A video poker paytable is the payout schedule for each winning hand. It is the game’s price list. Small changes, especially to full house, flush, straight, four of a kind, or royal flush payouts, can change RTP and house edge. The same game name can hide very different returns.
Quick Facts
- The paytable shows what each final hand pays.
- Jacks or Better paytables are often described by full house and flush payouts.
- “9/6” means 9-for-1 on full house and 6-for-1 on flush.
- Full-pay 9/6 Jacks or Better is commonly listed around 99.54% RTP with optimal strategy.
- Short-pay games reduce one or more common payouts.
- Bonus games may raise four-of-a-kind payouts while cutting other lines.
- Use a video poker analyzer before trusting the game title.
Plain Talk
The paytable is not a decoration. It is the contract.
If two machines both say “Jacks or Better,” they can still have different full house and flush payouts. One machine may pay 9 for a full house and 6 for a flush. Another may pay 8 and 5. The screen art can look almost identical. The long-term cost is not identical.
This is why paytables matter more than themes, chairs, sounds, or a player saying “this one feels loose.” A machine’s return comes from the combination of probabilities, payouts, and strategy. If the payouts are weaker, the ceiling is lower before you even press deal.
The Wizard of Odds full-pay Jacks or Better page lists 9/6 Jacks or Better at about 99.54% with optimal strategy. The Wizard paytable discussion also shows how 8/5 Jacks or Better is materially weaker.
How It Works
A paytable usually has hand names on the left and payouts across columns for one to five coins. Read it in two directions:
- Down the table to see which hands pay.
- Across the table to see how payout changes by coins bet.
A simplified Jacks or Better paytable may look like this:
| Hand | 1 Coin | 2 Coins | 3 Coins | 4 Coins | 5 Coins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 250 | 500 | 750 | 1,000 | 4,000 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| Four of a Kind | 25 | 50 | 75 | 100 | 125 |
| Full House | 9 | 18 | 27 | 36 | 45 |
| Flush | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 | 30 |
| Straight | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 |
| Two Pair | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Notice the royal flush jump. The one-coin royal pays 250 per coin, but the five-coin royal pays 4,000 total, not 1,250. That bonus is why video poker max coins deserves its own page.
Also notice the full house and flush lines. Change those from 9/6 to 8/5 and the game is no longer the same price.
Video Poker Hand Example
You are dealt:
K♠ Q♠ J♠ 7♦ 2♣
The paytable affects the value of holding K♠ Q♠ J♠. Why? Because the draw can produce several final hands: royal flush, straight flush, flush, straight, high pair, or nothing.
If the royal flush line is boosted at max coins, the value of royal draws improves. If the flush payout is cut, flush-draw value falls. If the straight payout changes, straight-draw value changes too.
The cards are visible. The paytable gives those cards their economic meaning.
From the Casino Side:
Paytable selection is one of the quietest ways a casino prices video poker.
A slot manager may choose stronger paytables for competitive markets, locals casinos, high-limit areas, or specific promotions. Weaker paytables may appear in tourist-heavy areas, bars, lower-denomination banks, or multi-game machines where many players do not check carefully.
The casino watches coin-in, hold percentage, theo, actual win, occupancy, and player-card behavior. A strong paytable that attracts high coin-in may still make sense. A full-pay game that attracts only sharp low-margin play may be reduced or removed.
Regulated settings also require approved game software, paytable control, and auditability. References such as GLI standards and Nevada technical standards show why paytable settings are an operational and compliance issue, not just a marketing choice.
Common Mistakes
- Assuming the game name tells you the return.
- Checking only the royal flush line.
- Ignoring full house and flush payouts.
- Thinking a bonus payout always makes a game better.
- Comparing one-coin returns without noticing the max-coin royal bonus.
- Using a strategy chart for a different paytable.
- Playing short-pay games at high speed because the denomination looks cheap.
Hard Truth
The paytable is where the casino can change the price without changing the name. If you do not read it, you are agreeing to terms you never checked.
FAQ
What is a video poker paytable?
It is the list of payouts for final winning hands. It tells you what the machine pays for royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, and other hands.
What does 9/6 mean?
In Jacks or Better, 9/6 means the machine pays 9-for-1 for a full house and 6-for-1 for a flush.
Is 9/6 always available?
No. Full-pay games can be rare, especially in some tourist-heavy or lower-denomination areas.
Is a bonus game better because four of a kind pays more?
Not automatically. Bonus games often raise premium payouts while lowering common payouts. You must calculate the whole table.
Can a bad paytable be fixed by good strategy?
Good strategy can reduce damage, but it cannot turn a weak paytable into a strong one.
Should I leave if the paytable is bad?
If your goal is lower-cost play, yes. If you play anyway for entertainment, reduce denomination, slow down, and know the price.
Deeper Insight
Paytable analysis is video poker’s first serious skill.
A small-looking change can matter because common hands happen far more often than royal flushes. Cutting the full house from 9 to 8 or the flush from 6 to 5 affects many more outcomes than most beginners realize. Raising a rare premium hand may not compensate for cuts to frequent hands.
This is why video poker RTP and video poker house edge must be calculated from the full schedule. You cannot judge a machine by one line.
A paytable also changes strategy. If a flush pays less, some flush draws become less attractive. If four aces pay a premium, ace-heavy hands in bonus variants become more important. If a progressive royal grows large enough, royal draws can become more valuable.
For deeper comparison, use video poker paytables compared, 9/6 Jacks or Better, 8/5 Jacks or Better, and why 9/6 Jacks or Better matters.
Formula / Calculation
RTP = Sum of each hand probability × hand payout
House Edge = 1 - RTP
Expected Loss = Total Amount Wagered × House Edge
Expected Value of a Hold = Average return from all possible draws after holding selected cardsExample using a common benchmark:
9/6 Jacks or Better RTP ≈ 99.54%
House Edge ≈ 1 - 0.9954 = 0.46%
Total Wagered = $1,000
Expected Loss ≈ $1,000 × 0.0046 = $4.60Rounding matters. Published returns may vary slightly by source, strategy precision, and paytable details.
Formula Explanation in Plain English
Every paytable line has two parts: how often the hand happens and how much it pays. RTP multiplies those pieces together across all final hands.
A royal flush pays a lot but appears rarely. Two pair pays little but appears often. Full houses and flushes sit in the middle: common enough that payout cuts can materially change the game. That is why one missing coin on a common hand can cost more than beginners expect.
Related Reading
Pair this page with video poker odds, video poker RTP, and video poker house edge. Then read video poker max coins before changing coin levels. For broader comparison, see why paytables matter, slot RTP explained, and video poker vs slots. Use the house edge calculator and expected loss calculator before assuming a machine is cheap.