By Alex Bennett · Updated
Understanding video poker pay tables is not just about knowing what hands pay out; it's the very foundation upon which successful video poker play is built. For players looking to maximize their returns and minimize losses, deciphering these critical charts is non-negotiable. The best video poker machines offer a compelling house edge reduction, often to below 1%, when played with optimal strategy and by selecting the correct pay table. Without this fundamental knowledge, you're essentially gambling blind, hoping for luck rather than leveraging skill. This guide will dissect how to read, compare, and utilize video poker pay tables to your advantage, ensuring you make informed decisions at the virtual felt.
What Exactly Are Video Poker Pay Tables?
At their core, video poker pay tables are interactive charts displayed on every video poker machine that clearly outline the payout for each possible hand you can form. They are the contract between you and the casino, stipulating the return for every bet unit. Crucially, these tables are not standardized across all machines or even all variations of the same game. A game like Jacks or Better can have dozens of different pay tables, each offering slightly different payouts for the same hands. This variation is precisely why diligently studying them is paramount. A seemingly minor difference in the payout for a full house versus a flush can significantly impact the machine's overall Return to Player (RTP), a metric that reflects the theoretical percentage of all wagered money a machine will pay back to players over an extended period. For instance, one pay table might offer 9-for-a-full-house and 6-for-a-flush (known as a 9/6 machine), considered a good deal. Another might offer a stingier 8-for-a-full-house and 5-for-a-flush (an 8/5 machine), which has a notably lower RTP.
The way these tables are structured is straightforward. You’ll see columns detailing the hand ranking (e.g., Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, Pair of Jacks or Better) and corresponding columns showing the payout multipliers for various bet levels. Most machines allow you to bet from one to five credits per hand. The crucial detail to remember here is that the payout for a Royal Flush is almost always disproportionately higher when you bet the maximum five credits. This "bonus" payout is designed to incentivize players to always play the maximum bet, as it's often the only way to achieve the highest possible RTP on a given machine. For example, betting five credits might yield 4,000 credits for a Royal Flush, while betting four credits might only offer 800 credits. This 4,000 vs. 800 difference, a massive 5:1 ratio, is a clear indicator of the advantage betting max provides for the top hand.
Understanding that each combination of cards has a specific probability of occurring is also key to appreciating pay tables. While a Royal Flush is exceedingly rare (occurring approximately once every 649,740 hands played with a full deck), hands like a Pair of Jacks or Better are far more common. The pay table intelligently balances these probabilities and payouts. A good pay table rewards rarer hands with larger multipliers and more frequent hands with smaller, consistent payouts. The skill in video poker comes from knowing which hands to hold, which to discard, and understanding how the chosen pay table influences the value of keeping certain cards over others. Without this understanding, you're leaving a substantial portion of potential winnings on the table.
Why "Full Pay" Machines Matter: A Deep Dive into Pay Table Ratios
The term "full pay" is a critical jargon in video poker that directly refers to a pay table offering the highest possible return for a specific game variant. For example, in the context of "Jacks or Better," the "full pay" version is typically considered the 9/6 pay table. This means it pays nine credits for a full house and six credits for a flush, for each credit wagered. Machines with this specific 9/6 pay table, when played with perfect strategy, can offer an RTP of around 99.54%, leaving a mere 0.46% house edge. Contrast this with a less favorable 8/5 pay table for the same Jacks or Better game. This version pays eight credits for a full house and five credits for a flush. Playing this 8/5 table with perfect strategy yields an RTP of approximately 97.30%, significantly increasing the house edge to 2.70% – more than five times worse for the player.
The disparity between a 9/6 and an 8/5 Jacks or Better machine might seem small at first glance, a mere 1% difference in theoretical return. However, over thousands of hands, this gap is enormous. Imagine playing 10,000 hands, wagering $1 per hand. On a 99.54% RTP machine, you might expect to have $9,954 back on average. On an 8/5 machine with 97.30% RTP, you would expect to have $9,730 back. That’s a difference of $224, purely due to the pay table. This illustrates why seeking out "full pay" machines, or at least the best available pay tables for any given game, is the absolute first step in playing video poker profitably. Many casinos will advertise their "full pay" machines, but often they are rare. Savvy players actively hunt for them.
