Video poker paytables worth knowing
Optimal video poker playing strategy depends on how much the machine will pay
EXPERIENCED VIDEO POKER players rely on a useful tool: the paytables displayed on the machines themselves. Study those tables to learn what the machines are willing to pay for specific hands — and you’ll know which strategy gives you the best mathematical return. Did you know, for instance, that on 9/6 Jacks or Better, the full-pay version of the game, whether you should hold a suited 10-J depends on the other three cards?
Paytables are displayed on the machines, but they are sometimes found behind a Help or Paytable button. Different casinos can offer the same video poker game with different payouts — and those differences affect the expected return.
When you know what each video poker paytable will pay for each hand, you can then apply the correct strategy for the variant to improve your expected return. Let’s dive into the details.
Optimal playing strategy depends on how much the machine will pay, so find the machine with the strongest overall paytable rather than choosing one simply because a Royal Flush pays 800 credits per credit wagered at the maximum bet.
Main Video Poker Game Options
Deuces Wild
Deuces Wild is a video poker game played with a standard 52-card deck. In Deuces Wild, the deuces, which are the four 2s, are wild. Wild cards can be used to represent other cards in the deck to make the best possible poker hand. The deuces can help form a Five of a Kind hand, which typically ranks above Four of a Kind. Full Pay Deuces Wild has one of the highest theoretical returns among conventional video poker paytables.
Joker Poker
Joker Poker is a video poker variant that uses a 52-card deck plus one Joker. The Joker is the wild card. In Joker Poker, players encounter many of the same hands as in standard video poker, with the exception that the Joker can substitute for another card.
Kickers are additional cards used to distinguish certain qualifying hands under specific paytables. Most notably, kickers affect the payouts for selected Four of a Kind hands in Double Double Bonus Poker, although standard Joker Poker generally uses different hand categories. The value of a completed hand depends on the specific paytable rather than conventional poker comparisons alone. Casino comparisons on GuiaDeCasinos.mx provide operator and licensing information, but the exact video poker paytable still needs to be checked within the game.
Double Bonus Poker
Double Bonus Poker is a variation of Jacks or Better video poker where the payouts are enhanced for Four of a Kind, especially for aces and low-ranking cards. This video poker variation comes with different payout rules. For example, the payouts for Four of a Kind are significantly boosted, with four aces paying 160 credits per credit wagered in the 10/7 version. There are other factors that make Double Bonus Poker different from a standard version of Jacks or Better.
Bonus Poker
Bonus Poker is a video poker game that is played with a regular deck of 52 cards. The game uses one five-card starting hand and allows players to hold or discard cards before the draw. The final hand is made up of five cards, with payouts determined by the displayed paytable. Standard Bonus Poker does not use Jokers or other wild cards.
If you would like to learn more about poker, you can check out the guides at https://danskecasinoer.net/. They offer advice on where to play, as each casino offers its own bonuses—some of which can be quite substantial.
What a Video Poker Paytable Tells You
Each hand has a mathematical probability of occurring, and there are specific payouts for each outcome. In a standard 52-card deck, there are only four possible natural Royal Flush combinations among 2,598,960 five-card hands. Faced with those odds, the calculation that matters is straightforward: how often each paying hand occurs and how much it returns.
The single most important line to check is often the Royal Flush payout at the maximum wager, typically 4,000 credits for five credits played rather than 250 credits for a single credit.
Hand Payouts
The payouts shown here are expressed as credits returned per credit wagered, assuming the maximum-coin payout schedule applies. This is the number of credits a winning hand pays relative to the amount wagered, while the overall expected return also depends on the probability of each result and the decisions made during play.
Standard 9/6 Jacks or Better Paytable
| Hand | Payout |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 800 |
| Straight Flush | 50 |
| Four of a Kind | 25 |
| Full House | 9 |
| Flush | 6 |
| Straight | 4 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 |
| Two Pair | 2 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 |
| All other hands | 0 |
These figures represent the payout per credit wagered when the maximum-coin schedule is used. On a conventional five-credit machine, a Royal Flush therefore pays 4,000 credits.
