is a simple game with a thrilling blend of strategy and chance that you’ll find at many online casinos.
That combination of simplicity and high returns makes Joker Poker a favorite among many gamblers. Unique from other video poker variants, this five-card draw game introduces a twist: the inclusion of the joker.
Whether or not you have played video poker, you will know all about the game when you read further. This simple, comprehensive guide will tell you how to play Joker Poker, the correct strategy, and where to find the game.
Read on and become an expert!
Learn How to Play Joker Poker!
Everything You Need to Play & Win Joker Poker
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What Is Joker Poker?
Joker Poker is a five-card draw video poker game in which you are dealt five cards and draw to complete the best poker hand possible. You are paid according to the rank of the hand.
Rather than turn the deck’s four deuces into wild cards and preserving the 52-card structure, Joker Poker adds a 53rd card to the equation. The joker, the extra card, serves as the sole wild card.
It is a close cousin of Jacks or Better and Deuces Wild video poker.
Common Joker Poker Variations
You may find a few basic types of Joker Poker online at casino sites. We’ll discuss the most common version, but you may encounter other variations, such as the following.
Joker Poker Multi-Hand
This game is self-explanatory; it is the same as regular Joker Poker, but with extra hands using separate decks and the same Hold cards.
Each hand carries an equal wager you can adjust for an overall single bet.
Double Joker
This game plays with a 54-card deck including two jokers, so the paytable and strategy differ slightly.
However, the general game mechanics are similar to regular Joker Poker.
How to Play Joker Poker
Joker Poker is easy to play once you understand the display, paytable, and strategy. We explain those elements further down. This is a simple step-by-step guide on how to play a hand.
Familiarize Yourself With the Game
When you have loaded the game, study the layout. Know the settings, bet amounts, paytable, and available buttons and options. See a typical display below.Choose Your Bet
You will see either a total bet amount option or a coin number selection with an option for the value of each coin.
For the first case, you just have to choose your bet. It will be limited by min and max bet options.
For a coin-based game, if you choose five coins and a per-coin amount of $0.10, your total bet will be $0.50.Click on Deal and Choose Your Cards
Five cards will appear in your screen. You can click on the cards you want to hold according to the strategy for making the best possible five-card hand.
Depending on the winning hand you assemble, it’s the amount of money you will receive at the end.Click Draw
The cards you hold will remain, and the rest of the five cards will be replaced.Collect Your Winnings
You will get paid according to the Joker Poker paytable. The winning amount will be displayed and reflected on your balance.
Some games offer the chance of doubling your winning hand on a 50-50 proposition of winning double or losing the win altogether.
After the hand is resolved, you can place a new bet or rebet and click Deal to start over again.
Play Joker Poker for Free!
To train yourself on Joker Poker, try a game for free. You will notice that this game offers a regular betting system. The gameplay and strategy are the same.
However, the payouts and paytable will differ from a coin-based game.
Try Your Luck and Play for Real Money
Try Your Luck and Play for Real Money
Try Your Luck and Play for Real Money
Try Your Luck and Play for Real Money
Online Joker Poker Game Layout
When you load a Joker Poker game, you will see a display that looks like a real video poker machine. It will include the following:
- Bet amount. This may be a combination of coin numbers and coin values, which you can change to increase or lower the total bet amount. On other variations, you will see a customizable total bet amount.
- Deal / Draw button. It is prominently displayed for the initial deal of the five cards.
- Paytable. This is usually displayed above the card display but sometimes to the side. The paytable changes for the coin amount in games with coin number options.
- Win amount. It will indicate the total amount of coins, credits, or money you win with a winning hand.
- Balance. You will see a display of the amount you deposited into the game or your total casino account balance.
- Menu. Usually at the top or bottom of the display. You can go to it to change various game functions or get information such as Joker Poker rules.
Joker Poker Winning Hands
Joker Poker winning hands vary with the casino and game maker. The following list of winning hands is for the basic Kings or Better version in which a pair of Kings or Aces alone is the lowest paying hand.
It is the most popular variation of online Joker Poker and the version you will find at our recommended casinos.
The hands higher than Kings or Better and Two Pairs are poker hands that increase in value and ranking from Three of a Kind all the way to a Natural Royal Flush. Check them out here:
Note: You will notice that the card combinations that include a Joker will pay slightly less.
Joker Poker Paytables
Online casinos offer Joker Poker in slightly different versions depending on the machine manufacturer.
ProTip: We always advice our players to review the paytable of the game they are playing. The hand ranking value will likely stay the same, but the amount of money you will get paid for each may vary.
