Expert: Andy Glazer - 7/17/2002

Question
Is there any thing to the story, that you can tell the percentage of payback on a video slot by looking at the paytable for flush and fullhouse ?
and if so what would one look for.
Thank you fro your information.

Answer
Hi Glen,

Yes, there is a lot to that story, because it is true! With the ever increasing number of games, it becomes difficult to know the exact payoff percentages on every one, but there are plenty of books that show the exact percentages for certain machines. My favorite is "Victory at Video Poker" by Frank Scoblete.

While the payouts for the flush and full house are usually the guides, they aren't enough by themselves. For example, certain "9-6" machines (that's how video poker machines are often referred to--by the number of coins they pay out for a full house (9 here) and a flush (6 here)) actually pay less than some "8-5" machines, because of other features on the pay table. So while it's true you can determine exactly what the payback percentages is for any video poker machine (something you can't do with regular slots), just knowing the full house and flush numbers aren't enough.

If you play a lot of video poker, it's absolutely essential that you get either the book I suggested or some other good guide. There's no reason to be sitting at a 91% return machine when there's a 96% return machine right next to it.

Andy Glazer
www.casinoselfdefense.com