Category · 0.24% at full pay Deuces
CASINO POKER: THE CHEAPEST SCREEN IN THE BUILDING
Nine coins for the full house, six for the flush. That single line on a Jacks or Better paytable is the difference between the best return on any casino screen in Canada and a game costing five times as much.
Video poker is the only category here where your decisions carry most of the number. A 9/6 machine played perfectly returns 99.54 percent. The same machine played by instinct returns considerably less, and the gap is skill rather than luck.
The paytable is printed on the screen and it is the whole game. Count the full house and flush payouts before the first hand. Nine and six is full pay. Eight and five is a different product wearing the same name.
Table poker against the house is a separate category and a more expensive one. Casino Hold em, Ultimate Texas Hold em and Three Card Poker all price between two and three and a half percent against the ante, and the strategies are simple enough to learn in an evening.
Every line, priced
| Bet or rule | Edge | Per hour | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deuces Wild, full pay, played correctly | 0.24% | C$1.44 | Rare online and worth finding. The strategy is nothing like Jacks or Better and playing it by instinct hands the difference straight back. |
| Jacks or Better video poker, 9/6 paytable, played correctlyPLAY THIS ONE | 0.46% | C$2.76 | Nine coins for the full house, six for the flush. The best published return on any casino screen in the country. |
| Casino Hold em, priced against the ante | 2.16% | C$12.96 | You and the dealer share a board. Fold the bottom fifteen percent of starting hands and this is the number. |
| Ultimate Texas Hold em, priced against the ante | 2.19% | C$13.14 | Against the total amount put at risk it works out near half a point, because most of the money goes in when you are ahead. |
| Jacks or Better, 8/5 paytable | 2.7% | C$16.20 | The same game, two lines shorter on the paytable, five times the cost per hand. |
| Three Card Poker, ante and play | 3.37% | C$20.22 | Play everything queen six four and better. That single rule is most of the strategy. |
| Caribbean Stud | 5.22% | C$31.32 | A progressive side bet is usually bolted to it and priced far worse than the base game. |
Per hour is the edge multiplied by 60 decisions and a C$10 stake. It is a long-run rate rather than a prediction about an evening. Every figure above is a property of the rules and applies at any table running them.
Cashiers running a live floor
22 of the 23 cashiers inside the 24 hour rule run a live floor, 3,515 tables between them. 20 casinos sit past the rule and carry no link anywhere on this site. GO pays a commission when an account opens through it.
Why full pay machines are rare online
Because the return is close to a hundred percent and the operator's margin is thin. Studios license several paytables of the same title and licensees choose, which is the same split-build economics that runs through the slot catalogue.
The consequence is that the game name tells you nothing. Two lobbies can list Jacks or Better and serve different paytables, and only the screen says which.
Check before you play, every time, at every site. It takes four seconds and it is worth more than any bonus attached to the account.
Strategy is per game, not per category
Deuces Wild strategy is nothing like Jacks or Better strategy. Playing one with the other's instincts hands back more than the paytable difference between them, which is a common and expensive mistake.
Three Card Poker has essentially one rule: play everything queen six four and better, fold the rest. That single rule is most of the available edge.
Ultimate Texas Hold em rewards betting big early with a good hand, because the maximum raise is only available before the flop. Players who check it down are giving away most of the game.
Asked about poker tables
What is the best video poker paytable?
Full pay Deuces Wild returns the most at 99.76 percent played correctly. 9/6 Jacks or Better is more widely available at 99.54 and far easier to play accurately.
Is video poker better than slots?
On return, considerably, when the paytable is full pay and the play is correct. On effort, it is a different activity: every hand is a decision.
How do I know if a machine is full pay?
Read the full house and flush lines. Nine and six on Jacks or Better is full pay. Anything lower is a reduced paytable and the return drops with it.