How A Video Poker Machine Work?

11 September 2012

By Jerry Stickman

Dear Stickman,

I usually play video poker in Atlantic City casinos. My game of choice is the Joker's Wild variant which uses a standard 52 card deck plus two wild cards.

In AC, the top payout on this type of machine is five of a kind, usually 4000 coins when 5 coins are played. (Royal Flushes are paid the same as any straight flush).

I've been to Las Vegas a few times, and I was surprised to see that even on wild card machines, the highest payout is a natural Royal Flush.

Since the odds of drawing 5 of a kind are better than a natural Royal Flush, doesn't this make the AC machines a much better deal, or am I missing something?

Thanks,
Walt


Hi Walt,

You are correct in stating that the odds of getting a 5-of-a-kind are better than a natural royal flush, but that doesn’t mean getting paid more for a 5-of-a-kind makes the machine a better deal for the player.

When playing any video poker machine you must take all payoffs in the pay table into consideration. There are many variations of Joker Poker. The ones you play in AC probably pay back about 97 percent with perfect play while the games in LV can pay anywhere from 100+ percent down to about 91 percent. Quite a range indeed.

Pick your machine wisely.

May all your wins be swift and large and all your losses slow and tiny.

Jerry “Stickman”

Jerry “Stickman” is an expert in craps, blackjack and video poker and advantage slot machine play. You can contact Jerry “Stickman” at stickmanGTC@aol.com.