In Jacks-or-better video poker, a lone Jack is worth more than an Ace.

True, paired up after the draw they are hands of equal value, but thinking of straights and straight flushes, a Jack is a better starter card than an Ace.

The Jack can be part of a 7-8-9-10-J; or 8-9-10-J-Q; or a 9-10-J-Q-K, straight flush, whereas, other than sharing a mutual royal flush, the only other straight flush an Ace can make is an Ace-2-3-4-5. The same reasoning applies for straights.

By and large, two Jacks as starters are worth exactly the same as two Aces in Jacks-or-better video poker.

Both hands return your money if you draw no supporting cards.

The same value holds true for three Jacks versus Three aces, and a four-of-a-kind for either hand.

However, video poker also offers various "Bonus" games where four Aces pay quite a bit more than four Jacks do.

On these bonus games, a pair of Aces would definitely be worth more than two Jacks.

Meanwhile, three face cards, especially with an ace, may look impressive when they appear on the screen, but when dealt as three picture cards of different suits, most experts will tell you to discard the ace if it is included in the three. The Jack/Queen off suit is a higher valued hand for openers in video poker than a Jack/Queen/Ace of differing suits.