For
Jacks or Better, 9/6 machines are known as
full-pay machines. Full pay does not mean
that you will get 100% of your money back -
we already established that 9/6 machine will
return only 99.5% to skilled players. In
video poker jargon, full pay means that you
are getting the highest standard pay table
for a particular machine. In other words,
alterations have not been made in the
payoffs that would shortchange you and lower
your overall expectations for the game. When
examining the Jacks or Better pay table, the
are you should concentrate on is the payoff
for the full house and the flush. For the
coin played, full pay machines return 9
coins on a full house and 6 coins on the
flush. These machines are know as 9/6
machines. And the casinos are full of
short-play machines; this may be frustrating
but it is not exactly devious on the part of
the casino. After all, the information is
right there on the pay table.
Another number to check carefully on the pay
table is the return on two pair. If the
machine returns only one coin on two pair,
you are probably looking at a Jacks or
Better variation that has other differences
in payouts and requires different strategies
and analysis. If all else were the same and
it paid only one coin on two pair, you'd be
looking at a machine that rips you off.
Notice that the payouts for playing one coin
are used to distinguish the machine. Since
the pay table is proportionate throughout,
you can use the one-coin payout as a
reference.
As you can see, it is essential to know what
you are getting into. Of course, once you
are aware that it pays to read the pay
table, the choice is rather obvious. Even if
you don't know the percentages, all else
being equal, you would naturally play the
game that gives greater pay for the same
hands.
Every coin paid out is critical and every
distinct pay table warrants its own
analysis. Here are some more tips that will
steer you away from the duds in the video
poker world and towards the gems:
Casinos have no qualms about setting payoffs
on certain hands lower than the standard
full pay, and the change can come anywhere
on the pay table.
Be very wary of cuts to the payoffs for the
more common hands. Extravagant jackpots for
high hands are appealing, but they may not
be enough to offset even the most seemingly
innocuous dent in your lower payoffs.
As a general rule, you should avoid new
machines. Newer machines may have more
high-end jackpot hands or imaginative card
combinations, but the entertainment value
usually conceals a lower payback. Also, you
will not know the proper strategy for the
machine. Generally, the more exotic the pay
table is, the more counterintuitive a
strategy would be. Most pros stick to
tried-and-true machines.
Sometimes it's easy to be drawn in by the
marketing lure of a game's title, but don't
judge a game by its name.
Making the effort to look for a good machine
is half the battle. You have to remind
yourself that in reel slots you are mostly
playing blind, but in video poker it's quite
the opposite. Exercise that free will.
