All American Video Poker
All American video poker is another variation of Jacks or Better and is popular among those players who are fairly advanced in their video poker expertise. However, All American video poker holds its own and has grown in popularity over time, known to cause lines of anxious players waiting their turn on casino floors. Fortunately, now All American video poker can be played online, so no more waiting in line to play.
The main reason for its popularity is its advantageous paytable that pays generously on Flush, Straight, and Full House winning hands and offers larger payouts for hands such as Straight Flushes and Four of a Kind as well. How does this variant get away with such huge payouts? It’s quite simple actually; the All American paytable balances out by offering a reduced payout for Two Pair and a Full House.
Here is a brief look at how specific combinations payout:
- Royal Flush, Three of a Kind, and Jacks or Better - standard payout
- Straight Flush, Straight, and Flush - higher payout
- Full House and Two Pair - lower payout
The highest paying hand is the Royal Flush and the lowest is Jacks or Better, but a Straight Flush, a Straight, and a Flush will payout significantly higher in All American than in other video poker variants.
All American Strategy and Tips
All American video poker plays more or less like Jacks or Better, but you will need to apply a different strategy because All American pays more on hands you might otherwise forego for the standard highest paying hands. Note that even the pros believe that it is always best to keep paying hands as opposed to breaking them up in hopes of a better hand. That being said, below are the strategy guidelines for playing All American video poker.
If you do not have a Four of a Kind, Straight Flush, or Royal Flush winning hand on the first deal…
- Keep four cards to a Royal Flush.
- Go for a Full House.
- Keep four cards to a Straight Flush with no gaps.
- Go for a Flush.
- Go for a Straight.
- Keep four cards to a Straight Flush with one gap.
- Keep Three of a Kind.
- Keep three suited high cards.
- Keep four cards to a Flush.
- Keep K/Q/J/10 unsuited.
- Keep two Pair.
- Keep three cards to a Royal Flush with Ace high.
- Keep Q/J/10/9 or J/10/9/8 unsuited.
- Keep a high Pair (Jacks or better).
- Keep four cards to an outside Straight.
- Keep three cards to a Straight Flush.
- Keep A/K/QJ unsuited.
- Keep Q/J/8, Q/J/9, or K/Q/9 suited.
- Keep four cards to an inside straight.
- Keep three cards to a Straight Flush.
- Keep a low Pair (all cards below a Jack).
- Keep suited Q/J, K/Q, K/J.
- Keep unsuited Q/J/10, K/Q/J.
- Keep three to a Flush with two high cards.
- Keep J/10, Q/10, A/J, A/Q, or K/A suited.
- Keep J/10/9, Q/J/9, K/J/10, or K/Q/10 unsuited.
- Keep Q/J unsuited.
- Keep three to a Flush with one high card.
- Keep A/K/J or A/K/Q unsuited.
- Keep J/9 or K/10 suited.
- Keep K/Q or K/J unsuited.
- Keep two unsuited high cards.
- Keep one high card.
- Keep three cards to an outside Straight.
- Keep three to a Flush with no high cards.
- Keep two suited cards to a Straight Flush with no gaps.
If you do not have any of the above hands, discard all cards and draw five new ones. Another tip suggests that if you have a high card plus a winning Pair, don’t keep the high card. Holding the kicker together with your Pair will reduce your chances of getting Three of a Kind. Keeping the high card may see you get another high card which could end up in a Pair, but don’t forget, in All American video poker, the payouts for Two Pair (and a Full House) are significantly reduced, so as to make up for the higher paying Straight Flush, Straight, and Flush.
All American Video Poker Summed Up
If you love playing Jacks or Better, then you will definitely have an easy time playing All American video poker, which offers substantially larger payouts on Straight Flush, Straight, and Flush hands than other video poker variants. However, if you are looking for more volatility then you may want to try Double Bonus or Double Double Bonus video poker.
