Understanding the video poker paytable is the single most important move a player can make before sitting down at any machine. Over the years I’ve tested dozens of machines, from slow smoky casino floors to fast mobile apps, and the pattern is always the same: the paytable tells the story. Read it carefully and you can choose games with higher returns, adapt your strategy, and avoid costly mistakes. Below I walk through how to read paytables, the differences between “full-pay” and short-pay variants, how paytables affect expected value (EV) and variance, and practical steps to maximize your edge.
What a paytable actually tells you
A paytable lists the payout for every winning hand in a video poker game, usually displayed as coins per coin bet. For example, Jacks or Better might show “Royal Flush – 250, Straight Flush – 50, Four of a Kind – 25,” and so on. These numbers, combined with the probability of each hand, determine the theoretical return to player (RTP). Two machines that look identical can have dramatically different RTPs if their paytables differ by just a few coins on certain hands.
The most actionable pieces of information on any paytable are:
- Payout for the Royal Flush (especially if it specifies 800 for 1 with a five-coin max bet)
- Payout for Four of a Kind and Full House
- Whether deuces or jokers are wild, which dramatically changes frequencies
- Multiplier or bonus rules (progressive jackposts or bonus payouts)
Full-pay vs short-pay: Why a few coins matter
“Full-pay” machines are famous because they offer the highest RTP for a particular game variant — for example, full-pay Jacks or Better (often called 9/6 Jacks or Better) pays 9 for a Full House and 6 for a Flush and returns about 99.54% with perfect strategy. A seemingly small change — say from 9/6 to 8/5 — can drop RTP below 97% and cost you hundreds in the long run.
Consider this analogy: think of the paytable as the engine specification on two cars. If one has higher compression and better tuning, it performs more efficiently — the same with a video poker paytable. Small numbers change heat and fuel consumption over time.
How paytables determine RTP and variance
To compute RTP, multiply each hand’s payout by the probability of making that hand and sum the results. Video poker has well-known probabilities for each hand type given standard 52-card deck rules — for example, Royal Flush is rare (about 1 in 40,000 for Jacks or Better), while a pair of jacks or better is common. Because some hands (like the Royal) carry massive payouts, machines with higher royal payouts (or progressive royals) have higher variance: infrequent big wins, steadier long-term returns uncertain over short sessions.
Variance matters for bankroll planning. A high-RTP machine with high variance needs a larger bankroll because long dry spells are more likely. Conversely, low-variance games give frequent smaller wins but a lower long-run return.
Common game types and their paytable highlights
Jacks or Better
The baseline game. Look for “9/6” in the paytable (Full House = 9, Flush = 6). With perfect play this is one of the few video poker games offering near-1% house edge.
Deuces Wild
Deuces are wild — that changes frequencies and strategy. Full-pay deuces wild (often called 2s Wild) can have RTPs above 100% with perfect strategy in specific paytables, but these variants require disciplined play and often come with less forgiving paytables for other hands.
Double Bonus, Double Double Bonus
Bonus games emphasize four-of-a-kind payoffs, often paying more for certain kicker combinations. These paytables are volatile: they pay out heavier on quads but reduce other payouts. Strategy is more complex and mistakes are costlier.
Bonus Poker and Poker Royale
These variations tweak paytables to increase excitement or to support progressive jackpots. Always check the paytable — named games often hide critical differences in small print.
Practical steps: How to read and evaluate any paytable
- Scan the Royal payout first. Is it 800 for one coin with a 5-coin jackpot (commonly shown as 4000 for five coins)? If the royal increases disproportionately with a max bet, a five-coin strategy becomes essential.
- Compare Full House and Flush values — classic 9/6 vs 8/5 differences are major red flags.
- Look for special bonuses or penalties (e.g., worse pay on three-of-a-kind) and wild card rules.
- Use a quick calculator or lookup table. Several reputable video poker strategy tools let you input a paytable and get exact RTP and recommended strategy.
- Test with small stakes. Even a theoretically positive game can be unpleasant with high variance.
