Video Poker Pay Tables Can Be Tricky

Video Poker games are classified by the type of game and an indication of the payback.

The type of game describes the major features of the game. Some of the more common game types include Jacks or Better, Bonus Poker, Double Bonus Poker, Double Double Bonus Poker, and Deuces Wild.

To further classify these games, an indication of the payback is given. For most games it is two numbers describing the payback for a Full House followed by the payback for a Flush. For example, "Full Pay" Jacks or Better is also called "9/6" Jacks or Better. Other games are called 8/5 Jacks or Better, 8/5 Bonus Poker, 10/7 Double Bonus Poker, and 9/6 Double Double Bonus Poker.

The payback is shortened to two numbers because generally the other payback numbers on the pay table do not change. For example, 9/6 Jacks or Better has the following pay table:

The 8/5 version of Jacks or Better is:

Since the only numbers that change are those for the Full House and Flush, they are the numbers that are given to define the machines pay table. It makes checking the pay table simple -- only two numbers to check rather than nine or more.

The other pay table numbers are not always the same, however. I have seen 9/6 Jacks or Better games where Four of a Kind pays only 20 for 1 and Straights pay only 3 for 1. While this type of pay table modification is fairly rare, it is always a good idea to check the entire pay table once you have found what appears to be a good game to make sure it really is a good game.