Video poker is widely known as one of the highest paying casino games. For this reason, many players want to know if it has the best chances in the casino.
Video poker has a lot of competition from other high-paying games. Still, under the right circumstances, it can provide the best chance of winning.
I’m going to discuss when video poker pays the best among all casino games. First, however, I will discuss the intricacies of video poker odds and how they can vary.
RTP in Video Poker varies from game to game
When most players think of casino odds, they actually think of return to player (RTP). RTP measures your long-term chances of winning. If a game offers a 99% RTP, for example, it will return $99 for every $100 wagered.
Even the variety with 97% RTP is not terrible in the grand scheme of games. This payout percentage is almost the same as in European roulette, for example (97.30%).
However, if you’re looking for the best odds, you don’t want to settle for a game with 97% RTP. Instead, you want payback variants worth almost 100% or even more.
Below you can see a list of the highest paying video poker games:
- Deuces Wild – 100.76% RTP
- Joker Poker – 100.65%
- 10/7 Double Bonus – 100.17%
- 10/6 Double Double Bonus – 100.07%
- All Aces (Microgaming online) – 99.92%.
- Aces and Eights (Real Time Gaming online) – 99.78%
- Not So Ugly Ducks (Deuces Wild variant) – 99.73%
- 9/6 Jacks or Better – 99.54%
- 8/5 Bonus Poker – 99.17%
Payout tables also affect the RTP
RTP logoEach video poker game offers different pay tables. They usually differ in only a few payouts.
For example, 9/6 Jacks or Better (JoB) pays out nine coins for a full house and six for a flush. 9/5 JoB pays out nine coins for a full house and five for a flush.
The one-coin difference in payout for a color doesn’t seem like much. However, it lowers the payback from 99.54% on the 9/6 version to 97.3% on the 8/5 table.
In the previous section, I listed the best paying varieties of video poker. Of course, you need to find the right pay tables to ensure these high payback percentages.
It’s imperative that you know the best payout table (e.g. the full-pay version) for the variety. Otherwise, you’ll be dealing with a low-payout game and won’t be able to enjoy the best odds.
Video Poker has fairly low volatility
A high RTP doesn’t mean that much when volatility is also high. You can see this in slots with 98% or better payouts. Slot machines are so unpredictable that you never know what payout percentage you will face in the near future.
If you use the correct strategy, you will get a winning hand at Jacks or Better 45.46% of the time. Meanwhile, you’ll have a winner in Bonus Poker 45.51% of the hands.
Thus, you can better protect your bankroll by playing video poker than slots and other volatile casino games. At the same time, you still have a chance to win a big payout with a royal flush.
Assuming you bet five coins per hand, you can win 4,000 coins with a royal flush. If the coin is the size of a quarter, you’ll get $800 for a $1.25 bet.
Video Poker can offer the best odds
Video Poker LogoOutside of advantage play, such as card counting, no other casino game offers more than 100% RTP. Casinos make sure that they always have an advantage. They usually do not offer games with more than 100% payback.
Video poker is an exception to this norm. As we have already mentioned, full-pay Deuces Wild, Joker Poker, Double Bonus and Double Double Bonus offer 100% RTP.
The problem, however, is that these games are only available at casinos in Nevada. For full-pay Deuces Wild and Joker Poker, you will have to go specifically to Las Vegas.
Assuming you can’t make it to the Silver State anytime soon, you may be able to find 9/6 Jacks or Better at your local casino. 8/5 Bonus Poker is also a definite possibility.
You have to be selective about the games
You can’t pick any video poker game and expect to be successful. Instead, you must choose the right full-pay varieties.
All of the games discussed here are great goals to pursue. You don’t necessarily have to live in Nevada or the surrounding areas to enjoy great opportunities.
Instead, you can find variations that offer 99.5%+ payback at land-based and online casinos around the world. You may not always get the absolute best odds, but at least you can enjoy some of the best.
On the other hand, video poker can also be one of the worst paying casino games. A bad paytable can easily lead to low returns.
For example, 6/5 Jacks or Better offers only 95.0% RTP with an excellent strategy. This payout percentage is more in line with slots, where no strategy is needed to achieve the listed RTP.
Applications
Video poker is able to offer the best odds under the right circumstances. However, you need to know these circumstances to increase your RTP.
Only certain games provide exceptionally high payback. Additionally, you need to make sure you are on the best paytable for the game.
Video poker also requires you to master strategies for each variation to achieve the highest payback. You can learn the strategy for each game through a trainer or strategy table.
Assuming you take all the necessary steps, you will enjoy the best odds the casino has to offer. Even if you don’t manage to find the absolute best paying games, you will still be able to enjoy a high payback.
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