Video Poker Basics: How Pay Tables and Strategy Reduce the House Edge

[CRStals]

CardsChat Casino Learning Series Part 1 of 2 – Video Poker Basics: How Pay Tables and Strategy Reduce the House Edge​

In March, we’re diving into the world of video poker — focusing on how to play properly, why not all machines are created equal, and which mistakes players should avoid.

By the end of this series, you should be able to play close to perfect strategy, minimizing the house edge to almost zero.
But before we get there, we need to understand the fundamentals of the game

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🔍 What We’ll Cover​

• How to play Video Poker
• Why Pay Tables REALLY matter
• Core strategy fundamentals
• Tips for moving toward perfect strategy

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💥 How to Play Video Poker​

Video poker is essentially Five-Card Draw Poker with one redraw, but instead of playing against a dealer or other players, you're playing against a pay table.

Here’s how a typical hand works:

1. You bet 1 to 5 coins
2. The machine deals you five cards
3. You choose which cards to hold (0–5 cards)
4. The machine replaces the discarded cards
5. Your final hand is compared to the pay table
6. If your hand qualifies, you win

For this lesson, we’ll focus on Jacks or Better, the most common format of video poker.
In this version, the minimum winning hand is a pair of Jacks or better.
Because you're playing against a pay table — not another player — understanding the payout structure is critical.

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💥 Why Pay Tables REALLY Matter​

At first glance, most video poker pay tables look nearly identical. But small differences can dramatically affect your expected return.

The first thing players usually notice is the Royal Flush payout.

For example:

• A 1-coin Royal Flush usually pays 250 coins
• But a 5-coin Royal Flush pays 4,000 coins

That means betting the maximum greatly increases the payout multiplier. This matters a lot.

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The Hidden Difference: Full House & Flush Payouts​

The more subtle — but equally important — difference is the payout for:

• Full House
• Flush

The machines you want to play are called 9/6 machines, which pay:

• 9 coins for a Full House
• 6 coins for a Flush

These machines significantly increase your Return to Player (RTP).
For example:

Hand	Probability	1-Coin Payout	Return	5-Coin Payout	Return
Royal Flush	0.0025%	250	0.00625	4000	0.02
Straight Flush	0.01%	50	0.005	250	0.005
Four of a Kind	0.24%	25	0.06	125	0.06
Full House	1.15%	9	0.1035	45	0.1035
Flush	1.09%	6	0.0654	30	0.0654
Straight	1.13%	4	0.0452	20	0.0452
Three of a Kind	7.44%	3	0.2232	15	0.2232
Two Pair	12.93%	2	0.2586	10	0.2586
Jacks or Better	21.50%	1	0.215	5	0.215

RTP:

• 1 coin bet: ~98.22%
• 5 coin bet: ~99.59%

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Why This Matters​

A machine paying 8/5 instead of 9/6 reduces RTP dramatically:

Machine	RTP
9/6 Machine	~99.54%
8/5 Machine	~97.35%

That difference represents a massive increase in the house edge.
👉 The rule is simple:
Always look for 9/6 machines.

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Another Key Detail: Royal Flush Payout​

You should always bet the maximum 5 coins when possible.
Why?
Because the Royal Flush payout jumps dramatically:

• 250:1 for lower bets
• 800:1 (or higher) for 5 coins

If the 5-coin Royal payout is lower than 800:1, the machine is significantly worse.

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Bonus Tip​

Some machines break Four of a Kind into categories like:

• Aces
• Face cards
• Number cards

These can slightly improve RTP.
If you ever find a machine that:

• Pays 9/6
• AND offers premium Four-of-a-Kind payouts

Don’t leave that machine.

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💥 Core Strategy​

To succeed long-term in video poker, you must play in a way that maximizes expected value.
The easiest way to do this is by memorizing the priority order of hands to keep.

Video Poker Hand Priority​

1. Royal Flush
   If you have it, keep it. Easy decision.
2. Straight Flush
   Never discard a card hoping for a Royal.
3. Four of a Kind
   The odds of improving are far too small to discard anything.
4. Four to a Royal Flush
   Even if you have a pair, chasing the Royal is correct.
5. Full House
   Already a strong payout — keep it.
6. Flush
7. Straight
8. Three of a Kind
   Discard the other two cards to chase Four of a Kind.
9. Two Pair
   Hold both pairs and discard the fifth card.
10. One Pair

Consider the odds to hit a Royal Flush when you have 2 of the 5 cards and draw three more. Your odds are:
Card 1: 3 of 48
Card 2: 2 of 47
Card 3: 1 of 46
= (3/48)(2/27)(1/46)
= 6/103,776, or roughly 17,296 to 1 to hit - way worse than the 800 to 1 payout for a Royal at 5 coins.