The crucial difference to remember is the minimum hand required to earn a payout begins at a pair of Kings or better on the most player-friendly machines.
The following table is considered the “full pay” version of Joker Poker.
| Hand Ranking | 1 Coin | 2 Coin | 3 Coin | 4 Coin | 5 Coin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural Royal Flush | 400 | 800 | 1200 | 1600 | 4000 |
| Five of a Kind | 200 | 400 | 600 | 800 | 1000 |
| Wild Royal Flush | 100 | 200 | 300 | 400 | 500 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| Four of a Kind | 20 | 40 | 60 | 80 | 100 |
| Full House | 7 | 14 | 21 | 28 | 35 |
| Flush | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 |
| Straight | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 |
| Three of a Kind | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Two Pair | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Kings or Better | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Return % | 99.78% | 99.78% | 99.78% | 99.78% | 100.64% |
How Much Money Can You Expect?
Many Joker Poker games follow a classic Vegas machine setup of coins and credits with a paytable graded for increased payouts for more coins.
In this type of game, you deposit one to five coins and assign a per-coin value for each hand. The paytable differs for each number of coins you deposit, with five coins offering the best return.
If you play five coins at $0.10 each, your total bet would be $0.50. If your drawn hand is three of a kind, a typical Kings or Better paytable would pay 10 times your bet or $5 (10 X .50 = 5).
If you used just a single coin or a $0.10 bet, the same paytable would pay 2X your bet for three of a kind, or $0.20. As showcased in the Joker Poker paytable above.
Other online Joker Poker games have one paytable offering the same multiplied payouts for winning hands no matter how much you bet.
They generally pay less, but you should seek a table that pays at least 7X for a full house and 5X for a flush.
Should You Make The Max Bet?
As shown above, If you play on a Joker Poker machine that uses coins and the graded paytable, you want to play all five coins. It pays so much more on the same chances of getting a winning hand.
In fact, a five-coin wager on a typical Kings or Better machine is a game with no house edge when you use an optimal strategy. Look at the Joker Poker paytables and see the differences in payouts.
Joker Poker Strategy
There are separate strategies for an initial deal – one for a joker and a deal without a joker.
The list of options is long for each, but that’s OK with Joker Poker because there is no time limit on deciding what to draw. You can look at your hand, study the chart as long as you need, and make your play. To use the following strategy charts, please follow these steps:
- Understand your initial set of cards
- Look at the strategy chart, and find the pre-draw hand that applies best to your hand
- Then choose the option highest on the chart
After you have played a few sessions of Joker Poker, the hands will go faster because you will know how the strategy chart applies to most deals.
We recommend you don’t vary from the strategy chart. The chart is a calculated and tested strategy that gives you the best chance of beating the house.
You will note, for instance, that a low pair is a keeper over many appealing hands, such as four to an open-ended straight. You keep that pair in hopes of drawing to a three-of-a-kind or two-pair.
Holding No Joker Strategy Chart
When you happen to hold no jokers among your first five cards, making use of the following list will help you decide which cards to hold and which to discard.
To use the list, simply assess your five card hand, determine which positions on the list you currently hold, and keep the highest ranked hand.
| Rank | Pre-draw Hand | Optimal Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Natural Royal Flush or Straight Flush | Hold pat hand |
| 2 | Four cards to a Natural Royal Flush | Draw one card |
| 3 | Four of a Kind, Full House, or Flush | Hold pat hand |
| 4 | Four cards to a Straight Flush | Draw one card |
| 5 | Three of a Kind or Straight | Hold pat hand |
| 6 | Three cards to a Royal Flush, K or Q high | Draw two cards |
| 7 | Two Pair | Draw one card |
| 8 | Three cards to a Royal Flush, A high | Draw three cards |
| 9 | One pair of Kings or Aces | Draw three cards |
| 10 | Four cards to a Flush | Draw one card |
| 11 | Three cards to a Straight Flush, no gap | Draw two cards |
| 12 | One low Pair | Draw three cards |
| 13 | Unsuited K Q J 10 | Draw one card |
| 14 | Three cards to a Straight Flush, one gap | Draw two cards |
| 15 | Suited A K | Draw three cards |
| 16 | Four cards to an open ended Straight | Draw one card |
| 17 | Three cards to a Straight Flush, two gaps | Draw two cards |
| 18 | Suited K Q, K J, or K 10 | Draw three cards |
| 19 | Suited A Q, A J, or A 10 | Draw three cards |
| 20 | A or K high | Draw four cards |
| 21 | Suited Q J, Q 10, or J 10 | Draw three cards |
| 22 | Discard all cards | Draw five cards |
Holding at Least One Joker Strategy Chart
On occasions when you do hold a joker in your first five cards, the following decision-making chart should be applied.
