99.54% RTP
With optimal hold strategy. Random holds cost about 4.5% extra.
Duel Original · Skill matters
Video Poker
Five-card draw on a Jacks or Better table. Hold the cards that maximize EV, discard the rest, get paid on the final hand. Play optimally and edge falls to 0.46%, the lowest non-zero edge in Originals after you account for decisions. Play randomly and you are closer to 95%.
RTP
99.54%
House edge
0.46%
Volatility
Medium
Jacks or Better
Standard pay table: pair of jacks minimum to get paid.
Max bet matters
Royal flush pays 800× per coin on five-coin bet, 250× on one coin.
Why Video Poker
Slots speed with blackjack-grade decision math
Video Poker sits between slots and table games. The deal speed feels like a slot. The EV lever is hold/discard strategy on every hand. There is one correct hold for every five-card combination on Jacks or Better. Learn the chart or keep it open. Duel does not police strategy cards. Max bet is part of optimal play because royal flush pay jumps at five coins.
Royal flush hits about once per 40,000 hands. Without max bet, you leave roughly 2% RTP on the table even with perfect holds on every other hand.
How to play
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).
Initial deal and replacement cards both come from the same provably fair deck order. Verify the full sequence after the hand, not just the first five cards.
Rules sheet
Video Poker rules at a glance
Jacks or Better pay table. Hold 0-5 cards, one draw round.
| Rule | Duel Video Poker |
|---|---|
| Variant | Jacks or Better |
| RTP (optimal holds) | 99.54% (0.46% edge) |
| Royal flush (5 coins) | 800× per coin |
| Min paying hand | Pair of Jacks or better |
| Min bet | $0.10 (play 5 coins for optimal royal pay) |
| Provably fair | Full deck shuffle from seed pair |
Strategy
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.
Hold high pairs over gut-feel straight draws. Hold four to flush over three to straight. Never break a made flush to chase royal unless the chart says so for that exact five cards.
Provably fair
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 guideComplete Video Poker guide
Video Poker reference: holds, pay table, max bet, verification
Duel Video Poker: Jacks or Better pay ladder, why max bet matters, optimal hold basics, and verifying initial deal plus draw cards.
What it is
Video Poker is Duel's five-card draw machine with a published Jacks or Better table. It rewards memorised hold strategy unlike pure-chance Originals.
RTP and house edge
0.46% at optimal play. Sloppy holds push effective edge toward 5%. Max bet is required for full RTP because of royal flush pay scaling.
Bankroll and sessions
Medium variance. Royals are rare. Session bankroll should assume thousands of hands between top payouts. Flat max bet is standard for optimal players.
Vs other Originals
Versus Blackjack, both reward skill but video poker decisions are hold/discard only. Versus slots, EV is in your hands, not fixed at spin time.
VIP and promos
Counts toward VIP volume.
Video Poker FAQ
All originalsSame EV as a slot?
Only if you hold randomly. Optimal play returns 99.54%.
Why max bet for royal?
800× vs 250× per coin changes long-run RTP by ~2%.
Strategy chart allowed?
Yes. External charts match the math Duel expects.
Variance vs other Originals?
Lower than Crash/Mines, higher than Castle Roulette.
Verify both deal and draw?
Yes. Full shuffle order from seeds.
Mobile?
Full pay table and holds on mobile.
Minimum hand to pay?
Pair of Jacks.
VIP?
Yes.
Play Video Poker at Duel
Optimal holds. Max bet for royal pay. Verify the deal order.
Play Video Poker at Duel