Video Poker Odds

Only the best video poker odds are good enough! To be a winner at video poker you must play only those games that offer close to 99% or better long-term payback. Learn proper strategies, avoid machines with poor pay schedules and you can be a life-time winner at video poker.

But playing games offering 99% video poker payback does not mean that for every 100 coins you feed into a machine you’ll get 99 coins back! The key is “long-term” which means thousands of hands. To make sure you always get the best video poker odds, you must play with the highest level of proficiency, meaning you need to make the correct decision as you play each and every hand.

Another crucial catch to top video poker odds is that the 99% or better payback rating includes the Royal Flush bonus pay-off! You have an additional 2% disadvantage if you don’t get to collect your fair share of 4,000-coin Royal Flush wins. On average, you can expect to line up a Royal Flush once in 40,000 hands.

The reality of Video Poker Odds

These are the realities: Only computers are absolutely accurate all the time. We humans are not that flawless. We’re bound to make mistakes, not to mention that we probably have not completely mastered the rules of perfect play. Therefore, the actual video poker payout percentages you will achieve will be based on your personal skill level. The more expertly you play, the better your chances of becoming a winner in the long run.

Let’s be realistic and accept that we don’t play with computer-like precision. Our expected video poker odds percentage will possibly be reduced by at least one percentage point. Instead of 99%, our video poker odds will be 98%, if we get our fair share of Royal Flushes. That means the machines keep 2% for the casino! If the Royal Flush shows up only half as often at it is statistically supposed to appear, add another 1% and the casino’s edge becomes 3%. And this is based on playing games with the best video poker odds available!

Video Poker Odds and Casino Bonuses

Most video poker odds you find at online casinos and in live casinos are considerable less than 99%. If you play machines with poor video poker odds over extended periods you will never be a long-term winner. To have any chance of success you need to know how to play with precision and play only those games that offer “full payouts”. Your day to day results will still be erratic but you will do alright over the long term, especially if you take full advantage of online casino bonuses or slot club points in land based casinos.

Whether online or in live casinos, you should not play any game that does not feature a “full payout” pay table. The easiest to learn and most widely available game is Jacks or Better. Do not play this game if the payouts are less than what’s shown in the table below.

Jacks or Better (rated 99.54% payout)

Royal Flush 4000
Straight Flush 250
Four of a Kind 125
Full House 45
Flush 30
Straight 20
Three of a Kind 15
Two Pair 10
Jack or Better 5

If the Odds are not what they should be

If a casino does not offer attractive odds on its video poker games, but you want to play anyway, my advice is to risk a relatively small amount and hope to get a big payout in short order. Do not continue to feed coins for extended periods into machines with poor pay tables.

On average, a Royal Flush occurs about once every 40,000 hands, but there is absolutely no guarantee. You could go 100,000 hands and not hit one. At the other extreme, you could hit two RFs in a row.

Some calculations to ponder: If you play maximum coins at a moderate speed of 400 hands per hour, it takes 100 hours to play 40,000 hands. At five quarters, or $1.25 per hand, times 400 hands that’s $500 going through the machine each hour.

At only a 3% long-term hold, the machine keeps an average of $15 per hour. Play 100 hours, (40,000 hands) and your loss will total $1,500! Even if you are lucky enough to hit a Royal Flush during that stretch, the pay-off would be 4,000 quarters or $1,000. You’re still down $500, or an average of $5 for each hour of play. You hope that casino bonuses make up the shortfall.

How to be a Video Poker Winner

So how can you possibly hope to be a long term winner at video poker? In online casinos the free bonuses can make the difference. Exploit those freebies to the maximum.

In live casinos you may received free accommodation, restaurant meals, show tickets and other freebies. Add up the estimated dollar value and, chances are, the amount will be about equal to what you lost on the machines. And if you are lucky and hit more than your fair share of Royal Flushes, you will even show an overall net cash profit.

Online casinos don’t give you free rooms and food, but you have a pretty good chance of ending up on the plus side if you take full advantage of the sign-on or welcome bonuses offered by practically all online casinos.