| Rank | Pre-draw Hand | Optimal Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Four of a Kind or Better | Hold pat hand |
| 2 | Four cards to a Wild Royal Flush, K high | Draw one card |
| 3 | Full House | Hold pat hand |
| 4 | Four cards to a Wild Royal Flush, A high | Draw one card |
| 5 | Four cards to a Straight Flush, no gaps | Hold pat hand |
| 6 | Flush | Hold pat hand |
| 7 | Four cards to a Straight Flush, 1 or 2 gaps | Draw one card |
| 8 | Three of a Kind or Straight | Hold pat hand |
| 9 | Four cards to a Flush with either A or K | Draw one card |
| 10 | Three cards to a Straight Flush or Wild Royal Flush | Draw two cards |
| 11 | Three cards to a Straight Flush, one gap | Draw two cards |
| 12 | Joker with unsuited K Q J, K Q 10, or K J 10 | Draw one card |
| 13 | Joker with an A, or Joker with a K | Draw three cards |
| 14 | Three cards to a Straight Flush, two gaps | Draw two cards |
| 15 | Four cards to an open ended Straight | Draw one card |
| 16 | Four cards to a Flush, no high cards | Draw one card |
| 17 | Joker with a 6, 7, or 8 | Draw three cards |
| 18 | Joker with 5, 9, or 10 | Draw three cards |
| 19 | Joker with a J | Draw three cards |
| 20 | Keep Joker only | Draw four cards |
Ultimate Tips to Win at Joker Poker
Here are a few simple tips to remember to make the optimal Joker Poker strategy a little easier to digest.
When Not Holding a Joker
- Keep any pair unless you have four cards to a straight flush or royal flush.
- Replace the final card if you have four cards to a straight, flush, straight flush, or royal flush.
- If you have a three-of-a-kind, replace the other two cards.
- If you have a four-of-a-kind, replace the other card – yes, you could get five-of-a-kind!
When Holding a Joker
When you have a joker, you should keep the following:
- Three cards to a flush.
- Three cards to a straight flush.
- Three cards to a straight.
- Three of a kind.
- One pair.
- Three cards to a royal flush.
Top Joker Poker Games for Real Money
Ready to take it up-a-notch? Now that you are a pro at Joker Poker, you can try some of our favorite variations of the game. We love the classic version, though.
After surveying the top real money online casinos for Joker Poker, we’ve come up with a few that we like, not just because they carry the game but for their overall aspects.
So, cash out your favorite casino bonus and let the fun begin!
| rank | joker poker game | casino | Bonus | play now! |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Red Dog Casino | $8,000 Welcome Bonus | PLAY NOW! |
| 2 |  | DuckyLuck Casino | 500% up to $7,500 | PLAY NOW! |
| 3 | | SlotsandCasino | 500% up to $7,500 | PLAY NOW! |
| 4 |  | Bovada Casino | 125% up to $3,750 | PLAY NOW! |
| 5 |  | Wild Casino | 100% up to $5,000 | PLAY NOW! |
Is Joker Poker Worth it?
For a long time, I believed wild-card video poker games paid less than standard Jacks or Better. When I discovered Joker Poker, I felt like the fool with the funny hat!
If you can find a good five-coin Kings or Better version of the game with optimal payouts, you actually have the edge over the house.
That’s right, the return to player rating for the top-paying Joker Poker game is 100.46%.
Even if you play another type of machine, the lowest RTP in this game is above 98%, so it is a real money video poker game well worth your time and money.
Play Joker Poker for Real Money!
Joker Poker allows you to score big if you play it long enough. The fact that it pays well keeps you in the game until that big score comes along.
If you follow a good strategy, you’ll be in the game for a long time. There’s no time like today to start on that journey to a Royal Flush.
Sign up at one of our top online casinos and start winning!
Joker Poker FAQ
Here are answers to some common questions about Joker Poker.
Can you play Joker’s Wild Poker with real money?
Yes, you can play Joker’s Wild Poker with real money at top online and land-based casinos. Joker’s Wild is simply another name for Joker Poker.
What to do if you are dealt a Joker?
If you are dealt a joker, keep it. The joker is wild and offers the chance of completing many paying hands.
How does the Joker work in poker?
The joker works in poker as a wild card, meaning it can play as any other card in the deck.
What are the odds of getting 5 of a kind on Joker Poker?
The odds of getting 5 of a kind in Joker Poker are about 1 in 11,000 or a 0.000091% probability.
