Reading a paytable is the single most valuable skill in video poker. It takes about ten seconds, costs nothing, and instantly tells you whether a machine is a great bet or a poor one. Two machines with the same game name can return very differently, and the only way to tell them apart is by reading the paytable. This step-by-step guide teaches the universal method that works on any machine in any game family — it is the cross-game skill, not a single-game reference. When you want the exact full-pay, short-pay, and RTP figures for one specific game, follow the link to that game's dedicated payout-table breakdown; this page shows you the reading technique itself.
Step 1: Identify the Game Family
First, look at the lowest paying hand and whether wild cards are present. If the minimum paying hand is a pair of Jacks and there are no wilds, you are looking at Jacks or Better or one of its bonus relatives. If the minimum is three of a kind, the game has wild cards — likely Deuces Wild or Joker Poker. The structure of the four-of-a-kind line tells you whether it is a bonus game: a single flat payout means standard Jacks or Better, while tiered quad payouts mean Bonus Poker, Double Bonus, or Double Double Bonus. For a fuller breakdown, see our guide to video poker variants.
Step 2: Check the Key Payout Lines
Every game family has one or two "tell" lines that reveal whether the paytable is full pay or short pay. Memorize these and you can evaluate any machine instantly:
| Game | Lines to Check | Full-Pay Value |
|---|---|---|
| Jacks or Better | Full House / Flush | 9 / 6 |
| Bonus Poker | Full House / Flush | 8 / 5 |
| Double Bonus | Full House / Flush | 10 / 7 |
| Double Double Bonus | Full House / Flush | 9 / 6 |
| Deuces Wild | Four of a Kind | 5 |
In non-wild games, the full house and flush payouts move the return the most, so they are the fastest check. In Deuces Wild, the four-of-a-kind payout is the critical line because quads are so common. If those numbers match the full-pay values above, you have found a good machine.
The table above is a memory aid for the reading method, not a full schedule. For the complete short-pay variants, exact RTP for each version, and game-specific quirks, see the dedicated breakdowns: Jacks or Better, Bonus Poker, Joker Poker, and Deuces Wild. This page stays focused on the technique you apply to all of them.
Step 3: Recognize the 9/6 Shorthand
Players describe Jacks or Better paytables with two numbers: the full house payout and the flush payout. "9/6" means full house pays 9 and flush pays 6 — the full-pay schedule returning 99.54%. "8/5" means full house pays 8 and flush pays 5, dropping the return to 97.30%. This shorthand extends across games. Once you know it, you can read a paytable's quality from just two numbers. Our comparison of 9/6 vs 8/5 Jacks or Better shows how much those two numbers matter.
Step 4: Confirm the Royal Flush and Max-Coin Bonus
Look at the royal flush line, which should pay 800 per coin on a five-coin (max) bet. Most paytables display the payouts in columns for one through five coins. You will see the royal pay 250 per coin for one through four coins, then jump to 800 for five coins. This jump is why you must always bet max coins — betting fewer throws away the royal bonus and cuts your return by over a full percentage point. If five coins is too expensive, drop to a lower denomination rather than fewer coins. For the full reasoning, see our explainer on RTP and its conditions.
Step 5: Compare on Return, Not Name
The final and most important habit: never assume the game name guarantees the return. A machine labeled "Jacks or Better" could be full-pay 9/6 or short-pay 8/5, and the screens look nearly identical. Always read the paytable, identify the key lines, and compare the available machines on their actual return. When the best full-pay schedule of one game is not available, a full-pay version of a different family may beat a short-pay version of your preferred game. Choose based on the numbers, not the label.
A Quick Ten-Second Routine
Put it together into a routine you can run before sitting at any machine:
- Glance at the lowest paying hand to identify wild vs non-wild.
- Check the full house and flush lines (or four of a kind in Deuces).
- Compare those numbers to the full-pay values.
- Confirm the royal pays 800 on five coins.
- If everything matches full pay, sit down; if not, look for a better machine.
With practice this becomes automatic, and you will never again accidentally play a short-pay game. To learn where the best machines tend to be, read our guide on finding full-pay machines.
Worked Example: Two Jacks or Better Machines
Theory becomes intuitive with a concrete example. Imagine you walk up to two machines, both labeled "Jacks or Better," and run the ten-second routine on each. Here is what you see on the full house and flush lines:
| Line | Machine A | Machine B |
|---|---|---|
| Full House | 9 | 8 |
| Flush | 6 | 5 |
| Everything else | Identical | Identical |
| Resulting RTP | 99.54% | 97.30% |
Machine A is full-pay 9/6; Machine B is short-pay 8/5. They look identical in every other respect — same name, same artwork, same hand rankings, same royal flush jackpot. The only difference is two numbers, and that difference is worth over two percentage points of return. A player who reads the paytable picks Machine A in seconds; a player who does not may sit at Machine B and never realize they chose the worse game. This is the entire skill in a single illustration.
Reading Wild-Card Paytables
Wild-card games like Deuces Wild require a slightly different read because their structure differs. The minimum paying hand is three of a kind rather than a pair, and there are extra rows for the wild royal flush, five of a kind, and four deuces. Do not let the unfamiliar layout distract you: the single most important line is still four of a kind, because quads are extremely common when four wild cards are in the deck.
