Video Poker Odds between different games

While browsing the video poker choices at a casino, either land based or online, be sure to keep an eye on the pay schedules. Here's what to look for: the numbers in the first column on the chart to the right represent the payout rates for Full Houses and Flushes at one unit bet. If you see a Jacks or better game that shows a Full House pays 9 units, and a Flush pays 6, then you know the return rate for that particular game is approximately 99.5%, making it a solid bet. Ideally, finding a machine that is 10/7 or 9/7 is the best bet, because these machines have a payout percentage over 100. Does that mean they actually pay out more than they take in? It's pretty unlikely. Casinos aren't in the game to give out more than they take in. Even with a mix of high and low-paying games, casino operators know the machines that return over 100% will still make money because not everyone who plays them is an expert. Just like in Blackjack, only a small fraction of all players are skilled enough to play with a positive expectation of winning. Once you have mastered the basic strategy for a type of video poker, and find a high-paying machine, then you can expect to make money in the long run. What does this mean? It means that after about 50,000 hands, the odds dictate that you will have hit every possible hand combination, including the coveted Royal Flush. Sure, that sounds like a lot of hands, but this game can go very quickly, especially for experienced players. It is not uncommon for a skilled video poker player to turn in 750 hands an hour - and even more if that person is playing two machines at once. If the player keeps this blazing pace up for eight hours a day, it will take just over eight days for the player to reach an expected win of around 1,750 credits. You can see why some people are very serious about this game - because you can really win at it. The only drawbacks are the time commitment required, and the potential swings in bankroll. Just because the odds say you should get a royal flush every 40,390 hands doesn't mean it's guaranteed. You could go five times that many hands a never hit one, or get five in the first hundred hands. Both scenarios are equally improbable, yet quite possible. Such is the allure of chance. Such is the allure of video poker.

Odds of Hands (Jacks or Better)

This chart represents the pay schedule of a 9/6 Jacks or Better game playing the maximum five unit bet. The reason you should always play the maximum five units because this bet is required to win the 4,000 coin (or max) jackpot. If you got a royal flush playing only one or two coins, the payout would not be proportionally equal, so there is a strong incentive to always play take the five coin bet. If five credits per hand is too steep for your bankroll, there should be plenty of .25 machines for you to play. Online casinos always offer bets in multiple denominations, generally having a range that includes .25, .50, 1, 2, 5, and sometimes even 10 and 20 credit betting units.

From studying the Jacks or Better payout odds table above, you may notice an inequality between the true odds and payouts of certain hands. Despite the fact that a full house is more likely to happen (1 in 86) than a flush or a straight, it has a larger payout. This goes against the grain in that the rest of the schedule is set up to reward hands that are less likely with higher payouts. Why is this? Again, game makers have slightly adjusted the payouts, but in this case it actually favors the player. In terms of payout percentages, there is a variety among video poker machines just like there is with slots. Remember, the lower-paying 8/5 video pokers are likely to be more common. Some casinos don't even feature the 9/6 variety. And, you definitely won't see any at bars, strip clubs, or the airport. So be choosy. It's what will give you the positive expectation to win and what will make playing more fun!