Why Video Poker Is Different From Every Other Machine Game
Every slot machine in a casino uses a random number generator that produces outcomes the player cannot influence. Video poker is different. The cards are dealt from a virtual standard 52-card deck (or 53 with a wild), and the player makes real decisions about which cards to hold and which to discard. Those decisions have a mathematically correct answer on every hand. Play correctly and the house edge drops to a fraction of a percent. Play incorrectly and it climbs toward slot machine territory.
Video poker also publishes its pay tables directly on the machine screen. Unlike slots where the payout percentages are hidden in software, video poker lets you calculate the exact house edge from the numbers displayed before you insert a single coin. This transparency combined with skill-based play makes video poker one of the most player-favorable machine games available.
The Pay Table Is Everything
The single most important decision in video poker happens before you play — choosing the right machine. Two machines can look identical and carry completely different house edges based solely on what the pay table pays for a Full House and a Flush. Learning to read the pay table code is the first skill every video poker player needs.
Reading the Pay Table Code
The pay table code is the payout for Full House and Flush per coin on a Jacks or Better machine. A 9/6 machine pays 9 coins for a Full House and 6 coins for a Flush. A 8/5 machine pays 8 and 5. A 6/5 machine pays 6 and 5. These small differences have enormous impact on the house edge — a 9/6 machine has 0.46% house edge while a 6/5 machine has 5.00% house edge. Same game, same strategy, vastly different math.
Jacks or Better — The Foundation Game
Jacks or Better is the original and most widely available video poker variant. It uses a standard 52-card deck with no wild cards. A hand must contain at least a pair of Jacks to win anything. The game is the starting point for all video poker strategy because its mechanics are the clearest and its optimal strategy is the most studied.
Full Pay 9/6 Jacks or Better — 0.46% House Edge
The full pay version of Jacks or Better — also called 9/6 for its Full House and Flush payouts — is one of the best bets available in any casino. The complete pay table per coin played at maximum coins:
| Hand | 9/6 Pays | 8/5 Pays | 7/5 Pays | 6/5 Pays |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Royal Flush Max coins bonus | 800 | 800 | 800 | 800 |
Straight Flush | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 |
Four of a Kind | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
Full House | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 |
Flush | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Straight | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Three of a Kind | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Two Pair | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Jacks or Better | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Pay Table | House Edge | RTP | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
9/6 Full Pay | 0.46% | 99.54% | Seek this out |
8/5 | 2.70% | 97.30% | Acceptable |
7/5 | 3.85% | 96.15% | Below average |
6/5 | 5.00% | 95.00% | Avoid |
How to find 9/6 machines: Look at the pay table displayed on screen before inserting money. Find the Full House row and the Flush row. If they show 9 and 6 respectively, you have found a full pay machine. In Las Vegas, full pay machines are more common downtown and at locals casinos than on the Strip. Always check before playing.
Always Play Maximum Coins
Every video poker machine offers a bonus payout for hitting a Royal Flush when playing maximum coins. On a $0.25 machine playing 5 coins ($1.25 per hand), the Royal Flush pays 800 coins — $200. Playing fewer coins, the Royal Flush pays at the standard 250 to 1 rate. The Royal Flush bonus is worth approximately 1.8% of the overall RTP on a 9/6 machine. Playing fewer than maximum coins permanently surrenders this value regardless of strategy quality. If maximum coins are outside your budget, play a lower denomination machine at max coins rather than a higher denomination machine at fewer coins.
Jacks or Better Strategy
Optimal Jacks or Better strategy covers every possible five-card hand situation. The full strategy can be memorized from a strategy card but the key priority rules handle the vast majority of decisions correctly:
Always Keep
Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind — never break up any of these completed hands. Even breaking a Flush to chase a Royal Flush is wrong unless you hold four cards to the Royal.
Key Decision Points
Four to a Royal Flush — hold all four and discard the fifth card even if it completes a Flush or Straight. The expected value of the Royal draw exceeds any completed lower hand.
Two Pair — always hold both pairs. Never break Two Pair to draw for a Full House — keeping both pairs is correct.
High Pair (Jacks or better) — hold the pair. Do not break a winning pair to chase a straight or flush draw unless you hold four to a Royal.
Low Pair vs Four to a Flush — hold the low pair. The expected value of a low pair exceeds a four-card flush draw on a 9/6 machine.
Three to a Royal Flush — hold the three Royal cards and discard the other two even if it breaks a low pair or a made Straight or Flush in most situations.