Put this knowledge to use with a video poker strategy calculator that evaluates the expected return of every possible hold and discard decision. The purpose of optimal strategy is, of course, maximizing expected return rather than guaranteeing a winning session.
A paytable calculator can also display the complete payout schedule for a particular variant. A strategy analyzer can show the possible outcomes, hand probabilities, recommended holds, and other information needed to compare different machines.
How to Read Labels Such as 9/6, 8/5 and 10/7
The numerical labels used for many video poker variations usually refer to the payouts for Full House and Flush, with certain variants also specifying the Straight payout. 9/6 Jacks or Better, as used in the examples below, is named for its 9:1 and 6:1 payouts: a Flush pays 6 credits per credit wagered, while a Full House pays 9. The same game title does not guarantee identical returns across casinos, including operators reviewed by PortalApuesta. But the paytable will clarify these figures for each specific game.
9/6 Jacks or Better
The 9/6 Paytable
With an 800:1 Royal Flush, 50:1 Straight Flush, 25:1 Four of a Kind, 9:1 Full House and 6:1 Flush, this is a strong conventional paytable. The full-pay version offers a theoretical return of 99.54% with optimal play, so this makes Jacks or Better a relatively low-house-edge game rather than a profitable long-term game for the player. Jacks or Better is one of the most widely recognized video poker variants, as its hand rankings are straightforward and no wild cards are involved.
9/6 vs 9/5 vs 8/5 Jacks or Better
There is far more to this than meets the eye. First of all, machines labeled Jacks or Better can have substantially different expected returns despite using the same basic game rules. The numerical label provides a useful comparison because it identifies two payout lines that materially affect the game’s return. The simpler the comparison, the easier it becomes to identify a short-pay machine.
A 9/6 table pays 9 credits for a Full House and 6 for a Flush. A 9/5 table reduces the Flush payout to 5 credits, while an 8/5 table also reduces the Full House payout to 8 credits.
Why the Full House and Flush Lines Matter
A 9/6 table returns 99.54% when played optimally, while a 9/5 table only returns approximately 98.45%. Similarly, an 8/6 Jacks or Better table returns approximately 98.39%, while an 8/5 table returns 97.30%, and a 7/5 table returns approximately 96.15%. In total, the difference between 9/6 and 8/5 is approximately 2.24 percentage points.
8/5 Bonus Poker
With these payouts, the house edge is approximately 0.83%. Compared to the 9/6 Jacks or Better version, this is a slightly lower theoretical return, although 8/5 Bonus Poker can still be a competitive option.
Bonus Payments for Four of a Kind
But the payout doesn’t stop there, as Bonus Poker also offers extra payouts for selected Four of a Kind hands. When the Four of a Kind consists of aces, the hand is worth 80 credits per credit wagered. In addition, Four of a Kind consisting of 2s, 3s or 4s pays 40 credits.
Comparing 8/5, 7/5 and 6/5 Tables
For example, 8/5 Bonus Poker offers more generous Full House payouts than 7/5 or 6/5 Bonus Poker. Simplifying that, 7/5 Bonus Poker and 6/5 Bonus Poker have identical payouts on most hands except for the Full House. If we were comparing all three tables, we would see that 8/5 Bonus Poker has the highest theoretical return at approximately 99.17%, followed by 7/5 at 98.01% and 6/5 at 96.87%.
Always read the complete paytable before you begin playing.
9/6 Bonus Poker Deluxe
Played with a standard 52-card deck, Bonus Poker Deluxe has a top payout of 800 credits per credit wagered for a Royal Flush at the maximum bet. It pays 80 credits for any Four of a Kind, 9 credits for a Full House, 6 credits for a Flush, and only 1 credit for Two Pair. With an optimal strategy, this game returns 99.6417% of the total amount wagered over the long run.
The Four-of-a-Kind Premium
Playing optimally, the 9/6 Bonus Poker Deluxe game has a house edge of approximately 0.36%, compared to the estimated house edge of 0.83% for 8/5 Bonus Poker.