On a Deuces Wild machine, check the four-of-a-kind payout first. Full pay pays 5; the excellent Not So Ugly schedule pays 4 but compensates with 16 for five of a kind and 10 for the straight flush. A machine paying 4 for four of a kind without those elevated lines is a short-pay version returning far less. So for wild games the rule shifts — lead with the four-of-a-kind line, then confirm the five-of-a-kind and straight-flush lines — but the principle is the same: check the payouts on the hands you make most often.
Where to Find the Paytable on the Screen
On most machines the paytable is displayed prominently at the top of the screen during play, showing the payouts for your current coin level. If you do not see all the columns, look for a "pay table," "see pays," or "i" (information) button that opens the full grid, including how each hand scales from one to five coins. On multi-hand and newer touchscreen machines, the paytable may be one tap away rather than always visible.
Always view the paytable at the coin level you intend to bet, and specifically confirm the five-coin column, since that is where the royal flush bonus appears. Make this a habit before your first hand on any new machine: locate the paytable, read the key lines, confirm the max-coin royal, then play. The few seconds it takes are the highest-value seconds in the entire session.
Common Errors When Reading Paytables
Even with the routine in hand, players slip up in predictable ways. Being aware of these errors makes them easy to avoid:
- Judging by the jackpot. A big royal flush number is eye-catching but barely affects return because royals are so rare. The full house and flush (or four of a kind in wild games) matter far more.
- Trusting the game name. The name guarantees nothing. Two machines with the same name can have completely different paytables and returns.
- Skipping the re-check after switching machines. The machine next to a full-pay one can be short-pay. Read every machine individually.
- Forgetting the coin column. Reading the one-coin payouts and then betting five coins is fine, but you must confirm the five-coin royal jumps to 800 per coin to know max-coin play is rewarded.
Avoiding these four errors captures essentially all the practical value of paytable literacy and protects you from the most common ways players unknowingly accept a worse game.
Building the Habit
Like any skill, reading paytables becomes effortless with repetition. For your first several sessions, consciously run the full routine on every machine, even when you are confident. After a few dozen repetitions, recognizing a full-pay schedule becomes instant pattern recognition — you will glance at the full house and flush, see 9 and 6, and sit down without conscious effort. The goal is to make checking the paytable as automatic as checking the price before buying anything else. Once it is a reflex, you have permanently closed off the single most common and most costly mistake in video poker: unknowingly playing a short-pay machine.
Full-Pay Reference Values to Memorize
You do not need to memorize entire paytables — just the key full-pay values for the games you play. This short reference is enough to evaluate the vast majority of machines you will encounter.
| Game | Full-Pay Tell | RTP |
|---|---|---|
| Jacks or Better | FH 9 / Flush 6 | 99.54% |
| Bonus Poker | FH 8 / Flush 5 | 99.17% |
| Double Bonus | FH 10 / Flush 7 | 100.17% |
| Double Double Bonus | FH 9 / Flush 6 | 98.98%–100.07%* |
| Deuces Wild | Four of a Kind 5 | 100.76% |
| NSU Deuces | Four of a Kind 4, 5oaK 16, SF 10 | 99.73% |
*Double Double Bonus return depends on the exact schedule and the four-Aces-with-kicker payouts; check those lines too. Commit the values for your favorite two or three games to memory and you will recognize a good machine instantly, anywhere.
What to Do When Full Pay Is Not Available
Reading a paytable is only half the skill; the other half is deciding what to do with what you find. Often the full-pay version of your preferred game simply is not on offer. In that situation, do not default to playing a short-pay version out of habit or loyalty to a game name. Instead, survey the other machines and compare their actual returns. A full-pay version of a different family frequently beats a short-pay version of the game you came to play.
For example, if the only Jacks or Better machines are 8/5 (97.30%), but there is a full-pay 8/5 Bonus Poker (99.17%) nearby, the Bonus Poker is the far better bet despite being a "different" game. Reading paytables lets you make these cross-game comparisons on the spot. The goal is never to play a particular named game — it is to play the highest-returning machine available, whatever it happens to be called. This flexibility, grounded in paytable literacy, is what separates players who consistently get good returns from those who unknowingly accept whatever is in front of them.
Online vs Land-Based Paytables
The reading skill applies in both settings, with minor differences. In a land-based casino, the paytable is displayed on the physical machine, and you may need to look across the floor at several machines to compare. Better paytables are sometimes grouped in particular areas or denominations, so it pays to walk the floor before committing. In an online or app setting, the paytable is shown on screen, often accessible through a "pay table" or information button, and the same game title may be offered at multiple paytables depending on the stake.
In both cases the discipline is identical: locate the paytable, read the key lines, compare to the full-pay standard, confirm the max-coin royal, and judge on return. Whether you are standing on a casino floor or sitting at your computer, the ten-second routine protects you the same way. The medium changes; the skill does not. Master it once and it serves you everywhere you play video poker.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which paytable line should I check first?
In non-wild games, the full house and flush. In Deuces Wild, the four of a kind. These lines reveal whether the machine is full pay or short pay faster than any other.
Why do two machines with the same name pay differently?
Because the casino can install different paytables under the same game name. Only by reading the payouts can you tell full pay from short pay.
Do I need to memorize every paytable?
No. Memorize the full-pay key values for the few games you play. That is enough to evaluate any machine in seconds.
Bottom Line
Reading a paytable comes down to identifying the game family, checking the one or two tell lines against their full-pay values, confirming the 800-coin royal on max bet, and always comparing on return rather than name. Run this ten-second routine before every session and you will consistently play the best machine available.