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Video Poker Odds

To the untrained observer or novice gambler the game of video poker is often perceived as a rather boring game that is void of the more exciting aspects of say triggering a slot machines bonus round, but it is often said the more savvy punter will flock to a video poker game as it offers a better return than any slot game whether online or offline.

To get a better understanding of the odds surrounding the game of video poker you need to understand the rules of the game, which are quite straight forward and shouldn't tax your brain too much!

Video Poker uses just one deck of playing cards, in certain variations additional Jokers are added which act as wild cards, but the overall structure and nature of the game ensures that there are only so many hand types that can be dealt out.

The game structure is quite simple to understand you first need to decide how many coins you wish to play per game and then click deal, you will then be dealt out five cards face up, you then must use your skill and judgement to decide to either keep any of these five cards or discard any of them, any you discard are removed and replaced with different ones from the deck, once this final part of the game is played out your hand is then compared to the pay table and you are paid out should your hand be one of those listed on the pay table.

Video poker players are a savvy bunch and they know that not all video poker games are created equally, to you or me a Jacks or Better video poker game is just like any other, but it is a close inspection of the pay table that will reveal whether that particular game offers the best odds of a winning session.

The better paying Jacks or Better video poker games are known as full pay 9/6 machines and their poor relation are the 8/5 machines, but what you are asking is the difference and how can it affect the odds of the game. Well take a look at the pay table and look at the payout for both the Full House and the Flush hands.

Full Pay Video Poker Odds

If the Full House pays 9 coins and the Flush hand pays 6 coins (for one coin staked) then Bingo you have a good paying machine commonly known as the illusive 9/6 machine, however should the Full House pay 8 coins and the Flush hand pay 5 coins then this is a short pay machine and you are best avoiding it!

To maximize the video poker payout odds and percentages you should always play with the maximum number of coins permitted on every single hand you pay. This is due to the pay table often having an advanced payout for getting a Royal Flush when you hit it with maximum coins, this is turn gives you a bigger expected payback in coins and payout percentage.

For example a 1, 2, 3 and 4 coin stake on Jacks or Better (9/6 machines) give you a payout percentage of 98.4%, a one coin Royal Flush pays 250 coins, a 2 coin Royal Flush pays 500 coins, a 3 coin Royal Flush pays 750 coins and a four coin Royal Flush pays 1000 coins, but if you hit a Royal Flush with five coins in play then this will pay 4000 coins and this raises the payout odds to a whopping 99.5%.

The moral of the story is to carefully select which video poker games you are playing as there can be great value and a world of difference in the odds offered by doing a little research and shopping around, plus with the addition of things such as comps and casino bonus you can increase your payout odds quite dramatically.

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