Trip Bacon — The secret ingredient to the perfect getaway logo
Trip Bacon

Video Poker for Beginners: Why Jacks or Better Is Your Best Bet on a Cruise Ship

Constantly Cruising with Will & Kara
Constantly Cruising with Will & Kara
🥈Expert
👁️ 60 views📅 2 weeks ago⏱️ 16:59
Princess Cruises logo
Princess Cruises
What This Creator Said
Creator RecommendsTips & Advice🥈Expert Creator
Veteran Cruiser

Source: Our analysis of the creator's lived experience, based on what they said in this video.

Creator's Key Takeaways

Jacks or Better is the best place to start for a beginner, and playing it right can help you work towards even a free stateateroom on your next princess sailing.

When played correctly, Jaxer Better returns to player 99% of what you put into the game.

You're going to lose a lot less money if you can put up with a little bit of extra time invested doing it the video poker way.

It's just about good decisions made consistently over the course of several days while you're on the ship.

Creator's Tips & Advice

✓Start with Jacks or Better as a beginner.
✓Use a strategy guide to play perfectly for 99% return.
✓Keep pairs over high cards for better odds.
✓Aim for 4,000 points on a 7-day Princess sailing for a free interior stateroom.

🆕New to Cruising? This Creator Addresses:

Overwhelmed by many video poker variants on a cruise ship. — Start with Jacks or Better as it's the simplest and foundational game.
Slots earn points faster than video poker. — Video poker has lower volatility and higher return to player, making it more cost-effective for earning points over time.

Questions This Creator Answers

QWhy is Jacks or Better the best video poker variant for beginners?
QHow does video poker compare to slots for earning cruise points?
QWhat is the basic strategy for playing Jacks or Better?

Topics Covered

Entertainment Casino3½ Happy Bacon
How to read the Trip Bacon Score
Happy Bacon — creators loved this aspect
Sad Bacon — creators took issue with this
Meh — no strong opinion either way

Scale: 0–5 strips in half-step increments. 0 = “meh”, 5 = “bacon bliss”. Aggregated from creator-review sentiment, weighted by channel expertise.

About our Bacon Score methodology
YouTube Video Description↓

New to video poker on a cruise ship? Don't waste money figuring it out the hard way. Will breaks down why Jacks or Better is the perfect starting point — and reveals the math behind why video poker might actually be better than slots for earning points toward a free Princess Cruises stateroom. 📲 Want our FREE Jacks or Better strategy chart? DM us "video poker" on Instagram → click the link in our bio. 🃏 In this video: ✅ Why Jacks or Better beats other video poker variants for beginners ✅ The real math on slots vs. video poker for Princess Captain's Circle points ✅ Basic strategy explained simply — no experience needed ✅ Live hand-by-hand breakdown from an actual cruise 🚢 New here? We're Will & Kara — and we're Constantly Cruising. Subscribe for tips to help you cruise smarter, spend less, and enjoy more. #VideoPoker #CruiseCasino #PrincessCruises #JacksOrBetter #CruiseTips #ConstantlyCruising #CasinoStrategy #CruiseLife ⏱ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 – Walking into the casino: where do you even start? 00:13 – Why Jacks or Better is the best game for beginners 01:30 – 5 reasons to start with Jacks or Better 03:13 – Slots vs. video poker: the points math explained 06:00 – How much does it really cost to earn a free stateroom? 08:00 – Basic strategy and the 99% return to player 09:45 – How to use a strategy guide at the machine 10:30 – Priority list: what to hold, what to fold 11:11 – Live hands walkthrough from a real Princess Cruise 16:03 – Final thoughts: simple, consistent, smart 16:54 – Get the free strategy chart + subscribe