Video Poker Odds And Payouts – Understand Best Video Poker Games
9 minutes
Last Updated: May 30, 2021
Video Poker Odds And Payouts – Understand Best Video Poker Games
Video poker games might not be the most innovative or flashy things you’ll run into when playing in a casino. However, they are one of the most rewarding options you can bet find.
The game combines both skill and luck, and video poker odds and payouts are some of the best in the industry.
Inexperienced video poker players often think that there isn’t much they can do to impact their success. But, if you’re a skilled player, you know that your chances of winning increase as you learn more.
On this page, we’ve dismantled all video poker odds and payouts to bring you everything you need to know to find the best video poker games.
Video Poker Payouts – How Much Does Each Game Pay?
Nearly all video poker games play the same. You bet the desired amount, get cards, discard any if you want to get new ones, and proceed to the final round.
That said, there is a bit of a difference between different video poker games when it comes to how much each game pays when you hit a winning combination. Let’s take a look at the video poker payouts for the most popular variations:
Jacks or Better Video Poker Pay Table
| Hand | 1 Coin Bet | 2 Coins Bet | 3 Coins Bet | 4 Coins Bet | 5 Coins Bet |
| Royal Flush | 250 | 500 | 750 | 1000 | 4000 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| 4 of a Kind | 25 | 50 | 75 | 100 | 125 |
| Full House | 9 | 18 | 27 | 36 | 45 |
| Flush | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 | 30 |
| Straight | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 |
| 3 of a Kind | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 |
| 2 Pairs | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Pair of Jacks or Better | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
The table above features the Jacks or Better 9/6 game, which is the most favorable variation you can play. It offers you a payback percentage of over 99.5%, meaning that’s how much of your money it pays back in the long run.
The 9/6 pay table is often referred to as full pay video poker as these games offer the best video poker odds you’ll find.
That said, the 9/6 variation isn’t the only one you’ll come across when playing in casinos. You can also run into 9/5, 8/6, 8/5, 7/5, and even 6/5 Jacks or Better video poker machines.
However, none of these can offer the same payback percentages or video poker payouts that the version we’ve featured in the table can. That’s why we always recommend you stick with the Jacks or Better 9/6 pay table, as it will provide you with the best bang for your buck.
Deuces Wild Video Poker Pay Table
| Hand | 1 Coin Bet | 2 Coins Bet | 3 Coins Bet | 4 Coins Bet | 5 Coins Bet |
| Royal Flush (without the wild symbol) | 250 | 500 | 750 | 1000 | 4000 |
| 4 Deuces (Twos) | 200 | 400 | 600 | 800 | 1000 |
| Royal Flush (with the wild symbol) | 25 | 50 | 75 | 100 | 125 |
| 5 of a Kind | 15 | 30 | 45 | 60 | 75 |
| Straight Flush | 9 | 18 | 27 | 36 | 45 |
| 4 of a Kind | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 |
| Full House | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 |
| Flush | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Straight | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| 3 of a Kind | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
At first glance at the table above, you can see that Deuces Wild offers more winning combinations. The wildcard deuces help you line up more wins. What’s more, the expected payback percentage is even higher than that of Jacks or Better.
If you play it optimally, Deuces Wild has a payback percentage of a little over 100.7%, making it the best video poker game in terms of payouts.
That said, these numbers can vary significantly, depending on how far you are from “optimal play.”
If you have a poor strategy, the expected payback percentage and video poker odds of this variation can go as low as 94.8%. Of course, this is still a great number compared to most other casino games, but not what you should settle for when playing Deuces Wild.
Bonus Poker Pay Table
| Hand | 1 Coin Bet | 2 Coin Bet | 3 Coin Bet | 4 Coin Bet | 5 Coin Bet |
| Royal Flush | 250 | 500 | 750 | 1000 | 4000 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| Four Aces with any Two, Three, or Four | 400 | 800 | 1200 | 1600 | 2000 |
| Four Twos, Threes, or Fours with any Ace | 160 | 320 | 480 | 640 | 800 |
| Four Aces | 160 | 320 | 480 | 640 | 800 |
| Four Twos, Threes, or Fours | 80 | 160 | 240 | 320 | 400 |
| Four of a king (5 through King) | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| Full House | 9 | 18 | 27 | 36 | 45 |
| Flush | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 | 30 |
| Straight | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 |
| Two Pairs | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Pair of Jacks or Better | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
We should mention one important side note to keep in mind regarding the table above. The numbers we’ve shared with you cover the Double Double Bonus Poker game. This is one of the most favorable variations of Bonus Poker you can play.
Besides this game, many other similar variations fit into this category. These include Bonus Poker Deluxe, Double Bonus Poker, Super Double Bonus, and many others.
Identically to the Jacks or Better video poker machine, the best Bonus Poker game you should look for is the 9/6 one. It offers the best payback percentages, slightly better than those of the 9/6 Jacks or Better game.
The 9/6 version gives you video poker payback of over 99.6%. You can also find a 10/7 pay table, which offers a payback of over 100%, but these are very rare.
Video Poker Odds – How to Make the Best Decisions
Common sense dictates that stronger hands will appear much less often than weaker card combinations. This is no different from regular poker played with chips and cards.
This applies in the majority of cases, no matter which variation you play. And, while the exact video poker odds can vary slightly between different games, there is a general ballpark rule you can rely on to make intelligent and informed decisions.
If you’re playing with a simple 52-card deck without any wild cards, the odds of landing different combinations will be nearly identical across all games.
To see a detailed overview and comparison of all of these hand combinations, check out the table below:
| Video Poker Hand | Odds |
| Royal Flush | 649,740 to 1 |
| Straight Flush | 72,193 to 1 |
| Four of a Kind | 4,165 to 1 |
| Full House | 694 to 1 |
| Flush | 509 to 1 |
| Straight | 255 to 1 |
| Three of a Kind | 47 to 1 |
| Two Pairs | 21 to 1 |
| Pair of Jacks or Better | 7.7 to 1 |
| Any Pair | 2.4 to 1 |
In simple terms, the numbers in the table above mean that you can expect to get a specific combination one time after the approximate number of hands passes.
So, taking the “Pair of Jacks or Better” hand, for example, you can expect to get a pair of Jacks, Queens, Kings, or Aces once every seven to eight hands.
Of course, it’s important to remember that the RNG (Random Number Generator) factor only goes up as there are more possible outcomes.
For instance, you’re not due a royal flush combination every 650,000 hands you play. You can get it on your third press and then go two million hands without lining it up. After that, you might get it twice in a row.
Just like with roulette and other random games, there’s no telling when your next big win will come. This is what makes video poker so exciting and unpredictable.
Video Poker Pay Tables – Worth Learning in the End?
Video poker pay tables aren’t anything overly complicated. They are just numbered charts showing how much each combination in the game will pay. You can use them to plan your game strategies and know which video poker games suit you the best.
From this perspective, since video poker odds vary between games, comparing the pay table will let you focus on the best video poker game and get the most from your bets.
With that in mind, video poker payouts, odds, and pay tables aren’t something you should shy away from learning. Ultimately, we strongly recommend you take some time to memorize the charts or at least learn them well enough that you know your expected value.
The information and detailed tables we’ve included on this page can always serve you as a reference and a good starting point you can always come back to.
And, if you’re serious about learning video poker, check out this guide on the best video poker strategies you can use to further improve your chances of success.
