Video poker is one of the few casino games where skill meaningfully shrinks the house edge. If you've ever wondered how the math, paytables, and decision-making come together, this guide walks through practical strategy, common mistakes, bankroll planning, and how to choose the best machines. Along the way I'll share a few real-world examples and a personal anecdote about learning to read paytables that made a daily 30-minute practice routine pay off.
What is video poker and why it matters
At its core, video poker is a five-card draw variant played against a machine rather than other players. You receive five cards, choose which to hold, draw replacements, and then the machine pays according to a predefined paytable. Because the game uses a standard deck and no dealer decisions, optimal strategy can be calculated precisely. That means with the right paytable and perfect play you can bring the house edge to near zero — sometimes even edge into small positive returns with promotions or progressive jackpots.
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Common video poker variants
- Jacks or Better — the classic. Pays for a pair of jacks or better; popular paytables include 9/6 and 8/5 (9/6 pays 9 for full house, 6 for flush).
- Double Bonus — boosts payouts for four-of-a-kind hands; higher variance.
- Deuces Wild — twos are wild; strategy and paytables differ substantially.
- Joker Poker — adds a joker as a wildcard; changes optimal holds.
- Progressive video poker — royale pays increase as the progressive grows; requires max coins to be eligible for top jackpot.
Reading paytables — the single most important skill
Paytables determine long-term return (RTP). Two machines that both say "Jacks or Better" can have very different RTPs depending on whether they're 9/6, 8/6, or 8/5. For Jacks or Better, a 9/6 full house/flush paytable with perfect strategy yields about 99.54% RTP. An 8/5 machine drops to around 97.3% — a big difference over time.
When you walk up to a machine, first read the paytable. If the royal flush is a progressive, check the meter and the rules (do you need to bet max coins?). If you’re serious about low house edge play, always prefer Jacks or Better 9/6, full-pay deuces games with favorable schedules, or progressive machines where the progressive pool is big enough to make the expected value positive.
Basic strategic principles
All strategy charts are built on a few consistent ideas:
- Keep made hands that already pay well: pat royal, straight flush, four-of-a-kind, full house, flush, straight.
- Preserve drawing potential when the expected value of drawing exceeds the value of an inferior made hand. For example, in many variants, holding four to a royal (with potential for the huge payout) beats holding an already-paying low pair.
- Watch for special bonuses (e.g., 4 Aces bonuses) which change the relative values of holding specific cards.
Here’s a simple example for Jacks or Better. Suppose you are dealt:
J♦ J♣ 10♦ 9♦ 8♦
Options include holding the pair of jacks (a paying hand) or holding three to a diamond flush (10♦ 9♦ 8♦). In 9/6 Jacks or Better perfect strategy, you hold the pair of jacks because its immediate expected value is higher than drawing for the flush; but if the flush draw included the advantage of holding four to a royal (e.g., 10♦ J♦ Q♦ K♦), the decision could change.
Using strategy charts and software
Strategy charts list the correct priority of holding combinations. For Jacks or Better they’re widely available and concise; for wild-card games and bonus games the charts are longer. I recommend practicing with a strategy trainer app in "real-time" mode: play, get feedback on the optimal choice, and repeat. After a few thousand hands you internalize most common situations and start making near-perfect plays automatically.
Variance and bankroll management
Video poker’s variance varies by game. A low-variance game like Jacks or Better will have long stretches of small wins and losses, while Deuces Wild and Bonus Poker have higher variance because of larger payouts for four-of-a-kind or wild hands. Practical bankroll advice:
- Play within your comfort zone: for low variance Jacks or Better play 400–1,000+ units; for high-variance games plan for 2,000–5,000+ units.
- Manage bet size so that you can absorb swings — don’t play maximum coins unless you have the bankroll to survive a cold streak.
- For progressive games, the “max coin” requirement forces higher variance. Only play max coins if the progressive meter makes the expected value positive.