10/7 Double Bonus
The 10/7/5 Lines to Check
For this, you have a few requirements: keep your eye on the 10/7/5 payout structure, meaning that a Full House pays 10 credits, a Flush pays 7, and a Straight pays 5. These lines tell you whether a Double Bonus machine offers the conventional full-pay schedule or a lower-paying version. Other combinations of Full House, Flush and Straight payouts are also possible.
Always check the payouts for Four of a Kind, especially the lower-ranking Four of a Kind hands, as well as the key lines for Flush, Full House and Straight. Full-pay 10/7 Double Bonus pays 5:1 for a Straight, while versions with a 4:1 Straight payout offer a lower theoretical return.
Full-Pay vs Short-Pay Double Bonus: 10/7 or 10/7/4?
With regard to the numerical labels displayed by the operator, the 10/7 payments identify the Full House and Flush payouts but do not necessarily confirm every other line.
A short-pay Double Bonus table, for example, may retain the 10/7 Full House and Flush payouts while reducing the Straight payout from 5:1 to 4:1.
Full-pay 10/7 Double Bonus returns approximately 100.17% with optimal strategy, while the reduced Straight payout lowers the overall return.
In short, the primary difference is the amount paid for specific hands, which may lead to a higher or lower overall theoretical return.
9/6 and 10/6 Double Double Bonus
The latter variant is named for its increased Full House payout, while both versions offer additional bonuses for Four Aces and Four of a Kind consisting of 2s, 3s or 4s. The paytable includes a 160:1 payout for Four Aces without a qualifying low kicker, an 80:1 payout for Four 2s, 3s or 4s without a qualifying kicker, and a 50:1 payout for Four of a Kind consisting of 5s through Kings.
Why Kickers Appear in the Paytable
As a result, the Double Double Bonus machine pays more for selected Four of a Kind hands with qualifying kickers. Using the 400:1 payout, for example, the paytable explicitly shows that Four Aces accompanied by a 2, 3 or 4 pay more than Four Aces accompanied by another card. Simply put, Four Aces with a 2, 3 or 4 kicker receive a 400:1 payout, while Four Aces with a different kicker pay 160:1.
Four Aces and Low-Quad Bonuses
Double Double Bonus offers some of its largest payouts for these specific hands. Instead of the regular 160:1 payout, the game gives you a 400:1 payout when you have Four Aces with a kicker that is a 2, 3 or 4. The game pays 160:1 for Four 2s, 3s or 4s accompanied by a qualifying Ace, 2, 3 or 4 kicker, excluding cards already forming the Four of a Kind. If you have Four 5s through Kings, the standard 9/6 and 10/6 paytables pay 50:1 regardless of the kicker.
The Two-Pair Trade-Off
The payout for Two Pair is another important difference between Double Double Bonus and standard Jacks or Better. While 9/6 Jacks or Better pays 2:1 for Two Pair, Double Double Bonus pays only 1:1. This reduced payout helps fund the larger Four of a Kind bonuses and changes the optimal decisions for several starting hands.
9/6 vs 10/6 Double Double Bonus
Instead of the standard 2:1 payout for Two Pair in Jacks or Better, both versions have a 1:1 payout, making the treatment of paired hands an important part of strategy.
Double Double Bonus 10/6 offers a greater payout for Full Houses than its 9/6 counterpart, while the other standard payout lines remain unchanged.
Look at both tables, and you’ll see that the theoretical return for 10/6 Double Double Bonus is approximately 100.07%, compared with 98.98% for 9/6 Double Double Bonus. The premium for Four Aces with a qualifying low kicker remains 400:1 in both versions.
Full Pay Deuces Wild
What to Look for Beyond the Royal Flush
What you should be looking for is the payout for Five of a Kind, Four Deuces and the other wild-card combinations. Often, a machine may be described as Deuces Wild even though it does not offer the full-pay version. In the standard Full Pay Deuces Wild table, Five of a Kind pays 15 credits per credit wagered. The Natural Royal Flush pays 800:1 at the maximum wager, and Four Deuces pays 200:1. Typical full-pay values for Five of a Kind and Four Deuces are 15:1 and 200:1, respectively, while a Straight Flush pays 9:1. Lower payouts for these hands should raise red flags during your evaluation.