The same math yields 1161 to 1 to hit a Royal when you have 3 of the 5 cards - which is why it only makes sense to go for a Royal when you have 4 or more to start.

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The Key Principle​

Keep any made hand on the pay table, except when you have four cards to a Royal Flush.
Chasing other improvements simply does not have the math behind it.
Memorizing this order will dramatically reduce the house edge.

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💥 Tips for Approaching Perfect Strategy​

Once you understand the basic hierarchy, the next step is practice.
The best way to improve is to use:

• Video poker training apps
• Strategy trainers
• Simulators that track mistakes

These tools can:

• Track your win rate
• Identify strategic errors
• Suggest better plays

Video poker is one of the few casino games where practice meaningfully improves your results.
Play perfectly, and the game becomes almost break-even.
Play poorly, and it becomes just another slot machine.

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🎯 Summary​

Video poker is a deceptively skill-based casino game. Playing with proper strategy can dramatically improve your chances of success, but it requires:

• Discipline
• Understanding pay tables
• Consistent decision-making

You will sometimes need to pass on small wins in order to chase the hands that make the game profitable in the long run.
Understanding your machine and applying strategy correctly is the key.

In Part 2, we’ll go deeper into:

• Advanced strategy concepts
• Comparing popular video poker variations
• How to adapt strategy to different machines

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💬 Member Question​

What was your last video poker session like?

• Did you chase a Royal Flush?
• Take every win you could?
• Try a different strategy entirely?

Share your experience and thoughts — and let’s help each other become better video poker players.

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🔔 Subscribe to the CardsChat Learning Series​

So you never miss the next lesson.
Turn on notifications and keep sharpening your edge — one hand at a time.

 

[userX]

I used to think that video poker was just like slots. You either win something or you don't, you either get a bonus or you don't. But now, thanks to the materials available in our community, I realise that I had the wrong impression about this game. It seems that if you understand the basics and follow a fairly simple strategy, your chances of getting good results increase significantly.

 

[Tero]

What was your last video poker session like?

• Did you chase a Royal Flush?
• Take every win you could?
• Try a different strategy entirely?

It was around xmas when I received 5 free "spins" to such game. I just took what was given to me not expecting much. 5 games is not much of a strategy.

As the kids say "I was today years old" when I learned that there are actual training Apps for video poker I didn't expect that.
But what do we do in following scenario:
Board is more or less rainbow and nothing connects, do we change all the cards or choose some of them?

 

[DPoker33]

Interesting! I've never played and also thought it relied exclusively on luck! I'll try to play somewhere to learn. Can you suggest a website to practice on? Thank you very much and good luck, CRStals!

 

[najisami]

What was your last video poker session like?

• Did you chase a Royal Flush?
• Take every win you could?
• Try a different strategy entirely?

It was a quick session, 10 free spins on a 2s wild machine. I had a few nice hits, a couple of flushes and quads thanks to the deuces, but the payouts were ridiculous. Probably because of the amount of the bets (25c) and the kind of machine. Which brings me to this question: How do we know if a particular machine pays 9/6 or not? Is it written on it?
So, you'll understand that I had no time, neither to apply any strategy, nor to learn one.

Overall, this was another nice one Chris, especially the pay table part. Thank you.

PS: Should we expect a video poker tournament next month? 🤪.

 

[CRStals]

It was a quick session, 10 free spins on a 2s wild machine. I had a few nice hits, a couple of flushes and quads thanks to the deuces, but the payouts were ridiculous. Probably because of the amount of the bets (25c) and the kind of machine. Which brings me to this question: How do we know if a particular machine pays 9/6 or not? Is it written on it?
So, you'll understand that I had no time, neither to apply any strategy, nor to learn one.

Overall, this was another nice one Chris, especially the pay table part. Thank you.

PS: Should we expect a video poker tournament next month? 🤪.

The machine will tell you outright what it pays for a Full House & a Flush - on a one coin bet, you want Full House paid at 9 coins and a Flush at 6, like this:

The strategy part when you look at it as a whole, is essentially play for the best hand you can hit, and never discard any cards that give you a win UNLESS you have a pair & Four to a Royal, and then you sacrifice that one pair to hit the jackpot.

And if I were you, I'd brush up on playing video poker. Just saying...

 

[MishkaZL]

I think you need to have a considerable bankroll for this kind of game. And I wonder what my strategy should be in terms of bankroll management.
My last game didn't go very well. I spent $20 and went to bed.