Maximizing payouts: the royal flush and coin strategy
The royal flush multiplier for betting five coins usually offers a bonus that makes the difference. For example, on many machines a royal pays 4,000 coins with max bet and only 800 coins proportionally with one coin. This payout structure makes betting max coins more lucrative per coin because of the disproportionate royal bonus. In short: if you plan to play, the expected-value-optimal decision is almost always to play five coins on machines that require max coins for the top royal payout.
Common mistakes I’ve seen and how to avoid them
When I was learning, I made three recurring mistakes that cost real money:
- Ignoring the paytable. I once played an "8/6" machine for hours not realizing it was actually an 8/5 variant — that mistake lowered my expectation dramatically.
- Not betting max coins on progressives. I chased singles instead of saving a few hands to try max coin at a high-progressive moment and lost the only shot at the positive-EV opportunity.
- Failing to practice. Early on I’d make suboptimal holds in complex wild-card games because I hadn’t trained those situations. Training reduced my errors quickly.
Mathematics in practice: an example calculation
Understanding one small calculation helps your intuition. In 9/6 Jacks or Better the expected return of holding a single pair of jacks is roughly 1.255 units per unit bet (after considering all final draws). If holding three to a royal with two cards to come has an expected return of 1.05 units, you prefer the pair. While you don’t need to compute exact EVs at the machine, memorizing top priorities from a chart is the practical route.
How casinos set machines and fairness
Video poker outcomes are determined by a random number generator (RNG). Reputable casinos and software providers publish certification from testing labs (e.g., eCOGRA, iTech Labs). Video poker fairness is easier to verify than slot fairness because paytables are public and the deck mechanics are transparent. Still, always play at licensed casinos or reputable online sites and look for clear paytables and certification.
Online vs. land-based play
Online video poker offers convenience and often better paytables because of lower operating costs. However, some players prefer the tactile and social element of land-based machines. Whichever you choose, pay attention to:
- Displayed paytables
- Bet-multiplier rules for royals and progressives
- Software provider reputation and RNG certifications
Recent trends and developments
In the last few years the market saw several notable shifts: mobile-first video poker in app stores, skill-based variants with different UX but identical paytable logic, and the rise of live-streamed advantage play analysis where pros publish brief sessions showing decision-making on borderline hands. A strong trend is increased transparency: many online operators now give players configurable paytable views and strategy trainer modes so newcomers can learn without risk.
Responsible play and setting goals
Video poker can be mathematically attractive, but it’s still gambling. Set a session budget, time limit, and target return. Decide in advance what you’ll do if you reach a goal or a loss threshold. I set rules for myself: leave the machine if I lose 20% of my session bankroll or if I win 50% — these guardrails stop emotional play and lock in discipline.
Practical checklist before you play
- Read the paytable — confirm 9/6 Jacks or Better or check deuces pay schedules.
- Confirm the royal rules for max coin payouts.
- Decide bet size relative to bankroll and a session unit.
- Practice on a trainer with the exact variant you’ll play.
- Watch for casino promotions that can change expected value (cashback, free play, point rebates).
Final tips and recommended next steps
If you’re serious about improving, do this sequence: 1) Learn a single variant like 9/6 Jacks or Better; 2) Practice 10,000 hands on a strategy trainer until error rate shrinks; 3) Move to live play at low stakes; 4) Track results and adjust bankroll sizing. For a quick reference or to explore more game variants online, this site lists many digital poker-style offerings: video poker.
My one-paragraph personal note
When I first committed to learning video poker I allocated 20 minutes a day to a trainer. After roughly two weeks of disciplined practice I noticed my hit rate on correct holds improve dramatically — that small daily routine preserved gains and prevented many emotional blunders. The combination of deliberate practice, paytable awareness, and conservative bankroll rules produced a measurable improvement in my monthly play results.
Conclusion
Video poker rewards study and discipline. By choosing the right paytables, learning correct strategy, managing your bankroll, and using practice tools you can enjoy the game with a much better chance of staying in the black or at least reducing losses. Whether you play in a casino or online, paytable literacy and disciplined play are the two strongest levers you control. If you want to explore further, remember to use reliable sites, verify paytables, and keep practicing.
For further exploration of gameplay variants and often-updated game listings, check this primary resource: video poker.
