Video Poker Odds – Probability to Win & Payouts

Video Poker Odds

Video poker is an interesting card game that is similar to both slot machines and online or live poker but also different in a way. Popular at any online casino UK, like Britain Play, video poker is a skill-based game that also has an element of chance. Chance plays a big role in determining the game’s outcome, but it’s possible to calculate the video poker casino odds, which we’ll explain in this guide. For players who might not know much about video poker or simply need a quick refresher, video poker is about making the best poker hand from your five cards. These cards are randomly dealt with as soon as you place your bet, but then it’s up to you to decide how to play your cards to improve your hand and get the best payout possible. Based on the hand you end up with (if any), the machine will pay you a prize according to the pay table. Speaking of the pay table, this is where video poker odds come in and when it’s important to learn how odds vary between different types of video poker games. This is why, as you’ll learn in this guide about video poker machine odds, you’ll want to learn about the odds in video poker, what they mean, and how to find what video poker game has the best odds. If you want to learn more about which video poker game has the best odds, understand how odds and payouts work, and how to read a pay table, this guide is for you. We’ll explain everything you need to know about odds in video poker and how they vary in games like Jacks or Better and Tens or Better.

What are Video Poker Odds?

The video poker odds refer to the statistical likelihood of getting each winning poker hand, such as a straight flush, for example. To understand these odds in a video poker game, you’ll first need to be familiar with the rules of the game and how it’s played. The game is based on a five-card draw poker game, the most common and easiest type of table poker. A standard 52-card deck is used to play, and five cards are dealt on the initial draw once your bet is placed. Next, you can improve your hand by swapping cards for a chance to get a better one. You can hold or discard all your cards, but you can only do so once. Once the second draw is complete, the game’s result is determined. If your cards form any valid poker hand according to the pay table in the specific video poker game you’re playing, you’ll win the corresponding payout. This is very similar to how payouts work in a slot machine, which is why the two games are often compared. In slots, there are a number of specific symbol combinations that pay out according to the game’s pay table and other combinations that aren’t valid, which means you don’t get a payout. Likewise, video poker usually has nine hands that will earn you a payout in this game. The number of poker hands that can be formed in any 52-card deck game is 2,598,960, but only a few count as winning hands.

Jacks or Better Video Poker Odds

Jacks or Better is the most common and popular video poker game in most online and land-based casinos in the UK. As the name suggests, the rule of this game is that you need at least one pair of Jacks to get a payout. The aim is to build the best poker hand containing a pair of Jacks. There are a few Jacks or Better video poker casino games you can play, some of which have different pay tables and, therefore, different odds. For a 9/6 pay table, the video poker odds Jacks or Better are quite high, with an estimated RTP rate of 99.54%. The odds are different for each hand, but the overall probability of getting a winning hand in any round is around 45.45%. It’s worth noting that placing five credits instead of one can reduce the house edge slightly, so you may want to consider this if it fits within your budget and bankroll. With one to four credits, the RTP rate is estimated to be 98.18%, meaning a house of 1.8%. On the other hand, playing with five credits gives you a higher RTP rate of 99.5% and an even lower house edge of 0.45%. Remember, when it comes to RTP rates and house edges, there’s just one rule to remember for each. With RTP rates, the higher the percentage, the better your chances of winning. For the house edge, the opposite applies: the lower the house edge, the lower the casino’s advantage, which is better for you. Below, you can find the full pay table for Jacks or Better video poker (9/6), which shows the payout for each hand and the probability of the hand occurring.

Tens or Better Video Poker Odds

Another common variant is the Tens or Better, video poker game where the goal is to have at least two 10s in your hand to win a payout. Payouts can vary with these types of video poker games because a few different versions exist, so to find the best video poker game odds, you’ll want to make sure that the payout for a four-of-a-kind hand is 25 coins. This gives you an RTP rate of 99%+, but with a 20-coin payout, which is what some Tens or Better, the RTP goes down to around 98%. Getting a four-of-a-kind is quite rare in video poker, but if you’re fortunate enough to get it, you’ll definitely want the full payout of 25 coins rather than 20. Tens or Better is similar to the Jacks or Better version, except for the obvious difference that in this game, you get a payout for a pair of 10s as well. This is an important difference because the odds of getting a pair of 10 (or better) are slightly better than the odds of making a pair of jacks or better. The video poker odds and probability of getting a pair of 10s are around 25%, while a pair of jacks or better usually occurs around 21% of the time. However, you’ll also want to consider that the payout for a full house or any flush is higher in the Jacks or Better video poker game. Below, we’ve included the full Tens or Better video poker pay table, and the chance to hit each hand.

Deuces Wild Video Poker Odds

Deuces Wild is a player favourite because it offers some of the best video poker odds because the deuce acts as a joker card, substituting any other card to form a winning poker hand. It’s just like the wild symbol in a slot machine, which replaces other symbols wherever a winning line can be created. You need at least a three-of-a-kind to get a payout in Deuces Wild video poker games. The odds are further in your favour in this version of video poker, but the payouts are lower. For example, as you’ll see in the table below, a three-of-a-kind pays out just one coin and straights or flushes are worth two coins each. With perfect play, the RTP rate in a full-pay Deuces Wild video poker is around 100.76%, the highest percentage of any video poker game. The regular pay version also has a high RTP rate of 99.56%, which is also significantly higher than average. For example, if you compare this with Jacks or Better (6/5), which has an RTP rate of 94.99%, you can see that the odds are very good. However, remember that the RTP also depends on your skill level, so the odds may decrease if you’re not playing perfectly every time. The video poker odds and payouts for the Deuces Wild game are included below:

