If you want a wild-card video poker table with a published number attached to it, this one qualifies: Joker Poker (Red Rake Gaming) is listed at a return of 98.59% under mathematically optimal play. That is above the 97.5% average across the games in this database, but below the 99.55% on the same studio’s Jacks or Better. The free demo means you can learn the hold decisions without staking anything.
Joker Poker (Red Rake Gaming) and the Red Rake Gaming game range
Red Rake Gaming has 20 titles in this database, averaging 98.89% RTP — a card-and-table-heavy catalogue rather than a slot-first one. Within it, this Joker Poker sits mid-pack. If your priority is the highest listed return rather than wild cards, Royal Court is the studio’s top entry at 99.78%, and Jacks or Better (Red Rake Gaming) at 99.55% is the plainest comparison point: same studio, no wilds, roughly a point more return. For a bonus-style paytable instead, Double Aces and Faces lists 99.27%.
The game ranks 34th here and sits in the 76th percentile for popularity, which puts it in regular circulation without being a headline title. Its theme label is Cards, one of 50 games in that group, so expect a pay chart, five card positions and a hold row rather than any narrative dressing. This listing does not include the exact paytable, bet levels or coin denominations, so treat the in-game pay chart as the authority on all three.
The 98.59% figure and the strategy it assumes
That 98.59% is not a number the game hands you by showing up. Video poker returns are calculated on the assumption that you make the single best hold-and-discard decision on every hand, every time, for that exact paytable. Play by instinct and your real return drifts below the published figure — not because the deck changes, but because you are throwing away small amounts of expected value on marginal decisions.
The other half of the equation is the pay chart itself. In video poker, the paytable determines the return more directly than in any other casino category. The textbook illustration is Jacks or Better: a 9/6 chart (9-for-1 full house, 6-for-1 flush) returns roughly 99.5%, an 8/5 version of the same game drops to about 97.3%, and 6/5 charts fall well under 95%. Two numbers on the chart, four percentage points of return. Joker Poker charts vary the same way, particularly on the full house, flush and the joker-specific hands.
So the 98.59% belongs to one specific configuration. Open the pay chart before you deposit and check that what is on screen matches what you were promised. If it does not, the published figure does not describe the table in front of you.
Which hands to hold, in general terms
Optimal video poker strategy is a solved, publishable chart, not a feel or a system. For each of the 32 possible hold combinations, the expected value is calculable, and the chart simply lists the winner. It changes which five cards you keep and nothing else — the deck is freshly shuffled every hand and no hold decision touches its composition.
The general shape of any joker-wild chart: made hands high enough to be worth keeping intact stay, and you break them only when the discard clearly buys more. Four to a royal flush usually beats a made flush or straight. Made three of a kind is normally kept rather than split for a longer shot. Low pairs are worth more than three-card straight or flush fragments in most positions. Single high cards are usually the last resort when nothing else is there.
Where joker games diverge sharply from Jacks or Better is the wild card itself. Holding a joker is almost always correct, and its presence reshuffles the ranking of everything around it — hands you would break without a joker become worth keeping with one. Because this listing does not publish the paytable, use a chart matched to the exact pay chart you see on screen, not a generic one.
Wild cards, bonuses and how they change the maths
The joker substitutes for whatever card completes the best available hand. That does two things at once. It raises the frequency of the paying hands, which is why joker games often set a higher minimum paying hand than a pair of jacks — commonly kings or better, sometimes two pairs, depending on the ruleset. And it forces the pay chart to compensate elsewhere, usually by trimming the middle ranks, so the studio recovers what the wild gives away.
That trade-off is why comparing headline returns across variants tells you little on its own. A joker game at 98.59% and a jacks-or-better game at 99.55% are not the same product with different numbers; they distribute their return across different hands and different frequencies. The table below shows typical general figures for the hand ranks in question, as an orientation only — the numbers that govern your actual return are the ones printed in this game’s own chart.
| Hand | Typical Jacks or Better (9/6) | Typical joker-wild chart |
|---|---|---|
| Full house | 9 for 1 | 5 to 7 for 1 |
| Flush | 6 for 1 | 5 for 1 |
| Straight | 4 for 1 | 3 for 1 |
| Three of a kind | 3 for 1 | 2 for 1 |
| Minimum paying hand | Pair of jacks | Often kings or better |
Variance in video poker versus slots
Video poker is transparent in a way slots are not. There is no reel weighting and no hidden symbol frequency: five cards come off a shuffled 52-card deck plus the joker, and every probability follows from that. You can verify the maths yourself, which you cannot do with a slot.
Wild-card variants still run hotter than plain draw games. Because the joker inflates the number of small paying hands while the chart pays less on the mid-ranks, sessions tend to produce more frequent, smaller returns punctuated by longer dry runs waiting on the top hands. Expect swings, and expect them to be wider than at a jacks-or-better table with a similar headline RTP.
Multi-hand and multi-play formats, where one set of held cards plays across several independent decks, do not change the per-hand return. They change how many hands you play per minute and how sharply your balance moves. And no staking pattern alters expected value: raising bets after a losing streak changes the size of the swings, never the maths behind them. No deck is ever due, hot or cold — each deal is independent of the last.
Playing responsibly
Video poker is 18+ and it is entertainment you pay for, not income. Set a budget before you open the game, decide what you are willing to spend on the session, and stop there whether you are up or down. The published 98.59% is a long-run average across enormous hand counts, not a guide to what any single session will do. Demo play is free and costs nothing to walk away from, but it does not predict real-money outcomes either.
Verdict on Joker Poker (Red Rake Gaming)
A reasonable joker-wild table with a decent published number. The 98.59% clears the 97.5% database average by about a point, and if you like wild cards and the extra variance they bring, it is worth the demo time. The catch is the internal comparison: Red Rake Gaming’s own Jacks or Better lists 99.55% for a stricter but calmer game, and if pure return is what you are optimising for, that is the better pick from the same studio. Whichever you choose, check the pay chart on screen first, and use a strategy chart built for it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I play Joker Poker (Red Rake Gaming) for free?
Yes, a free demo is available, so you can work through the hold decisions without staking money. Demo play is useful for getting familiar with the pay chart and the joker's effect on hand rankings, but it does not predict real-money outcomes. No download is required to try it.
What is the RTP of Joker Poker (Red Rake Gaming)?
The listed return is 98.59% with mathematically optimal play. Two things produce that figure: the specific paytable and a player making the best hold decision on every hand. Deviate from the optimal chart and your actual return falls below 98.59%, though the odds behind the deck stay unchanged.
Which video poker variant is this and how do you play it well?
It is a Joker Poker variant, meaning a joker is added as a wild or bonus card depending on the ruleset, and the minimum paying hand is typically higher than a pair of jacks. Optimal play means following a published hold/discard chart matched to the exact paytable — holding the joker is almost always correct.
Why does the paytable matter so much in this game?
Because in video poker the pay chart alone decides the return, unlike a slot where frequencies are hidden. Changing two payouts can move the return by several percentage points. This listing does not publish the exact chart for this version, so check the in-game pay chart before playing for money.
How does it compare to Jacks or Better (Red Rake Gaming)?
Jacks or Better (Red Rake Gaming) lists 99.55% against 98.59% here, so it returns roughly a point more from the same studio. The trade-off is style: no wilds, a stricter minimum paying hand and steadier swings, versus the joker's more frequent small hands and wider variance.