To identify a "full pay" pay table, you usually need to analyze the specific payouts for the strongest hands. For Jacks or Better, it's the full house and flush. For other games, it might be different combinations. For example, in Deuces Wild, a full pay table might offer 25-for-a-flush, 20-for-a-full-house, 15-for-a-straight, 10-for-three-of-a-kind, and importantly, 500-for-four-deuces (a wild royal flush). Different pay tables in Deuces Wild can drastically alter the RTP, with some offering over 100% RTP if played with perfect strategy (though casinos are unlikely to offer these outside of promotional periods, and they are typically played with a "nine-credit bonus" for a specific hand, effectively acting as a progressive jackpot). Always verify the specific payouts. Websites dedicated to video poker strategy will often list the full pay tables for various games and their corresponding RTPs.
How to Choose the Right Video Poker Game and Pay Table
The initial choice of which video poker game to play is as significant as selecting the correct pay table. Games like Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, Aces and Eights, and All American Poker all have different base strategies and have distinct "full pay" configurations that can lead to very different player advantages. For instance, Deuces Wild, with its inherent wild cards, offers more frequent and higher-ranking hands, but the pay table must be carefully scrutinized because the payouts for certain hands are significantly adjusted to compensate for the wild cards. A common full-pay version of Deuces Wild might pay 25-for-a-flush, 20-for-a-full house, 15-for-a-straight, and 10-for-three-of-a-kind, but the Royal Flush payout is often lower than in Jacks or Better unless it's a wild royal, which is much rarer. This means the game plays very differently, and the optimal strategy is complex.
Once you’ve chosen a base game, the hunt for the best pay table begins. This often involves a bit of reconnaissance. When you’re at a casino, don’t just sit down at the first machine you see. Take a walk around and observe the denominations and the payouts listed. Look for machines advertising the highest payouts for full houses and flushes (for Jacks or Better), or other key hands depending on the game. Many jurisdictions and online casinos will offer multiple versions of popular games. Comparing the video poker pay tables is essential. For example, if you see two "9/6 Jacks or Better" machines, they are usually identical. However, if you see a 9/6 and an 8/5, you should always select the 9/6. If you are playing online, many sites will explicitly state the pay table in the game description, such as "Jacks or Better 9/6" or "Deuces Wild 25/20/15/10."
It's also crucial to understand the concept of expected value (EV). Every hand you play on video poker has an expected value based on the odds of hitting a winning hand and the payout for that hand, as dictated by the pay table. The goal is to play a game with the best available pay table such that your EV, when playing with optimal strategy, is as close to 0% or even positive as possible. For most standard casino video poker games, achieving a positive EV is rare unless you are playing a progressive jackpot game where the jackpot has grown to a massive size. However, selecting a full-pay machine with a high RTP significantly reduces the house's advantage, allowing your bankroll to last longer and giving you more opportunities to hit big hands. A common mistake is playing a machine with a great-looking jackpot but a poor pay table for all other hands. The single highest payout can't compensate for consistently low returns on all other winning combinations.
Worked Example: The Power of a Better Pay Table
Let's illustrate the impact of pay tables with a simple worked example using "Jacks or Better." Suppose you are dealt the following hand: King of Hearts, King of Spades, Queen of Diamonds, 7 of Clubs, 2 of Spades. You are betting 5 credits. Your goal is to decide which cards to hold to maximize your expected return based on the pay table.
On a 9/6 Jacks or Better machine (9 for a full house, 6 for a flush), the optimal strategy here is to hold the pair of Kings. This is because holding the pair of Kings guarantees a payout of 5 credits (for the pair of Jacks or Better). If you were to discard the pair of Kings and draw new cards, the probability of improving to a better hand (like Three of a Kind, a Full House, or a Straight/Flush if the draw was favorable) would have to outweigh the guaranteed 5-credit payout. The expected value of discarding and drawing is lower than the value of holding the pair of Kings on this specific pay table.
