Advanced Video Poker Paytable Tips – Practical Guide

Advanced Video Poker Paytable Tips – Practical Guide

I used to sit at any video poker screen that looked fun, only to see my balance vanish. What I didn’t know was that two machines can look the same but pay very differently. In this guide, I’ll show you the paytable tricks and strategy tweaks that keep me playing longer and give me a real edge.

If you want a place that mixes smart play with a big start, check out Bet On Red. The site gives new players a welcome package packed with deposit boosts and free spins, plus daily cashback and even prize tournaments. It also has thousands of slots, live tables, and safe crypto payments, so testing paytable skills feels both smooth and rewarding.

How Paytables Work

A paytable is a list of what each hand pays. But the small print decides if the game is worth playing. Look at Jacks or Better:

  • 9/6 Jacks or Better: Full House pays 9, Flush pays 6 → ~99.5% return.
  • 8/5 Jacks or Better: Full House 8, Flush 5 → ~97.3% return.

That 2% gap looks small, but it kills you long term. A machine with a 97% return shaves €3 off every €100 you play. A 99.5% table cuts that loss to just 50 cents.

How I Spot the Good Games

Here’s my quick filter:

  • Instant skip: Anything lower than 8/5 on Jacks or Better.
  • Green light: 9/6 Jacks or Better, 10/7 Double Bonus, or full-pay Deuces Wild.
  • Red flag: Progressive jackpots with weak base paytables.

If I see 7/5 JoB or 25/15/9 Double Bonus, I walk. I don’t care how flashy the screen looks. I’ve learned that the math always wins.

Basic Strategy Refresher That Matters

Most guides dump long charts at you. I’ll give you just the leaks that cost players most:

  • Don’t break a winning hand chasing a Royal. Keep a made Flush instead of holding 4 to a Royal. The EV drop is real.
  • High pairs beat low draws. Hold the pair of Jacks instead of 4 to a straight. That one mistake cuts big chunks of return.
  • Suited high cards trump random trash. Two suited high cards can carry more value than four offsuit to a weak straight.

One night I tracked hands on paper and found I was throwing away ~2% by chasing Royals wrong. Fixed it and suddenly my balance held steady.

Advanced Tweaks by Game

Each paytable has quirks. Let me show you three I use.

9/6 Jacks or Better

  • Rule: With a low pair vs. four cards to a Flush, keep the low pair.
  • Why: On 9/6 tables, the math favors pairs because Full Houses pay strong.
  • Impact: Adds ~0.1% return. Sounds tiny, but it stacks.

Double Bonus Poker (10/7)

  • Rule: Keep Aces tight. Break two pair if one is Aces.
  • Why: Four Aces pay huge here, so you sacrifice small wins for the shot at big value.
  • My note: I once hit quad Aces an hour after switching this rule in—biggest win that month.

Deuces Wild (full-pay 25/15/9/5/3/2)

  • Rule: Always keep Deuces, no matter what. Even if it means breaking a made hand.
  • Example: Keep a Deuce and three of a kind instead of a Full House.
  • Why: Deuces act as wilds, and hunting Five of a Kind or Wild Royals beats smaller pays.

Some players also like mixing in side formats when they want a break from strict paytable hunting. That’s where features like freeslots99.com/blog/what-is-hold-and-win-slots/ come in handy. These games use fixed mechanics that can change how you balance variance and payout potential.

Bankroll and Bet Size Tricks

Tired of generic bankroll tips? Here’s a more practical side:

  • Always max coins. The Royal bonus only unlocks at 5 coins. Playing fewer nukes your return.
  • Pick your coin value smart. If 25¢ feels steep, drop to 5¢ but still max coins.

Example: On 25¢ coins, 5 credits = €1.25 per hand. On 5¢ coins, it’s just 25 cents. Same strategy edge, less risk.

I once made the mistake of playing €1 coins at max credits too early. My edge was right, but variance crushed me. Lesson learned – pick the coin size, not coin count.

Tools That Save Me Hours

I don’t wing this stuff anymore. My setup is simple:

  • Video Poker Trainer app → drills the strategy and flags errors.
  • Wizard of Odds calculator → type in paytable, see exact return.
  • Quick sim runs → 100 hands with a tweak to see if it pays or bleeds.

My workflow: I find a new paytable online, punch it into the calculator, then run drills until my mistakes drop below 1%. Takes 15 minutes, but it pays back for months.

Traps You Need to Dodge

Casinos aren’t dumb. They know most players don’t check paytables. Watch out for:

  • Fake labels: Some call 8/5 “Bonus Poker” to sound good.
  • Progressive traps: Jackpot looks fat, but the base paytable is weak.
  • Side bets: “Double or Nothing” games drain the long-term edge.

I keep screenshots of every paytable I play. That way, if I review a session later, I can confirm whether the paytable was worth it.

Closing: The One Rule That Changed It All

If I had to boil all this down into one line, it’s this: The paytable is the game. Once I learned to read it and adjust my holds, the game flipped. 

Start with 9/6 Jacks or Better, use a trainer for 20 hands, and you’ll see the difference right away.