All American Poker pays the same amount for a Full House, Flush, and Straight — all 8-for-1 at full pay. The Straight Flush pays 200-for-1, and Two Pair drops to 1-for-1. Full-pay All American returns 100.72%, but using Jacks or Better strategy will cost you about 1.5% in return. The strategy is fundamentally different.
Straights Are Worth Twice as Much
In JoB, a Straight pays 4-for-1. In All American, it pays 8-for-1. This single change flips many standard decisions:
Example: Dealt 5♣ 6♥ 7♦ 8♠ J♣
- JoB play: hold the Jack (high card)
- All American play: hold 5-6-7-8 (open-ended Straight draw paying 8-for-1)
Example: Dealt 4♠ 5♣ 6♥ 7♦ 4♥
- JoB play: hold the pair of 4s
- All American play: hold 4-5-6-7 (the Straight draw at 8-for-1 outweighs the low pair)
In JoB, you almost never break a pair for a Straight draw. In All American, you do it regularly. This is the hardest habit to build.
Flush Draws and Straight Draws Are Equal
In JoB, a Flush (6-for-1) pays more than a Straight (4-for-1), so four to a Flush always beats four to an open-ended Straight. In All American, both pay 8-for-1, so the decision comes down to outs:
- Four to a Flush: 9 outs
- Four to an open-ended Straight: 8 outs
The Flush draw is only marginally better. When you have both options, choose the Flush by a hair. But don't sacrifice other considerations — like Straight Flush potential — just because you default to Flush draws.
Straight Flush Draws Are Extremely Valuable
At 200-for-1, the Straight Flush is worth 4x what it pays in JoB. This makes even three-card Straight Flush draws worth holding:
Example: Dealt 6♠ 7♠ 8♠ K♣ 2♦
- JoB play: hold the King (high card)
- All American play: hold 6♠-7♠-8♠ (three to a Straight Flush with both Straight and Flush fallbacks paying 8-for-1)
Even gapped three-card Straight Flush draws (like 5♥-7♥-8♥) have value in All American because the Straight Flush payout is so high and you have Flush/Straight fallback potential.
Verify the Pay Table — 8/8/8 vs Lower
The three numbers to check are Full House, Flush, and Straight:
| Version | FH/Flush/Straight | RTP |
|---|---|---|
| Full Pay (8/8/8) | 8/8/8 | 100.72% |
| 8/8/6 | 8/8/6 | 99.60% |
| 6/6/6 | 6/6/6 | 96.55% |
The 8/8/6 version reduces only the Straight to 6-for-1 and still returns 99.60% — a reasonable game. The 6/6/6 drops everything to 6 and should be avoided.
At full pay, All American is a positive-expectation game (+0.72%). But it's rare in casinos precisely because of this player edge.
Accept the Two Pair Grind
Two Pair pays 1-for-1 in All American — your bet back, nothing more. Since Two Pair occurs roughly every 7-8 hands, this is a constant drain. You'll have stretches where you hit Two Pair after Two Pair and feel like you're treading water.
This is the volatility tradeoff: the enhanced Straight, Flush, and Straight Flush payouts come at the expense of Two Pair. Your profit comes from the 8-for-1 Straights and Flushes that hit regularly, plus the occasional 200-for-1 Straight Flush.
Budget 300-400 max bets for a session ($375-$500 at quarters). The game's positive expectation only materializes over thousands of hands.