Strategy: how the paytable affects your decisions
Optimal strategy changes with the paytable. In Jacks or Better, whether you hold a low pair or a four-card flush can hinge on the machine’s paytable. The marginal difference in EV between two plays might be a few pennies, but repeated thousands of times it compounds.
One practical rule of thumb: if the paytable increases the value of quads or full house relative to other hands, prioritize draws that maximize those hands' potential. Conversely, if the royal is the big prize but other payouts are cut, you might adjust to chase the royal more aggressively (but only if the math supports it).
Bankroll and bet sizing based on paytable
Your bankroll strategy must reflect both RTP and variance. For a low-variance 99% RTP game, smaller unit bets relative to bankroll might suffice. High-variance games with similar RTP need a larger bankroll to withstand longer losing streaks.
Maximizing the royal jackpot often requires betting the maximum coins (many machines multiply the royal when you bet five coins). If the paytable only becomes favorable when betting max, decide if your bankroll can sustain max bets. If it can’t, you may be better off finding a “full-pay” variant that’s profitable at lower bet sizes.
Progressive jackpots and linking machines
Progressive video poker machines add a portion of each bet to a growing jackpot. When the progressive growth is high enough, the theoretical RTP can exceed 100%. But two caveats: first, the progressive must be large enough to overcome other paytable deficits; second, many players rush when the progressive peaks, increasing competition and changing bankroll dynamics.
It’s worth noting that linked progressive banks (machines sharing a jackpot) often display the meter and the breakpoint (the point where the game becomes positive). I’ve personally tracked a progressive over weeks — it only became attractive when it crossed a specific threshold, after which I switched strategies and increased my maximum bet.
Tools and resources
There are trusted calculators and strategy trainers that let you plug in a paytable and produce exact RTP and optimal strategy charts. For quick reference and practice, consider using reputable simulators before committing real money. You can also compare paytables directly on many casino websites and aggregator sites, but always verify the in-game paytable before betting.
If you want a simple starting point, check an authoritative resource for machine listings and paytable comparisons. For instance, the video poker paytable listings at that site are helpful for spotting differences between common variants. Use them to shortlist promising machines, then confirm the paytable on the floor or the app before you play.
Common mistakes players make with paytables
- Assuming identical game names mean identical paytables — they don’t. “Jacks or Better” can be 9/6 or 8/5 or worse.
- Ignoring max-bet multipliers on the Royal — sometimes the only way to secure the best return is to bet max coins.
- Relying on generic strategy charts without checking paytable-specific changes.
- Chasing progressives without a clear entry point — wait until math justifies the risk.
Real-world example: Reading a paytable live
A few months ago I sat down at a five-play machine with an appealing layout. The paytable looked like a standard Jacks or Better, but a closer look showed Full House paid 8 and Flush paid 5 — an 8/5 machine. The RTP difference compared to 9/6 was tangible: the house edge jumped by roughly 2.5%. I walked away and found a single-line 9/6 machine with a slightly worse location but significantly better long-term return. Small decisions like this change outcomes over a long session.
Checklist before you start a session
- Read the paytable fully — including the small print on maximum coin multipliers.
- Decide your bankroll and whether you can afford max bets if the paytable demands them.
- Review a strategy chart or use a trainer specific to that paytable.
- Consider variance and session length — are you aiming for steady play or hunting jackpots?
- Bookmark or note the machine name and paytable for future comparison.
Final thoughts
Mastering the video poker paytable isn’t about memorizing every payout in isolation. It’s about seeing how payouts interact with probabilities, strategy, variance, and your bankroll. The good news is that with a little preparation — checking paytables, using a strategy tool, and betting responsibly — you can dramatically improve your results and enjoy a smarter, more strategic way to play.
To start, scan paytables whenever you play and use reliable tools to compute RTP and strategy. If you’d like curated paytable comparisons and examples, I recommend browsing reputable listings like the video poker paytable reference and then testing the machine in practice mode before betting real money. Over time you’ll build an intuition for which paytables matter most and how to adjust your play to match them.
Good luck at the machines — reading the paytable first is like choosing the right course: it’s the plan that determines whether you cruise or struggle.
