If you walk through any casino, past the flashing modern video slots, you will inevitably find rows of old, blocky Video Poker machines.

Because you can see the cards and know a standard 52-card deck is being used, you can mathematically calculate the exact probability of every draw.

Understanding the Paytable: Jacks or Better

Before you ever insert a single dollar, you must intensely study the brightly lit paytable printed directly on the glass of the machine.

This specific machine pays exactly 9 coins for a Full House and 6 coins for a Flush on a single coin bet.

• Progressive Video Poker machines often feature weaker base paytables to compensate
• Online casinos usually offer the absolute best, highly favorable Video Poker paytables
• Never play a machine where a Flush pays only 5 coins if better options exist

The Importance of the “Max Bet” Rule

Almost every machine accepts between 1 and 5 coins per hand, and the payouts for most hands scale linearly based on your bet.

If you bet 1 coin, a Royal Flush might pay a disappointing 250 coins.

Using Math to Make the Right Hold

You must completely eliminate human emotion; never hold a “lucky” card or chase an inside straight if the math dictates otherwise.

You can legally print a strategy card from the internet and hold it right in front of the machine while you play in the casino.

By finding the correct paytable, betting the absolute maximum, and playing flawlessly like a robot, you can nearly eliminate the house edge.