House Advantage in Video Poker

Video Poker has very high returns, in many cases over 100%. How can this be? The house advantage in the game of video poker relies on player error. The more mistakes you make, the less chance you will have of reaching the expected payouts for a machine. It is as simple as that! We are not talking about any complicated system here, just mathematical probability. If you play well over a period of time you will be well on your way to casino profits. We won't blind you with science as the focus of the game is to have fun and lots of it...but you can win at video poker using a good video poker strategy.

The house advantage in video poker is linked directly to the payoff chart, particularly the payoffs for a full house and flush. Below is a chart of the house advantage for the different payouts for video poker.

To take full advantage of the low house percentage on 9/6 machines, you must play the maximum number of coins. The house advantage takes into account a player hitting all the possible payouts at all the different numbers of coins played. This includes a player hitting a royal flush with the maximum number of coins played. If you could be sure that you wouldn't hit a royal flush, you could play the minimum coins, since the payouts would be the same, as posted--6, 8, or 9 times your investment for a full house or 5 or 6 times your investment for a flush. But if you got lucky with a royal flush, you'd lose out on the bonus of 1,000 coins-and leave it for the house. So, if you aren't playing the maximum number of coins when you hit a royal flush, you create a much bigger house advantage. So, once you feel comfortable playing video poker, remember to go for the max!

On progressive 9/6 jacks or Better machines when the jackpot raises above 6,500 coins, the payback reaches a 100-percent return making this an excellent machine to play.

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