Conflict hands are the ones that challenge video poker players when they have to decide which of the dealt cards to hold. This is because of the nature of conflict hands. By discarding some cards there is a possibility of getting from one set of winning hand rankings. But by discarding some other cards there is a possibility of getting from another set of hand rankings. In one case the probability of getting winning hands would be higher but the payouts would be low. In the other case the probability of getting winning hands would be lower but the payouts would be high. Players with knowledge of mathematics would state that the “expectation” needs to be calculated for all possibilities and the option that offers the highest expectation needs to be followed. This is impossible to execute in practice. There are not that many types of conflict hands and it is easier to memorize what needs to be done in each case.

In the simplest conflict hand the player already holds a winning hand ranking, but has the possibility of getting a higher one if he discards some cards. The cardinal rule in this case is never to break the dealt winning combination except when the player holds three or four cards to a royal flush.

3C, 3H, 4H, 5H and 6H is another conflict hand. By discarding the 3C the player can try for a straight flush, a straight or a flush. By discarding the 4H, 5H and 6H the player can try for three of a kind, four of a kind, two pairs or a full house. The optimum strategy is to try for a straight flush, a straight or a flush. Even when the dealt hand has four cards to a flush instead of four cards to a straight flush as indicated above, the player should opt for the flush by discarding the card from the low pair. However, when the dealt hand contains four cards to a straight instead of four cards to a straight flush as indicated above, the player should hold the low pair and should discard the other three cards.

Another example of a conflict hand is competition between a straight and a flush. If the dealt hand has four cards to a straight and at the same time four cards to a flush, the optimum strategy is to go for a flush.

Another set of conflict hands is concerned with three cards to a straight flush competing with other possible winning hands. Take for example the dealt hand 3S, 8H, 9H, 10H and JD. This contains three cards to a straight flush and also four cards to an outside straight. The optimum strategy dictates that the player should hold all the four cards to the outside straight rather than try for the straight flush. However, if the conflict is between four cards to an inside straight and three cards to a straight flush then the optimum strategy dictates that the player should hold the three cards to a straight flush. In the case of the outside straight any of two ranks can complete the straight, whereas in the case of the inside straight only one rank can complete the straight. This explains the difference in the strategy.