Aces and Faces Video Poker Odds

Many players also consider Aces and Faces one of the best video poker game variants. It’s based on the Jacks or Better game because you need a pair of Jacks or better to get a payout. Four-of-a-kind hands also pay higher payouts, while the royal flush is the game’s highest payout. The odds of royal flush in video poker are very low, but this hand always offers the highest payout in any video poker game. The biggest difference between Aces and Faces and Jacks or Better is that the face cards and Aces can form different hand combinations in this variant. Four aces pay 80 coins, for example, while a combination of four face cards pays 40 coins as well. Below is a typical pay table for the Aces and Faces video poker game:

Joker Poker Video Poker Odds

Joker Poker is an interesting game variant because the joker card isn’t typically used in any poker game, whether video poker or regular casino poker. In this game, the joker can be used to make bigger hands, but payouts start from a pair of kings. Anything less than this pair isn’t worth a payout in the game. Joker Poker games come with different pay tables, but if you find a full pay table, it will look like the table below.

Video Poker Variations with High RTPs

Video poker comes in many varieties, each one with slightly different rules. The biggest difference between such variants lies in what constitutes a winning hand, but they also differ in RTP, as we’ve already mentioned briefly. By using a video poker odds calculator, it’s possible to calculate the RTP rate and house edge for each variant, which we’ll discuss briefly in this section. Whichever video poker game you choose, the probability of getting any winning hand is roughly 45.456%. The RTP rate depends on the game, but it’s important to note that the return rate is usually a little higher when placing a five-credit bet than playing with one to four credits. In other words, placing five credits will reduce the house edge slightly while the RTP gets higher. The return to player rate (RTP) is an estimated percentage of how much players are paid back based on the total amount they bet on a machine. Theoretically, if a video poker machine has an RTP rate of 99.54% and you wagered a total of £100 on five credit bets, the expected return would be £99.54. The key word about RTP is ‘theoretical’, which means that the results are always different in practice. Because an element of luck is in play, it’s impossible to see an exact return, as stated in the RTP when playing video poker. More importantly, these percentages aren’t calculated over a few game sessions but over millions, so it simply gives you an indication of the kind of return possible in the long run. Video poker is a game of chance, but there is still an element of skill because you need to understand card rankings and which cards to keep or swap for the best chance of winning. This means that your skill level can also influence the RTP rate slightly. Other games like slots, live casino roulette, or baccarat, for example, have a fixed house edge because there are no skills that can be used to turn the odds in your favour and influence the outcome. If you’re dealt a winning hand right away or form one on the second draw, the payout will be awarded immediately according to the pay table, which is always shown at the top of the screen. You can then play another round or go to the casino withdrawals section at Britain Play to cash out your winnings.

How to Use the Paytable to Your Advantage

We’ve already mentioned that different video poker games have different pay tables, and we must stress the importance of checking the pay table to ensure the best odds. Video poker odds and strategy go hand in hand because your first move should always be to read the pay table. The most important thing to remember is that you should always play video poker games with a full pay table, such as the 9/6 Jacks or Better game, for example. Then, you can focus on playing your cards, strategy, and forming the best hand possible. Now that we’ve reviewed all the best video poker games tips and information, you might be interested in trying a video poker variation. Britain Play has several video poker machines for you to choose from, including all the popular ones, like Aces and Faces, Jacks or Better, Double Double Bonus Poker, and others. If you're a new player, you can sign up in a few seconds, go to the casino deposits section to add funds to your account, and you can start playing whenever you wish to.

FAQs About Video Poker Odds

Here, you can find the answers to some of the video poker questions you may have.

Which video poker game has best odds?

The Deuces Wild video poker game has the best odds because, with optimal play, the RTP rate can be as high as 100.76%. You should always look at the game’s pay table to make sure you’re playing the game with the best return possibility. Remember, there can be multiple pay tables for the same video poker game, so you always need to check the payouts before you start playing.

What are the payout odds in video poker?

The payout odds in video poker vary not only depending on the game you’re playing but also on the hand you get. The average RTP rate in video poker ranges between 94.99% to 100.76%. The royal flush combination is always the highest-paying hand, offering a payout of 800 coins in most games. The chance to hit this hand is around 0.00025.

What are the odds of hitting a royal flush on video poker?

The odds of getting a royal flush in video poker are around 0.002%. In other words, it’s estimated that a three-card royal flush is dealt once in 92 hands. Remember, this is just an average; it doesn’t necessarily mean you will get a royal flush once you’ve played 92 hands.

Which has better odds video poker or slots?

We would say video poker has better odds than slot machines for two reasons. One is that the average RTP rate for a slot machine is around 96%, while some video poker machines have RTP rates as high as 100%. Secondly, slot machines are games of chance, which means there’s just no way to influence the game’s outcome. On the other hand, although the cards in video poker are dealt randomly, you can use your skills to form a good hand and potentially earn a payout.

Can you consistently win at video poker?

No, unfortunately, you can’t win every hand at video poker. Video poker is mostly a game of chance, just like most casino games, so you can’t control or predict what cards you’ll be dealt. Sometimes, you get a weak hand that can’t be improved, even if you’re a very skilled player.

Can you make a living off video poker?

No. You can’t make a living off video poker because there will always be losing hands. Gambling is never a way to make a living or long-term profit. Winning is always fun, but casino games are meant for entertainment purposes only.