Video poker pay tables: how to spot a good machine
Two video poker machines with the same game can return very different amounts. The pay table, printed on the glass, tells you which one is better.
Reviewed Oct 14, 2026
Answer first
90s| Game and pay table | Return with best play |
|---|---|
| Full-pay Deuces Wild | 100.76% |
| Double Bonus 10/7 | 100.17% |
| Double Double Bonus 10/6 | 100.07% |
| Jacks or Better 9/6 | 99.54% |
| Not So Ugly Deuces | 99.73% |
| Bonus Poker 8/5 | 99.17% |
| Double Double Bonus 9/6 | 98.98% |
| Jacks or Better 8/5 | 97.30% |
| Jacks or Better 7/5 | 96.15% |
Key numbers
Pay tables in numbers
In short
Key takeaways
- Read the full house and flush pays: 9/6 Jacks or Better beats 8/5 by about 1.1%.
- Returns assume best play and maximum coins; mistakes cost more than the table difference.
- Some full-pay games return over 100% with best play, but they are rare.
- The same casino can have full-pay and short-pay versions side by side.
Pay table
Jacks or Better pay tables (per coin)
Glance before you bet
| Hand | 9/6 | 8/5 | 7/5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal flush (5 coins) | 800 | 800 | 800 |
| Straight flush | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| Four of a kind | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| Full house | 9 | 8 | 7 |
| Flush | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Straight | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Three of a kind | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Two pair | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Jacks or better | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Royal flush pays 4,000 coins for a 5-coin bet, 800 per coin.
Sequence
Check a machine
Step 01
Find the game name
Jacks or Better, Bonus Poker, Deuces Wild and so on.
Step 02
Read two lines
Full house and flush for Jacks-based games; four of a kind and others for Deuces.
Step 03
Compare to the chart
Match the pays to the best version.
Step 04
Bet max coins
The royal pays extra only at max bet.
Why one number matters so much
A full house comes about once in 87 hands of Jacks or Better. Cutting it from 9 to 8 removes about 1.1% of return.
At 600 hands per hour and $1.25 per hand, that is about $8 more lost per hour on average.
Deuces Wild uses a different pay table; a 5 for four of a kind instead of 4 marks the full-pay version.
Deuces Wild pay tables
In Deuces Wild, look at the pays for four of a kind, five of a kind and straight flush. Full pay pays 5, 15 and 9 per coin.
Not So Ugly Deuces pays 4 for four of a kind and 10 for a straight flush, returning 99.73%. Many casinos run lower versions near 97% to 98%.
Double Double Bonus 10/6 returns 100.07%; the 9/6 version drops to 98.98%. A single unit on the full house moves the return by more than 1%.
Floor rules
Terms
Know before you sit
- Full pay
- The best common version of a game.
- Short pay
- A version with lower pays and lower return.
- 9/6
- Pays for full house and flush, per coin.
- Max coins
- Usually 5; needed for the 4,000-coin royal.
A closer look
Bonus Poker 8/5 returns 99.17% and Double Bonus 10/7 returns 100.17%. These figures come from published strategy tables.
Pay table
Deuces Wild pay tables (per coin)
Glance before you bet
| Hand | Full pay | Not So Ugly |
|---|---|---|
| Natural royal (5 coins) | 800 | 800 |
| Four deuces | 200 | 200 |
| Wild royal | 25 | 25 |
| Five of a kind | 15 | 16 |
| Straight flush | 9 | 10 |
| Four of a kind | 5 | 4 |
| Full house | 3 | 4 |
| Flush | 2 | 3 |
| Straight | 2 | 2 |
| Three of a kind | 1 | 1 |
Returns with best play: 100.76% full pay, 99.73% Not So Ugly.
Keep reading
Related pages
Go play
Where to play in Las Vegas
Tap a resort — each row opens that casino’s White Gambling page (hours, poker status, floor facts). Print poker rooms, sorted by published table count.
Open a casino page
Real listings · not adsAfter the 90 seconds
Questions before and after you play
A 90-second guide cannot cover every table moment. Tap a group, then a question — answers are short paragraphs, not one-liners.
01Pay tables
What does 9/6 mean in video poker?
It is the per-coin pay for a full house (9) and a flush (6) in Jacks or Better. The 9/6 version returns 99.54% with best play.
What is the best video poker pay table?
Among common games, full-pay Deuces Wild at 100.76% and Double Bonus 10/7 at 100.17%. They are rare today.
How much worse is 8/5 than 9/6 Jacks or Better?
About 2.2 percentage points: 97.30% versus 99.54%. The 8/5 Bonus Poker, which pays extra for some quads, returns 99.17%.
Do I need to bet max coins?
For best return, yes. The royal flush pays 4,000 coins at 5 coins but only 250 per coin with fewer coins, which costs about 1.5%.
Can video poker beat the house?
Some full-pay games return over 100% with perfect play, but the edge is tiny and swings are large. Most machines return less than 100%.
Are comps included in the return?
No. Pay table returns exclude comps and slot club points, which add a little extra value.
02Where to play
Where are good pay tables found?
Las Vegas locals casinos are known for better video poker. Elsewhere, short-pay versions are more common. Always read the glass.
Is online video poker the same?
Online games show the pay table too. Read it the same way and compare versions before you play.
03More pay table questions
Why do casinos offer games over 100%?
Few players use perfect strategy, so the casino still earns from most players. Full-pay games also attract regulars who play long hours.
What is a progressive video poker machine?
A machine whose royal flush prize grows as people play. A large enough progressive can make a short-pay game worth more than its base return.
Sources
- Wizard of Odds — Video poker Not from a registry (Reference source, not an official registry)The gaming industry’s standard reference for casino-game math, by actuary Michael Shackleford. Not an official registry; our calculators compute these numbers independently. · accessed Oct 14, 2026Returns for each pay table
- Nevada Gaming Control Board · accessed Oct 14, 2026Approved games and gaming revenue reports
- National Council on Problem Gambling — Help and resources Not from a registry (Reference source, not an official registry) · accessed Oct 14, 2026Free, confidential help: call or text 1-800-GAMBLER
- American Gaming Association — Research Not from a registry (Reference source, not an official registry) · accessed Oct 14, 2026US casino industry data
- UNLV Center for Gaming Research Not from a registry (Reference source, not an official registry) · accessed Oct 14, 2026Research library on casino games and gambling