Always confirm that you are playing the actual full-pay table rather than another version, for example, one that pays less for Five of a Kind or Four of a Kind, which reduces the theoretical return.
Four Deuces and a Wild Royal Payout
Some casinos offer Deuces Wild paytables with different payouts for Four Deuces and a Wild Royal Flush. While these differences can look minor in individual hands, they can substantially change the overall expected return. A Natural Royal Flush pays 800:1 at the maximum wager, and Four Deuces pays 200:1 in the full-pay version. A Wild Royal Flush pays 25:1, while a Straight Flush pays 9:1.
Double Deuces
Unlike standard Deuces Wild, Double Deuces gives a larger payout for a hand containing all four deuces. Using the published paytable and optimal strategy, the theoretical return of Double Deuces depends on the exact payouts for the Natural Royal Flush and the other qualifying hands.
The house edge of Double Deuces can vary considerably between paytables, while one documented version offers a theoretical player return of 100.92%.
Joker Poker: Kings or Better
The first thing you should know about this game is that the lowest paying pair is Kings or Aces rather than Jacks or Better.
Standard Jacks or Better strategy is not directly applicable here.
Natural Royal vs Wild Royal
A Natural Royal Flush (no wild cards) pays more than a Wild Royal Flush. The natural hand returns 800 credits per credit wagered at the maximum bet, while the Wild Royal Flush pays 100:1 on the 100.64% Joker Poker paytable.
Five of a Kind
Five of a Kind is one of the highest-ranking hands in Joker Poker. This additional hand has changed the poker math, since the Joker can complete combinations that are impossible in standard Jacks or Better. A Five of a Kind pays 200:1 on the 100.64% version, although other Joker Poker paytables can offer lower payouts.
From a basic strategy perspective, when playing with a single Joker, you need to evaluate its possible uses in a Wild Royal Flush, Five of a Kind or another qualifying hand. The optimal hold depends on all five starting cards and the complete paytable.
Why Joker Poker Paytables Need to Be Read in Full
What counts is the entire video poker paytable, even though the same game name is sometimes used by different machines. That is, for example, a Joker Poker paytable paying 150 for Five of a Kind and 80 for a Wild Royal Flush differs from one paying 200 and 100, respectively. Other Joker Poker variants can change additional payouts, including those for Four of a Kind, Full House and lower-paying hands.
Paytables Side by Side
| Game and Paytable | Optimal Return | House Edge |
|---|---|---|
| 9/6 Jacks or Better | 99.54% | 0.46% |
| 9/5 Jacks or Better | 98.45% | 1.55% |
| 8/5 Jacks or Better | 97.30% | 2.70% |
| 8/5 Bonus Poker | 99.17% | 0.83% |
| 7/5 Bonus Poker | 98.01% | 1.99% |
| 6/5 Bonus Poker | 96.87% | 3.13% |
| 9/6 Bonus Poker Deluxe | 99.64% | 0.36% |
| 9/5 Bonus Poker Deluxe | 98.55% | 1.45% |
| 10/7 Double Bonus | 100.17% | −0.17% |
| 9/6 Double Double Bonus | 98.98% | 1.02% |
| 10/6 Double Double Bonus | 100.07% | −0.07% |
| Full Pay Deuces Wild | 100.76% | −0.76% |
| Double Deuces (940/400) | 100.92% | −0.92% |
| Joker Poker: Kings or Better (800/200/100) | 100.65% | −0.65% |
Returns are rounded and assume optimal strategy and the specified maximum-coin payout schedule. Negative house edges indicate a theoretical player advantage before considering other costs, restrictions or promotional conditions. They do not guarantee a profit in any individual session.
The difference between these paytables is not limited to the size of the top prize. Small changes to Full House, Flush, Two Pair and Four of a Kind payouts can move the theoretical return by more than one percentage point, even when two machines carry the same game name.
A stronger paytable also requires the correct strategy for that specific version. The strategy used for 9/6 Jacks or Better is not necessarily optimal for 8/5 Bonus Poker, and wild-card variants require their own decisions.
The most useful habit is to check the entire paytable before playing, confirm whether the Royal Flush requires a maximum-coin wager, and compare the expected return rather than relying on the name printed on the machine.