 

[najisami]

And if I were you, I'd brush up on playing video poker. Just saying...

I got the message Chris . But thank you very much for the above info, that will be very helpful, probably very soon 🤪.

 

[Igor G]

I won $200-$300 a few times. But I think overall I spent more. About 20 years ago, there was a slot machine hall on my way home from work, and there were about five video poker machines there. I went there quite often after work. I think I spent more than I won, but I also think that these machines were set up in such a way that it was almost impossible to win on them.

 

[jaymfc]

I always look for the best payouts and know you have to bet the max for the best odds, but that isn't easy lol.
Money can go very fast, but it is nice to see the correct way, and I will remember it. I will definitely look for one of those apps
to practice because it could be expensive in the casino, look forward to the next post for some advanced strategy.
As a poker player, it is the best slot machine to play

 

[Sunz of Beaches]

Thats definitely a game I'm looking to get into. Thanks for posting the basics. I saw some. Didnt this guy "Chainsaw" win huge on that? Or was it a slot?

 

[R.Melnyk77]

"betting the maximum greatly increases the payout multiplier".
An important nuance is that the vast majority of players cannot afford to play at maximum stakes. At least, I certainly cannot. But at the same time, a royal flush is probably a combination that comes up once a year.

 

[MK_]

Interesting! I've never played and also thought it relied exclusively on luck! I'll try to play somewhere to learn. Can you suggest a website to practice on? Thank you very much and good luck, CRStals!

.. you're already on one, just go to the casino games section, https://www.casino.us/sitemap/ 👍

 

[MK_]

Alrighty, note to self, pick the right machine, always bet max, try and hit a royal flush....easy😏👍

 

[DPoker33]

.. you're already on one, just go to the casino games section, https://www.casino.us/sitemap/ 👍

Thank you so much, I'll give it a try!

 

[DPoker33]

Alrighty, note to self, pick the right machine, always bet max, try and hit a royal flush....easy😏👍

Yeah, super easy!

 

[nabmom]

This is just blowing my mind! I also thought that video poker was like a slot machine and was pure luck (and clearly favors the house). So I avoided it. I really should take advantage of the casino games because there is literally no risk! But I can't help wondering, even if there are smarter moves and better types of payouts across machines, whether it is overall ever worth playing this for real money. It still favors the house, right? So while it helps to understand the strategy, it still seems like an overall, over time, losing proposition. And unlike a poker tournament, you could spend all your roll very quickly on a machine.

I love that thrill when you hit hard, but I suspect you still lose more over the long term.

 

[DPoker33]

This is just blowing my mind! I also thought that video poker was like a slot machine and was pure luck (and clearly favors the house). So I avoided it. I really should take advantage of the casino games because there is literally no risk! But I can't help wondering, even if there are smarter moves and better types of payouts across machines, whether it is overall ever worth playing this for real money. It still favors the house, right? So while it helps to understand the strategy, it still seems like an overall, over time, losing proposition. And unlike a poker tournament, you could spend all your roll very quickly on a machine.

I love that thrill when you hit hard, but I suspect you still lose more over the long term.

Yeah, I also think that in real poker with real people, things are quite different, and even though luck is very important, the player’s skill counts for a lot more! I’ve tried playing video poker with play money, and it’s fun! Good luck to you, Debbie! Hugs!

 

[Rost]

For me, video poker is a cross between slots and table games. But video poker has a clear advantage over other slots. It’s the degree of control that the player can exert over the game. I think it’s precisely this control that gives it its main advantage over other games.

 

[maronza1]

@najisami come over and lets write some notes my friend

Subscribed and waiting for other parts

 

[najisami]

@najisami come over and lets write some notes my friend

Subscribed and waiting for other parts

Don't know what you mean exactly, but I'm here already (Posts # 5 and 8).

 

[maronza1]

Don't know what you mean exactly, but I'm here already (Posts # 5 and 8).

I meant to follow the thread to learn and practice

 

[najisami]

I meant to follow the thread to learn and practice

Oh that? I've been following all Chris's series since he started.

 

[Newzooozooo]

Video poker is great fun. Unfortunately, I can’t really afford to play at the highest stakes. But overall, this game has been one of my favourites for over 20 years now.

 

[black and]

I spent a fair bit of money playing video poker, but it was all down to greed. I almost always tried to double any winnings to the maximum. We used to call it ‘closing the pyramid’. You could try to double every win, and it always cost me dearly. I think if I’d read this learning series back then, my experience would have been completely different.