Full Vs Low Pay Video Poker

With so many VP variants bearing (almost) the same name, telling which one pays the best can be challenging. To make things even more difficult to decode, the payout percentage is not often d by the casino itself, so players need to dig deeper to find out.

What’s the major difference between full and low pay Video Poker?

Аs assumed from the names, the former ones have solid payout %, while the latter ones come with the reduced max payout percentage. It’s usually indicated with specific numbers that precede the name of the game.

If you want to learn more about these two types of Video Poker games and their variants and find out how to choose the most rewarding one, keep reading!

How to Decode Names of VP Games?

When you are introduced with a slot game whose name is “Kingdom of Something”, “The Book of Whatever”, or anything along these lines, you can only assume how would its visual identity look like.

Unfortunately…

…it usually reveals nothing about the game’s rewarding potential or features. Unless it comes with “Jackpot”, then you have some approximate idea on how much you can score.

With Video Poker, things are significantly more transparent, as the name of the game indicates the possible winnings. The detail which complicates the situation a bit is the fact that these names are similar, or they are followed by some numbers, which are again, more or less, the same.

To a casual observer, things would remain unclear and puzzling. But to those who know what’s behind those numbers, it becomes as clear a crystal what the machine has to offer.

So, what’s the catch with the numbers?

In order to understand whether a particular game gives an advantage to the house or it favors the punter, the paytable needs to be reviewed. One should look at the payouts for Full House and Flush, and that’s what those numbers like 9/6, 7/5, 6/5 and others imply.

Now that you know which is the simplest way to choose a good VP, the logical question appears- how come all Video Poker players aren’t millionaires already? Because this is not the only criteria to take into , the selection process is more complex.

Before placing any bet, one must be able to clearly differentiate full pay from low pay machines. Let’s get down to business and crack them!

Introducing Full Pay Machines and its Variations

When modern VP machines appeared, the common variant of a particular game with the highest-paying potential was called “full pay”. Those with a lower payback percentage were known under the name “short pay”.

Though nowadays punters still use the term “full pay”…

… there are many variants that return more- they are often close to or even go beyond 100%. However, this percentage doesn’t refer to short-term sessions, it expresses the long-term expected value of the player’s wager as a percentage. Of course, this makes sense ONLY IF one implements perfect strategies otherwise it fails.

So, how does the math here work?

Let’s say that a certain game has a payback percentage of 99%. In the long run, for each $100 placed in bets, one loses $1 provided that he/she played every hand in an optimal way.

It’s important to know that payoff schedules for the majority of machines are adjusted with a pay schedule that pays proportionally more for certain hands when the max number of credits is placed as a bet. This means that punters who do not place max wagers at a time are decreasing the theoretical return, that is- not using the machine’s full potential.

Let’s check out some of the most popular full pay variants:

• Jacks or Better (JoB)

This variant is also known as “Draw Poker”, and its payoff starts with a pair of jacks. The full pay version of the machine is 9/6 JoB- the payoff for a full house is 9x the bet, and the payoff for a flush is 6x the bet. Besides this one, 10/6 and 9/7 are also available in some establishments.

• Tens or Better

A variation of 6/5 JoB, where the min paying hand is a pair of tens, instead of a pair of Jacks. In spite of the very different full house and flush payouts, these two versions have rather similar strategies.

• Deuces Wild

This is the version where all twos represent Wild cards, where the payout for a four of a kind makes up approximately ⅓ of the payback percentage of the game. As for the frequency, this combo occurs on average every fifteen hands. Variants with 100.8% can also be found, again- when the adequate strategy is used.

• Joker’s Wild

As assumed from the name, this one comes with Joker, which acts as wild and replaces the weaker hands to make stronger. With this card added to the deck, one more new winning hand comes up as an option- 5-of-a-kind. Joker Two Pair or better (6-7-8), the full pay version has a complex strategy, which is one of the reasons why it was once common but now rare.

• Bonus Poker

One more inspired by JoB, but this version offers a higher payout percentage for four of a kind. The full pay version of this game returns 99.2%. There are multiple versions featuring different bonus payouts based on the ranking of the four of a kind.

• Double Bonus

Another version of JoB, with a bonus payout for four aces, which offers up to 100.2% a theoretical return when played with perfect strategy. However, this percentage is only on a “10/7” version. Although the full pay version has a theoretically-positive return, not many punters are capable of making huge profits, due to complexity.

• Double Double Bonus

A variation of Jacks or Better which offers bonus payoffs for different four of a kind, and has a theoretical return of 100.1 %, when the optimal strategy is utilized. There are other pay schedules as well, but with lesser theoretical returns.

