One of the major attractions of video poker is that players can determine the average return of any game with the information available on the game’s pay table.
The term “full-pay” is often used to describe games that have the best returns.
This article explores “full-pay” video poker games, their history, and current landscape for these sought-after games.
Table of Contents
- Origin of video poker games
- Enter corporate accountants
- The term “full-pay”
- Pay table changes causing full-pay to become short-pay
- Examples of jacks or better based full-pay and short-pay tables
- Summary
1. Origin of Video Poker Games
When video poker games were in their infancy, game makers were not aware of the math used to determine each game’s return. In fact, in order to be able to tell casino management this critical piece of information, game manufacturers hired people to play their games and recorded the results.
Remember, this happened decades ago when corporate accounting types were not in control of casinos. Management wanted to get players into their casinos. They wanted people to play these games.
Because of this, early pay tables were generally very good.
2. Enter Corporate Accountants
Over time, a majority of casino management was assumed by large corporations. Corporations use accountants to help them manage. Increasing profits tends to be the order of the day.
When the accountants saw the low casino’s take from video poker, pay tables were changed to increase their profits.
The original (higher-return) pay tables became known as full-pay. The new, reduced return pay tables became known as short-pay or low-pay.
3. The Term “Full-Pay”
Since the early days of video poker, dozens of games with scores of pay tables have been developed and put on the casino floors – and in online casinos.
With so many new games and pay table variations, the term “full-pay” has come to mean the highest paying variant of a video poker game. Anything paying less is called short-pay or low-pay.
4. Pay Table Changes Causing Full-Pay to Become Short-Pay
As mentioned above, pay tables were changed to increase casino profits. Which winning hands had their pays reduced?
The casinos realized that for most jacks or better based games, simply reducing the amount paid for a full house or a flush by one credit would net the casino better than 1% additional profit.
For almost all of these games, the pay for either the full house or the flush (or both) is reduced.
This is not the case for deuces wild games, however. Since there are four wild cards, full house and flush hands are much more common. Almost any pay table line is subject to change in deuces wild games.
5. Examples of Jacks or Better Based Full-Pay and Short-Pay Tables
Jacks or Better
| Full-pay 9/6 Jacks or Better | |
| 99.54 Percent Return | |
| Hand | Pays (per credit) |
| Royal Flush | 800 |
| Straight Flush | 50 |
| 4-of-a-kind | 25 |
| Full House | 9 |
| Flush | 6 |
| Straight | 4 |
| 3-of-a-kind | 3 |
| Two Pair | 2 |
| Pair of Jacks or Better | 1 |
Notice the return is nearly 100 percent. For every $100 played through the game, the casino gets only $0.46
| Short-pay 9/5 Jacks or Better | |
| 98.44 Percent Return | |
| Hand | Pays (per credit) |
| Royal Flush | 800 |
| Straight Flush | 50 |
| 4-of-a-kind | 25 |
| Full House | 9 |
| Flush | 5 |
| Straight | 4 |
| 3-of-a-kind | 3 |
| Two Pair | 2 |
| Pair of Jacks or Better | 1 |
| Short-pay 8/6 Jacks or Better | |
| 98.39 Percent Return | |
| Hand | Pays (per credit) |
| Royal Flush | 800 |
| Straight Flush | 50 |
| 4-of-a-kind | 25 |
| Full House | 8 |
| Flush | 6 |
| Straight | 4 |
| 3-of-a-kind | 3 |
| Two Pair | 2 |
| Pair of Jacks or Better | 1 |
| Short-pay 8/5 Jacks or Better | |
| 97.29 Percent Return | |
| Hand | Pays (per credit) |
| Royal Flush | 800 |
| Straight Flush | 50 |
| 4-of-a-kind | 25 |
| Full House | 8 |
| Flush | 5 |
| Straight | 4 |
| 3-of-a-kind | 3 |
| Two Pair | 2 |
| Pair of Jacks or Better | 1 |
Notice the 1%-plus reduction in the return for each one credit reduction in the full house or flush pays.