Now, consider the same hand and decision on a less favorable 8/5 Jacks or Better machine (8 for a full house, 5 for a flush). The optimal strategy might still be to hold the pair of Kings, yielding 5 credits. However, the *value* of that 5-credit payout is diminished over the long run because the overall RTP of the machine is lower. The difference becomes more pronounced when considering hands that are closer to multiple winning combinations. For instance, if you are dealt King of Hearts, King of Spades, King of Clubs, 10 of Diamonds, 2 of Spades, you have Three of a Kind, which pays 15 credits on both 9/6 and 8/5 machines. However, the expected value of holding and drawing for potential Four of a Kind or a Full House is influenced by the pay table's higher payouts on those hands for the 9/6 machine. The 9/6 machine offers a higher EV for the pursuit of Four of a Kind (which pays 125 credits) and a better yield on a Full House (9 credits vs. 8 credits). This means the risk of losing the guaranteed Three of a Kind payout by trying for a better hand is more justifiable on the 9/6 pay table.
The critical takeaway is that the strategy itself is often tied to the pay table. Websites and apps that provide video poker strategy charts do so for specific pay tables. Using a strategy for a 9/6 machine on an 8/5 machine will lead to suboptimal play and lower returns. The pursuit of "full pay" or the best available pay tables is not a minor detail; it directly impacts the mathematical advantage you have, or the disadvantage you face, playing video poker. A shift from a 9/6 to an 8/5 pay table can cost you thousands of dollars over time, even if you play perfectly by the book.
Optimizing Your Play with Video Poker Pay Tables
Selecting the correct video poker pay tables is the initial and most crucial step toward optimizing your play. Once you've identified the best available pay table for your chosen game, the next phase is to implement the optimal playing strategy associated with that specific pay table. These strategies are meticulously calculated and often presented as "hold" charts, detailing precisely which cards to keep and which to discard for every possible starting hand. For example, in Jacks or Better, if you are dealt four cards to a flush and only have a pair of Jacks or Better, the optimal strategy for a 9/6 pay table is often to hold the pair and discard the four flush cards, unless the flush is to a very high-ranking card. The mathematics dictates this by considering the probability of drawing into a better hand versus the guaranteed payout of the pair.
It's also vital to understand the nuances of bet sizing. As mentioned earlier, video poker machines almost universally offer a significantly higher payout for a Royal Flush when the maximum bet (typically five credits) is played. This bonus is not just a small increment; it can be the difference between a positive expected return and a negative one. For example, on some "9/6 Jacks or Better" machines, betting four credits might return 800 credits for a Royal Flush, while betting five credits returns 4,000 credits. Failing to bet the maximum five credits means you are not eligible for this enhanced payout, drastically reducing the machine's overall RTP. Therefore, always ensure you are playing the maximum number of credits if you want to achieve the stated RTP of the pay table.
Finally, managing your bankroll and understanding variance are essential for long-term success. Video poker, even with a favorable pay table and optimal strategy, is still a game of chance with inherent variance. You can play perfectly on a 99.54% RTP machine and still experience losing streaks. This is where discipline comes in. Set a budget for your session and stick to it. If you hit a significant win, consider cashing out a portion of your winnings to extend your playtime or lock in some profit. Don't be tempted to chase losses by increasing your bet size unnecessarily. By consistently applying optimal strategy to the best available pay tables, managing your bankroll wisely, and accepting the natural swings of variance, you can significantly improve your overall video poker experience and increase your chances of walking away a winner.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if a video poker machine has a good pay table?
Look for the highest payouts for key hands. For Jacks or Better, this typically means a 9-for-a-full-house and 6-for-a-flush (9/6), or ideally even better. For other games like Deuces Wild, specific ratios for flushes, full houses, and straights are crucial. Always check online resources for the "full pay" tables of the game you are playing.
Is it worth playing video poker with less than the maximum bet?
Generally, no. Most video poker machines offer a significantly disproportionate bonus payout for a Royal Flush when you bet the maximum (usually five credits). Without the maximum bet, the machine’s overall return to player (RTP) can drop dramatically, making it a much less profitable game to play.
Can I use the same strategy for all video poker games?
Absolutely not. Each video poker game (e.g., Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, Bonus Poker) has unique rules and frequently, different pay tables. This necessitates a distinct optimal strategy for each game and even for different pay tables within the same game. Always use a strategy chart specific to the game and pay table you are playing on.