Aside from these listed, there’s also Bally’s All American. Also based on JoB, but it comes with an increased payout for flushes, straights and straight flushes. However, the payout for full houses and two pairs is diminished (8-8-8-3-1 versus 9-6-4-3-2).

What are the Most Common Low Pay VP Variants?

In some cases, the max payout percentage is decreased compared to common variants. This way, the house advantage is inclined, but net revenue for the casino decreased. Players have shorter playing sessions busting out of their buy-in at an earlier point.

Here’s the list of commonly found versions:

• 9/5 Jacks or Better

The payout in this one for making a Flush is cut from 6x to 5x the bet, but all other payouts remain the same. This decreases the max payout percentage to 98.45% for those who place five coins per hand to receive the Royal Flush bonus.

• 8/6 Jacks or Better

Here, the payout for making a Full House is cut from 9x to 8x the bet, while all other payouts remain the same as in a full pay variant. Max payout percentage is diminished to 98.39% for players betting five coins per hand to receive the Royal Flush bonus.

• 8/5 Jacks or Better

This variant cuts the Full House payout from 9x to 8x the bet, and also decreases the Flush payout from 6x to 5x the bet. All other payouts remain the same as in a full pay game. This reduces the max payout percentage to 97.30% for punters wagering five coins per hand to receive the Royal Flush bonus.

• 7/5 Jacks or Better

This version decreases the Full House payout from 9x to 7x the bet and also cuts the Flush payout from 6x to 5x the bet. All other payouts remain the same as in a full pay variant. Max payout percentage goes down to 96.15% for those betting five coins per hand to receive the Royal Flush bonus.

• 6/5 Jacks or Better

In this one, the Full House payout is cut from 9x to 6x the bet and the Flush payout from 6x to 5x the bet. All other payouts remain the same as in a full pay version. Max payout percentage is decreased to 95.00% for players who place five coins per hand to receive the Royal Flush bonus.

In addition to these, there are versions with progressive jackpot games, whose theoretical return is positive. This, again, goes in a situation when the JP is big enough and when the optimal strategy is applied.

Coolest Tips for Serious Video Poker Fans

The more knowledge one possesses on any game, he/she boosts the chances to capitalize on it. Yet, no one can guarantee anything, as random number generator determines it all, but as for the “knowledge” part, that’s covered.

Aside from familiarizing with the differences…

… between these two types of VP, and analyzing the paytables carefully, every punter should take the following steps as well:

• Be aware of the personal preferences

This means deciding whether one likes single or multi-variant games, the ones which are based on luck or require strategies, faster or slower, and similar.

No one likes being given advice while in the middle of the playing session, that’s why it’s important to be well-prepared before the cards are dealt.

• Manage the bankroll wisely

Knowing that optimal strategy usually works if the max bet is placed, one will have to calculate well how much money there is for playing games. If a player cannot keep pace with the suggested, optimal bets, then he/she should look for a variant that is more compatible with the available funds.

• Exercise the strategies over and over

There are many useful apps and trainers, various establishments offer demo mode as an option. These opportunities can be utilized to gain more experience, and see how the strategies work. The more one practices, the sharper the skills get. Also, implementing proper strategies for a specific game matters equally.

• Be concentrated while playing

Any game which comes with a strategy requires concentration. If a punter is not focused enough and distracted by other details, he/she won’t be able to use the game’s maximum potential.

• Choose the reputable provider and casino

This mantra goes for any game, and it works for Video Poker as well. It’s not just a matter of fun, it’s also about choosing a trustworthy product and a safe environment to play.

• Forget superstitions

Being an integral part of gambling, it doesn’t come as a surprise that players are susceptible to gambler’s fallacy, myths, superstitions, and similar. But, they are indeed nothing more than colorful and amusing speculations, the only truth lies in the RNG.

Final Thoughts

Knowing the difference between full pay and low pay machines will simplify the selection significantly, for more than the obvious reason. However, payoff aside, some players like to try out the new strategy they’ve learned, and sometimes they deliberately choose some not so profitable machines, for the sake of experimenting.

It’s all a matter of personal choice…

…and, of course, bankroll size. Some players make various sacrifices or compromises, the others like to learn and implement new strategies, but as long as knowledge is by their side, any of these makes sense.

This is the very essence of any strategy-based game, so, all there’s left is to agree with one of the poker legends, Doyle Brunson:

“Try to decide how good your hand is at a given moment. Nothing else matters. Nothing.”

Frequently Asked Questions