Strategies for Playing Joker Wild
Know how to play this unique video poker game
By Henry Tamburin
Joker Wild, also called Joker Poker, is a unique video poker game because it is played with a 53-card virtual deck of cards that includes one joker. The latter is “wild,” meaning the joker can substitute for other cards to make a winning hand. There are several variations of Joker Wild, and it’s important that you know the differences between them, the strategies to play them, and where to find the best games.
Joker Wild Kings or Better
Unlike non-wild card games (like Jacks or Better) where the lowest paying poker hand is a pair of Jacks, with Joker Wild Kings or Better, it’s a pair of kings or aces. The reason you need the higher poker hand is because of the addition of a wild card. The first thing you need to focus on to play Kings or Better smartly is the pay table because there are several of them—some very good, others not so good.
The table below summarizes high-return pay tables for Kings or Better. Some will pay 4,700 coins for a royal flush with five-coins wagered, while others 4,000 coins. The original reason for the 4,700-coin payout was to avoid receiving a W-2G tax form from the casino when you hit a royal flush at quarter denomination. This is because a 4,700 coin payout is $1175, which is below the $1,200 threshold that triggers the tax form, making the game attractive to players that prefer hitting a jackpot without getting a W-2G.
The second column in the table summarizes the best (or full pay) Kings or Better game, known as 4,700-20/7/5 because it pays 20 coins for 4-of-a-kind, 7 coins for full house, 5 coins for flush, and a 4,700 coin payout for a royal flush with five-coins wagered. The Expected Return for this game when you play every hand perfectly is 101.00%, meaning you would enjoy a 1% edge over the casino at this game. You’ll also find 4,700-18/7/5 and 4,700-17/7/5 versions of Kings or Better that have a lower ER of 99.29% and 98.44% respectively. Smart players will play Kings or Better with the highest ER… more about this shortly.
The second version of Kings or Better (fourth column in table) pays 4,000 coins for a max coin royal flush with a 20/7/5 pay table and it offers a respectable 100.65% ER for perfect play. You’ll most likely find lower pay tables in casinos for this game, such as 18/7/5 and 17/7/5, with corresponding lower ERs (98.94% and 98.09%, respectively). I recommend that you play in casinos that offer the better 20/7/5 pay table.
Kings or Better Joker Wild Pay Tables
(Per coin payout, assuming max coins wagered)
| 4,700-20/7/5 | 4,700-18/7/5 | 4,000-20/7/5 | |
| Royal Flush | 940* | 940* | 800** |
| 5-of-a-Kind | 200 | 200 | 200 |
| Joker Royal Flush | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| 4-of-a-Kind | 20 | 18 | 20 |
| Full House | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Flush | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Straight | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 3-of-a-Kind | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Two Pair | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Kings or Better | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| ER | 101.00% | 99.29% | 100.65% |
| Variance | 33.62 | 33.09 | 26.25 |
*4,700-coin payout for the royal flush with five coins wagered.
** 4,000-coin payout for the royal flush with five coins wagered.
Joker Wild Two Pair or Better
In this version of Joker Wild, the lowest paying hand is two pair (i.e., in this game, you get paid nothing for a high pair). Notice in the table below that the max coin payout for Two Pair is 5000 coins for a royal flush; therefore, if you play at a quarter denomination and hit a royal you’ll be paid $1,250 (and get a W-2G).
The ER for Two Pair or Better is a respectable 99.92%. I wouldn’t recommend playing this game with a lower pay table than shown in the table below.
Two Pair or better Pay Table
(Per coin payout, assuming max coins wagered)
| 20/10/6 | |
| Royal Flush | 1,000* |
| 5-of-a-Kind | 100 |
| Joker Royal Flush | 50 |
| Straight Flush | 50 |
| 4-of-a-Kind | 20 |
| Full House | 10 |
| Flush | 6 |
| Straight | 5 |
| 3-of-a-Kind | 2 |
| Two Pair | 1 |
| ER | 99.92% |
| Variance | 31.32 |
*5,000-coin payout for a royal flush with five coins wagered.
Double Joker Wild
This game is unique because it uses two jokers. The best pay table is 9/5 with a 99.97% ER; however, this game is not very popular and if you ever come across it, the pay table will most likely be 8/5 with a 98.10% ER.
Double Joke Wild Pay Table
| 9/5 | |
| Royal Flush | 800* |
| Joker Royal Flush | 100 |
| 5-of-a-Kind | 50 |
| Straight Flush | 25 |
| 4-of-a-Kind | 9 |
| Full House | 5 |
| Flush | 4 |
| Straight | 3 |
| 3-of-a-Kind | 2 |
| Two Pair | 1 |
| ER | 99.97% |
| Variance | 22.11 |
*4,000-coin payout for a royal flush with five coins wagered.
Playing Strategies
Joker Wild games have their own unique playing strategies. The two most popular versions that you will most likely find are Kings or Better and Two Pair. It’s important that you learn the playing strategies before you risk any money playing these games. You’ll find playing strategies for both versions in the book Everything Casino Poker by Frank Scoblete and Jerry Stickman. Jerry Stickman also wrote a series on video poker-playing strategies for my Blackjack Insider newsletter, including basic playing strategies for Kings or Better and Two Pair or Better. (Go to www.bjinsider.com, click on newsletter at top of home page, then scroll down to issues 175 and 176, and click to find his article.) There are also handy strategy cards for Kings or Better and Two Pair (by Bob Dancer and Liam Daily) that you can take with you when you play. If you want to practice playing Joker Wild (including Double Joker Wild) on your PC to master the playing strategy, I would recommend the Optimum Video Poker software. You can learn more about these products on my online store at smartgaming.com.
Variance
I’d be remiss if I didn’t comment on the variance of Joker Wild Games. I’ve listed the variance for different versions at the bottom of the above tables. (Variance is a mathematical term that gives you some idea of the swings in your bankroll. The greater the variance, the greater the volatility or swing in your bankroll, both up and down.) Joker Wild games generally have a volatility in the same ballpark as Full Pay and NSU Deuces Wild—slightly higher than the low-volatile Jacks or Better but less volatile than, say, Double Double Bonus. Bottom line: You can live with the volatility of full pay Joker Poker games as long as you have enough bankroll to weather the dips that will come. Note: There used to be a version of Joker Poker that was popular primarily in Atlantic City casinos known as Five-of-a-Kind Joker Poker. This game returned more for 5-of-a-kind (4,000 coins with max coins bet) than a royal flush (500 coins). Throngs of East Coast players played this video poker game, which at best had a 97.19% ER and a huge 70.41 variance. Why players played this awful game is beyond me: my advice if you ever come across this game is not to play it.
Tip of the Month
You can find which casinos offer full-pay Joker Wild games in different areas in the U.S. by going to www.vpfree2.com. Click on “Finding The Best Video Poker Games Anywhere” tab then use the search function. Alternately, for only Las Vegas-area casinos, go to lasvegasadvsior.com, click on “Gambling Advisor,” then “Best Video Poker.” For example, vpfree2.com lists Las Vegas and Reno/Tahoe areas as having the 100.65% ER Joker Wild Kings or Better game, and the East Coast and Midwest areas as offering the 99.29% ER game. Visit the site for more info, including which casinos offer these games.
