Joker Wild Video Poker doesn’t draw quite the same attention as Jacks or Better or Bonus Poker. Nevertheless, it’s one of the more entertaining and popular video poker games.
It stands out from the pack by offering a joker wild card. This wild card is key to forming hands that wouldn’t be available under normal circumstances.
If you’re interested in playing this intriguing video poker variation, then you can learn more about Joker Poker below. This guide covers how to play, Joker Wild strategy, profit potential, and more.
How to Play Joker Wild Video Poker
If you’ve played any other video poker game before, then you shouldn’t have much trouble getting started with Joker Wild. This game features the same basic playing process as any other variation.
You start by choosing how much you’d like to wager on the hand. If you’re playing a multi-hand version, then your bets will apply to all active hands.
In Joker Wild, you can bet between one and five coins per hand. In a quarter denomination game, this would mean anywhere between $0.25 and $1.25.
You should strongly consider wagering five coins because you stand to earn more value out for the royal flush. Coincidentally, this larger royal payout leads to higher RTP.
Here’s how many coins the royal is worth based on your wager size in the average Joker Wild variation:
- 1-coin bet = 250 credits
- 2-coin bet = 500 credits
- 3-coin bet = 750 credits
- 4-coin bet = 1,000 credits
- 5-coin bet = 4,000 credits
Joker Poker Pay Tables and RTP
Joker Wild offers a variety of pay tables that differ based on how many coins they deliver on certain hands. Here’s a look at some of the best pay tables for this game:
100.65% RTP Pay Table
| Hand | 1 coin | 2 coins | 3 coins | 4 coins | 5 coins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural royal flush (no joker) | 250 | 500 | 750 | 1000 | 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 pairs | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Kings or better | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
99.29% RTP Pay Table
| Hand | 1 coin | 2 coins | 3 coins | 4 coins | 5 coins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural royal flush (no joker) | 400 | 800 | 1200 | 1600 | 4700 |
| 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 | 18 | 36 | 54 | 72 | 90 |
| 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 pairs | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Kings or better | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
98.93% RTP Pay Table
| Hand | 1 coin | 2 coins | 3 coins | 4 coins | 5 coins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural royal flush (no joker) | 250 | 500 | 750 | 1000 | 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 | 18 | 36 | 54 | 72 | 90 |
| 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 pairs | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Kings or better | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Return to player (RTP) has a big impact on how your long-term winnings. The higher the payouts you get from hands like a royal flush and four of a kind, the more money you stand to earn.
You can see that the first pay table provides an opportunity to make guaranteed profits with this game. The only catch, though, is that full-pay Joker Wild is very rare. It’s only available in select Las Vegas casinos.
If you can’t get to Vegas, then you can at least look for the 99.29% or 98.93% pay tables. These two versions still deliver respectable payout percentages when compared to other video poker games.
Joker Wild Strategy
You may just be interested in Joker Wild purely for entertainment purposes. In this case, you might feel like winging the strategy based on instinct.
If you want to achieve optimal payback for the given a table, though, then you’ll need to learn strategy for video poker. Video poker trainers are perfect for these purposes.
They allow you to play the game like normal. The difference, though, is that the training software points out whenever you make mistakes. In this manner, you can gradually recognize the patterns and eliminate your mistakes.
A challenge may arise when looking for a trainer that covers the exact pay table you’re dealing with. You might start your search by checking out free video poker trainers.
If these efforts result in nothing, you may consider buying a trainer. Popular training software programs include WinPoker and Video Poker for Winners. These versions, which cost $40 and $50, respectively, allow you to customize the pay tables and practice.
Where to Find Joker Poker
Joker Poker is available in many land-based and online video poker casinos. This game is popular and not overly difficult to find.
If you’re looking for the most convenient option, though, then you should consider playing online Joker Wild. This version is available on smartphones, tablets, and computers.
On the other hand, you might appreciate playing in a live casino atmosphere. In this case, you can scout out local casinos to see which ones offer Joker Poker.
As mentioned before, the full-pay version is only available in a few Vegas casinos. If you ever make the trip to Sin City, then you might consider keeping an eye out for the top Joker Poker pay table.
Can You Become a Pro Gambler Through Joker Poker?
Continuing on the point about making profits with this game, you may wonder if it’s possible to become a professional gambler through Joker Wild.
Yes, you technically can become a pro with this game. After all, a professional is somebody who makes money through their respective pursuit. As for whether you could make a living or not all depends upon what kind of living you’re seeking.
Joker Wild provides decent profits under optimal circumstances. It’s not, however, going to make you rich. The problem here is twofold:
- You don’t have a very big edge.
- You’ll have to play an insane volume of hands.
What Kind of Profits Will You Earn?
A 0.65% advantage may be enough to make sizable profits when you’re betting $100 per round. Joker Poker, however, only lets you wager up to $1.25 per hand.
This bleeds into the next problem, which is that you’ll have to play countless hands to make a decent profit. You’ll find it really hard to log 800 hands or more per hour without making strategy mistakes.
Assuming you somehow keep up this pace, though, you could earn the following amounts under perfect conditions:
50 Hours Per Week
- You play 1,000 hands and risk five coins per hand ($1.25).
- 1,000 x 1.25 x 0.0065 = $8.13 per hour
- The comp rate is 0.1%.
- 1,000 x 1.25 x 0.001 = $1.25
- 13 + 1.25 = $9.38 an hour
- You play 50 hours each week.
- 50 x 9.38 = $469 per week
- 20 x 52 = $24,388 per year
60 Hours Per Week
- The same variables from the above example apply here.
- The only difference is that you’re playing 60 hours a week.
- 60 x 9.38 = $562.80 per week
- 80 x 52 = $29,265.60 per year
Neither one of these scenarios sees you earning a significant salary.
Furthermore, you’ll have to live a very frugal lifestyle in Las Vegas. I’m not saying that it’s impossible to pull all of this off and get by in Vegas. However, you’ll need to eat like a mouse and probably find a couple roommates to cut down on your expenses.
That said, you might want to consider Joker Wild as more of a hobby than a job.
That’s a Wrap
Joker Poker is a unique game in multiple ways, including its wildcard, high RTP, and profit potential. Therefore, you might consider giving this game a try if you see it in casinos.
Of course, you probably don’t have immediate access to the version that offers 100.65% payback. Nevertheless, you can find pay tables that deliver around 99% and 99.3% RTP.
Beyond the high payout percentages, you might just appreciate Joker Wild’s gameplay. The wildcard makes for countless possibilities and can help you turn losing hands into winning ones.
You shouldn’t have much trouble finding Joker Poker at casinos. Of course, you should hold out for the better pay tables when looking to try this game.
