Jacks or Better

Jacks or Better is one of the best video poker games on the UK market. It merges classic elements with intuitive features and spices up the gameplay with a twist. Only a pair of Jacks wins in this iconic Playtech video poker variant, and players can double or nothing on their wins.

The dynamic paytable makes the game vibrant and engaging, whereas placing bets is made easy by user-friendly controls. You can play Jacks or Better at Ladbrokes mobile casino in portrait or landscape mode, whatever strikes your fancy.

Enjoy our complete review before you launch the game and start hunting for a pair of Jacks or better.

Upon launching Jacks or Better, you’re drawn into a world of knights battling kings. The game has a polished interface with a colour scheme that pleases the eyes. Many new casino games try to dazzle with bright colours, often achieving an off-putting effect. Instead, Jacks or Better offers a soothing atmosphere with dark blues and burgundy reds.

The main portion of the screen is dedicated to the five cards in play. The left side shows the dynamic paytable, subtly highlighting active bets and recent wins.

The control panel is in the bottom section, only featuring the essentials like the bet adjustments and the “Deal” button. Complete focus is made easy by the absence of background music. Short, punching sound effects follow the dealing of the cards, hold actions, and wins. Everything runs smoothly, like spreading butter over toast.

Players on smartphones can choose between right-hand/left-hand modes. This will determine whether the paytable will be on the right or left side of the cards. In portrait view on mobile, the paytable is located above the cards.

The objective of Jacks or Better is to obtain a five-card poker hand that contains a winning combination. The better your hand, the bigger the payout, which is reflected in the paytable. Any of the cards dealt may be replaced once per round in pursuit of a better hand.

Before your first round, or between rounds, you can adjust the coin size by clicking the plus and minus buttons. The bets range from £0.01 to £100, and you can wager from one to five coins per round.

The marker on the paytable will highlight a potential prize if the bet goes through. For example, if you click “Bet Max”, the marker on the paytable will move to the end, highlighting the top winning combo, and increase the bet to the maximum of five coins.

The Jacks or Better video poker game has an Auto-Hold feature. It means that cards that make up a winning hand will be held automatically. Each round initiates after clicking the “Deal” button and continues by clicking the “Draw” button.

The Jacks or Better video poker variant is straightforward in its original format. Nonetheless, the developers did a great job enhancing the classic gameplay with an optional special feature.

The Double Side Game is a form of a gamble feature available on a winning hand. If lucky, it allows players to double all or half of their current winnings.

The “Double To” and “Double Half To” options become available, and choosing one of them prompts the house to deal five new cards. The leftmost one is dealt face-up, and the rest are dealt face-down.

The player has the next move. They must pick one of the four remaining cards and hope to get a higher value than the one revealed card. If the chosen card is higher, the double attempt is successful.

The Jacks or Better paytable shows prize multipliers for each combination of hands and staked coins.

If you’re new to video poker, or poker in general, knowing these hand rankings will be enough to fully understand and navigate the gameplay:

• Royal Flush: 10, J, Q, K and ACE, all in the same suit.
• Straight Flush: Five cards of sequential rank, all in the same suit.
• Four Of a Kind: Four cards of the same rank and one card of another rank.
• Full House: Three cards of the same rank and two cards in another rank.
• Flush: Five cards of the same suit that aren’t in sequential rank.
• Straight: Five cards of sequential rank with at least two cards in different suits.
• Three Of a Kind: Three cards of the same rank and two cards of two different ranks.
• Two Pair: Two cards of the same rank and two cards of another rank.
• Jacks Or Better: Two Jacks and three other cards. Also applies to a pair of Queens, Kings or Aces and three other cards.

Now that hand rankings are as clear as day, check the paytable to see how much each combination is worth.

Many punters prefer Jacks or Better to other video poker machines, which is no surprise. The game is simple, leaving so much in the hands of the player. For example, you can play at your own pace and choose which cards to hold and when to draw at your convenience.

The Double Side Game can bring the simmering tensions to a boil. It’s fun and can turn a winning hand into a winning streak. Still, the feature is optional, meaning players can always just collect and carry on.

We invite all Ladbrokes players to have a taste of Jacks or Better in our online casino. Try it on for size and see how your hands rank against the house.