Double Bonus Poker
| Full-pay 10/7 Double Bonus | |
| 100.17 Percent Return | |
| Hand | Pays (per credit) |
| Royal Flush | 800 |
| Straight Flush | 50 |
| 4 Aces | 160 |
| 4 2’s, 3’s, or 4’s | 80 |
| 4 5’s thru Kings | 50 |
| Full House | 10 |
| Flush | 7 |
| Straight | 5 |
| 3-of-a-kind | 3 |
| Two Pair | 1 |
| Pair of Jacks or Better | 1 |
| Short-pay 9/7 Double Bonus | |
| 99.10 Percent Return | |
| Hand | Pays (per credit) |
| Royal Flush | 800 |
| Straight Flush | 50 |
| 4 Aces | 160 |
| 4 2’s, 3’s, or 4’s | 80 |
| 4 5’s thru Kings | 50 |
| Full House | 9 |
| Flush | 7 |
| Straight | 5 |
| 3-of-a-kind | 3 |
| Two Pair | 1 |
| Pair of Jacks or Better | 1 |
| Short-pay 10/6 Double Bonus | |
| 98.88 Percent Return | |
| Hand | Pays (per credit) |
| Royal Flush | 800 |
| Straight Flush | 50 |
| 4 Aces | 160 |
| 4 2’s, 3’s, or 4’s | 80 |
| 4 5’s thru Kings | 50 |
| Full House | 10 |
| Flush | 6 |
| Straight | 5 |
| 3-of-a-kind | 3 |
| Two Pair | 1 |
| Pair of Jacks or Better | 1 |
| Short-pay 9/6 Double Bonus | |
| 97.80 Percent Return | |
| Hand | Pays (per credit) |
| Royal Flush | 800 |
| Straight Flush | 50 |
| 4 Aces | 160 |
| 4 2’s, 3’s, or 4’s | 80 |
| 4 5’s thru Kings | 50 |
| Full House | 9 |
| Flush | 6 |
| Straight | 5 |
| 3-of-a-kind | 3 |
| Two Pair | 1 |
| Pair of Jacks or Better | 1 |
Notice the same 1%-plus reduction in return for each one credit reduction in the full house or flush pays.
Double-Double Bonus
| Full-pay 10/7 Double Bonus | |
| 100.17 Percent Return | |
| Hand | Pays (per credit) |
| Royal Flush | 800 |
| Straight Flush | 50 |
| 4 Aces w/2, 3, or 4 | 400 |
| 4 2-4 w/Ace, 2, 3, or 4 | 160 |
| 4 Aces | 160 |
| 4 2’s, 3’s, or 4’s | 80 |
| 4 5’s thru Kings | 50 |
| Full House | 10 |
| Flush | 6 |
| Straight | 5 |
| 3-of-a-kind | 3 |
| Two Pair | 1 |
| Pair of Jacks or Better | 1 |
| Full-pay 9/6 Double Bonus | |
| 98.98 Percent Return | |
| Hand | Pays (per credit) |
| Royal Flush | 800 |
| Straight Flush | 50 |
| 4 Aces w/2, 3, or 4 | 400 |
| 4 2-4 w/Ace, 2, 3, or 4 | 160 |
| 4 Aces | 160 |
| 4 2’s, 3’s, or 4’s | 80 |
| 4 5’s thru Kings | 50 |
| Full House | 9 |
| Flush | 6 |
| Straight | 5 |
| 3-of-a-kind | 3 |
| Two Pair | 1 |
| Pair of Jacks or Better | 1 |
| Short-pay 9/5 Double Bonus | |
| 97.87 Percent Return | |
| Hand | Pays (per credit) |
| Royal Flush | 800 |
| Straight Flush | 50 |
| 4 Aces w/2, 3, or 4 | 400 |
| 4 2-4 w/Ace, 2, 3, or 4 | 160 |
| 4 Aces | 160 |
| 4 2’s, 3’s, or 4’s | 80 |
| 4 5’s thru Kings | 50 |
| Full House | 9 |
| Flush | 5 |
| Straight | 5 |
| 3-of-a-kind | 3 |
| Two Pair | 1 |
| Pair of Jacks or Better | 1 |
A short-lived 10/6 version of Double-Double Bonus was initially available. It is no longer to be found. 9/6 is now considered full-pay.
Notice the same 1%-plus reduction in return for each one credit reduction in the full house or flush pays.
6. Summary
- Most of the original video poker games had very high returns.
- Pay tables were changed in order to increase casino profits.
- Original games’ high-paying pay tables became known as full-pay.
- Reduced return games became known as short-pay.
- Currently, the highest-paying game available is considered full-pay.
- For jacks or better based games, each one credit reduction in the full house or flush pays reduces the return by more than 1%.
