If you walk through a casino and observe the video poker machines, you will likely see dozens of players mindlessly slapping the "Draw" button as fast as they can.
Video poker is a game of intense, calculable skill. Because the machine uses a standard, simulated 52-card deck, the mathematics of the game are completely transparent and solvable.
Prepare to stop guessing and start playing the math.
The Payout Table: Why You Must Hunt for the 9/6
The casino secretly alters their House Edge by changing the payouts on only two specific hands: the Full House and the Flush.
This means the machine pays exactly 9 coins for a Full House (per 1 coin bet) and 6 coins for a Flush.
However, casinos are greedy. They will frequently place "Short Pay" machines (like an 8/5 or a 7/5 machine) right next to the good ones.
You must rigorously hunt the casino floor until you find a true 9/6 machine.
Step 2: The Mandatory "Max Bet" Rule
This is a catastrophic mathematical error that actively destroys your Expected Value (EV).
If you look at the paytable, the payouts for all hands scale perfectly linearly for coins 1 through 4 (e.g., a Flush pays 6 coins for a 1-coin bet, and 24 coins for a 4-coin bet).
If you hit a Royal Flush while only betting 1 coin, you have essentially robbed yourself of thousands of dollars purely because you were trying to save 4 quarters.
Instead, move to a cheaper machine (like a 25-cent machine) and play 5 coins there ($1.25 a hand).
Step 3: Executing Basic Strategy (The Hierarchy of Hands)
The golden rule is: always play the hand that has the highest Expected Value, even if it means throwing away a guaranteed winning hand to chase a bigger one.
Perfect mathematical strategy dictates you MUST throw away the guaranteed winning Jack to draw for the Royal Flush, because the massive 4,000-coin payout makes the gamble mathematically correct over the long run.
The payout for a standard Flush (30 coins) is not large enough to justify throwing away the guaranteed payout and the chance to draw Three of a Kind or Four of a Kind.
In Video Poker, you are not trying to beat a dealer; you are purely trying to make the absolute best poker hand possible, and throwing away useless kickers maximizes your drawing power.
The Order of Operations (From Highest EV to Lowest)
The Monsters: Never break these hands under any circumstances. You have already won the lottery. The Holy Grail Draw: The 4,000-coin payout is so massive that the math demands you chase it every single time. 3. Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind: Hold all of these guaranteed winning hands. DO NOT break a Flush or Straight to chase a Royal. Chasing the Mini-Monster: Always draw to the open-ended Straight Flush. Full House Hunting: The one card you draw has exactly a 4 in 47 chance of making a Full House. 6. High Pair (Jacks, Queens, Kings, Aces): Hold the pair. Throw away everything else (including an open-ended straight draw). The Standard Flush Draw: You have 9 "outs" in the remaining deck to hit your suit. The math is highly favorable. 8. Low Pair (2s through 10s): Hold the pair. Throw away everything else (including a single High Card). Do NOT hold a kicker. The Open-Ender: You have 8 "outs" to hit the straight. Inside straights only have 4 "outs" and are mathematically terrible draws. The Complete Redraw: Do not hold a random 10 because it "feels lucky." Let the machine give you five brand new cards.
The Math of the 9/6 Paytable (For a 5-Coin Bet)
The Poker HandYour Reward (Max Bet)How Often It Happens The JackpotPays the rent.Do not expect it, but always draw for it when mathematically correct. The Backup JackpotOften saves a losing session.A great result. Four of a Kind125 CoinsRoughly 1 in 423 hands. The BoatThis must pay 9 per coin, or the machine is a rip-off.A frequent, highly profitable hand. The FlushThe second critical metric of the paytable.The math demands 6 to 1. Jacks or Better (High Pair)5 Coins (Your money back)Roughly 1 in 5 hands.
By hunting down a 9/6 machine, playing maximum coins, and flawlessly executing the strategy hierarchy, you are engaging in one of the smartest gambles the casino has to offer.
Do not be intimidated by the speed of the professional players next to you.