A player bet four coins on a $10 denomination game and hit a royal flush last week, as seen in a recent winners screenshot by a Las Vegas locals casino.
I am sure the player was thrilled to hit a $10,000 royal. There is a mistake that this video poker player made that can be learned from this hand.
The best scenario for video poker players is betting five coins per hand, unless more are required for the larger royal flush payout. It is possible that 10, 20 or even 100 coins are needed to receive the bonus payout of 800/1 on a royal flush, as opposed to the 250/1 at lower limits on most games.
At Jacks or Better, the difference between 800/1 and 250/1 is about 1.4% in return. That takes a basic strategy 99.5% Jacks or Better game down to 98.1%.
The theoretical loss per hand is just under a half of a penny when betting one coin in this game at the quarter denomination. At five coins, it is a little under two-thirds of a cent per hand. A four-coin player will lose almost $0.02 per hand in expected value because of the lower royal flush payout. The four-coin player theoretically loses at least three times faster than either the one or five-coin players.
At the $1 denomination, the four-coin player theoretically loses about $0.075 per hand. The one-coin player has a theoretical loss of about $0.016 per hand, with the five-coin player around $0.025 per hand. This does not matter over the course of a few hands. However, this adds up quickly.
Make sure that the royal flush bonus starts at five coins
Most video poker machines bump the royal flush payout from 250/1 to 800/1 at five coins. It is possible that a royal flush requires 8, 10, 20, or even 100 coins, to get the larger royal flush jackpot. The pay table should make it clear when the 800/1 starts in terms of coins bet.
Avoid hitting the max bet button until you are sure how many coins are required. You may be in for a big surprise if you do not.
I typically see more coins required for the royal flush jackpot at lower denominations. The few penny and nickel games left sometimes require 10 or 20 coins for it. Some older games that originated in coins, as well as some video lottery ones, may require eight. I have seen some penny games, as well as Las Vegas tavern Game Kings, that require 100 coins for an 800/1 royal flush.
Check the lower denominations
Playing a lower denomination may be the best solution for players looking for good video poker value. If available, check the pay tables on the next coin down. If they are identical, play five coins (or however many are required for the royal bonus payout) at the lower limit, even if it feels like it is too slow. You will theoretically stay in the game three or more times longer by doing this.
Many video poker machines have a denomination where the pay tables worsen. It may still be better to play the lower denomination.
If you are playing a game without wild cards, compare the straight, flush and full house payouts per coin between the denominations. If only one of the straight, flush or full house drops one coin, but not two or three, play five coins at the lower denomination, assuming that is what triggers the 800/1 payout.
This is about 0.5% better than playing fewer than five coins at a higher denomination where a straight, flush or full house, but not two or three, pay one more coin than the pay table at the lower denomination. The exact amount depends on the game.
If two different hands between straight, flush and full house pay a coin fewer on the lower denomination than the higher one, then you are better off adding a coin to the higher denomination.