The Strategy Priority List
From highest to lowest — hold the highest applicable hand:
1. Royal Flush / Straight Flush / Four of a Kind
2. Four to a Royal Flush
3. Full House / Flush / Straight / Three of a Kind
4. Four to a Straight Flush
5. Two Pair
6. High Pair (Jacks or better)
7. Three to a Royal Flush
8. Four to a Flush
9. Low Pair
10. Four to an Outside Straight
11. Two suited high cards
12. Three to a Straight Flush
13. Two unsuited high cards (keep highest)
14. One high card (J, Q, K or A)
15. Discard all five
Popular Video Poker Variants
Deuces Wild — Full Pay Returns 100.76%
Deuces Wild uses a standard 52-card deck where all four 2s are wild — they substitute for any card to complete any hand. Full pay Deuces Wild (also called NSU Deuces — Not So Ugly Deuces) returns 100.76% with perfect strategy, meaning the player has a 0.76% mathematical edge over the casino. This is one of the only casino games where the player can have a mathematical advantage with correct play.
The strategy for Deuces Wild is significantly different from Jacks or Better due to the wild cards. Because any 2 is wild, hands that seem weak in standard poker can be very strong with a deuce in hand. The minimum paying hand rises to Three of a Kind — pairs do not pay in Deuces Wild. Full pay Deuces Wild machines are increasingly rare but can still be found in locals Las Vegas casinos.
Double Double Bonus — High Variance, Same RTP
Double Double Bonus is a Jacks or Better variant that offers enhanced payouts for Four of a Kind hands with specific kickers. Four Aces with a 2, 3 or 4 pays 400 coins per coin wagered — compared to 25 in standard Jacks or Better. The RTP on full pay Double Double Bonus is approximately 98.98% — slightly below full pay Jacks or Better. The trade-off is dramatically higher variance. Sessions produce more extreme swings in both directions. Players who hit the premium Four of a Kind hands experience very large wins; players who miss them for extended sessions see steeper losses than equivalent Jacks or Better play.
Bonus Poker
Bonus Poker offers enhanced payouts for Four Aces (80 coins), Four 2s/3s/4s (40 coins) and Four 5s through Kings (25 coins) compared to the standard 25 for all Four of a Kind in Jacks or Better. Full pay Bonus Poker returns approximately 99.17% — a solid game that is easier to find than full pay Jacks or Better in many markets.
Video Poker vs Slots — The Real Comparison
Video poker and slot machines occupy the same floor space and look similar to casual players. The differences are substantial:
| Feature | Video Poker (9/6 JoB) | Typical Slot Machine |
|---|---|---|
House Edge | 0.46% | 5–12% |
RTP | 99.54% | 88–95% |
Pay table visible? | Yes — displayed on screen | No — hidden in software |
Skill affects outcome? | Yes — significantly | No |
House edge reducible? | Yes — with optimal strategy | No |
Variance | Medium to high | Low to very high |
Common Video Poker Mistakes
Playing fewer than maximum coins. Surrendering the Royal Flush bonus permanently costs approximately 1.8% of RTP regardless of how well you play strategy.
Ignoring the pay table. Sitting at a 6/5 machine when a 9/6 machine is available nearby costs 4.54% of RTP per session for identical play.
Breaking a high pair to chase straights or flushes. A made high pair has more expected value than a four-card straight or flush draw in most situations.
Holding kickers with pairs. Holding an Ace alongside a pair of 7s rather than discarding both non-pair cards reduces expected value. Always discard the kicker.
Not learning variant-specific strategy. Deuces Wild strategy applied to Jacks or Better machines — or vice versa — significantly increases the effective house edge.
Strategy matters more in video poker than in any other machine game. The difference between optimal strategy and average play on a 9/6 Jacks or Better machine is approximately 2% of RTP. That is the difference between a 0.46% house edge and a 2.46% house edge — a fivefold increase caused entirely by suboptimal hold decisions.
Where to Find the Best Video Poker Machines
Full pay 9/6 Jacks or Better machines are still available in Las Vegas but require some searching. Downtown Las Vegas and locals casinos — Station Casinos properties, Boyd Gaming properties, and similar — offer better video poker pay tables than Strip mega-resorts as a general rule. Tribal casinos in other states vary widely — some offer excellent pay tables to compete with Nevada, others offer only lower-paying variants.
Before playing any video poker machine check the pay table. It costs nothing and takes thirty seconds. Finding a 9/6 machine over a 6/5 machine is worth more than any strategy improvement available to a player who is already playing correctly.
The Bottom Line
Video poker played correctly on a full pay machine is among the best mathematical bets in any casino. The 9/6 Jacks or Better house edge of 0.46% is lower than blackjack with basic strategy in many common rule configurations. The pay table is visible before you play, the strategy is learnable from a pocket card available in most casino gift shops, and the Royal Flush bonus rewards playing maximum coins. Full pay Deuces Wild with perfect strategy is one of the only casino games offering a player advantage. The work required — learning the pay table code and the basic strategy priorities — takes an afternoon and pays dividends across every session at a video poker machine.