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The exact video poker odds you'll be dealing with is heavily dependent upon the type of video poker game you're playing. With each unique video poker variant, there are different gaming odds as well as unique strategies and playing techniques you'll need to implement. Trying to list the odds for each variant of online video poker would take months due to the sheer number that's available. However, we can easily determine the odds of making various hands that you can apply to all variants. The majority of video poker games have similar hand rankings as those that are used in traditional poker playing. Therefore, an examination of hand ranking odds will allow you to understand the likelihood of getting different hands when playing any video poker variant.
| Hand Ranking Desired | Approximate Odds of Achieving Hand | Royal Flush: A hand consisting of Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and 10: the entire hand consists of the same suit.
Suits: Hearts, Spades, Diamonds, Clubs | 1:650,000 | Straight Flush: A hand consisting of five cards which have values that appear in sequential order: the entire hand consists of the same suit. Example: 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 or 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and Jack. | 1:72,200 | Four of a Kind: Within a five card hand, four of the cards are identical. For example, a hand with four of a kind might have Jack, Jack, Jack, Jack, and 8, or 3, 3, 3, 3, and 9. The four identical cards do not have to be of the same suit in order to qualify. | 1:4,200 | Full House: A five card hand which contains a pair as well as three of a kind. The cards within the hand do not have to be of the same suit. Example: 7, 7, 10, 10, and 10 or 5, 5, 5, 2, and 2, | 1:700 | Flush: A hand which consists of five cards with all five cards of the same suit. This hand does not have to be in sequential order in order to qualify. Example, 2, 7, 8, 10, and Ace, all of which are Hearts. | 1:500 | Straight: A five card hand which contains series of cards with values that appears in sequential order. With a regular straight, unlike the straight flush, the cards do not have to consist of the same suit. For example, a straight might consist of an Ace of Spades, King of Hearts, Queen of Hearts, Jack of Diamonds, and Ten of Clubs. | 1:254 | Three of a Kind: A five card hand which contains at least three cards which are identical. The cards can be of any value and do not have to consist of the same suit. For example: 5, 5, 5, 8, and Queen. | 4:50 | Two Pair: A five card hand consisting of two sets of distinct pairs. The pairs do not have to consist of the same suit to qualify. For instance, 10, 10, 8, 8, and 3. | 1:20 | A Pair: A five card hand consisting of a single pair. The pair does not have to consist of the same suit to qualify. For instance, Ace, Ace, 6, 9, and 2. | 1:1.5 | In addition to mastering the hand ranking information provided above, you can develop a further understanding of video poker odds if you understand a few common percentages associated with the game. First, you must remember that you have just over a seventy percent chance of being dealt a single pair at any given time. For higher hand rankings, percentages drop considerably. For two pair, you are looking at about a five percent chance. For hitting a three of a kind, your odds decline dramatically; three of a kind only shows up for two percent of all hands. This is why much higher payouts are associated with hands like the four of a kind, straights, the straight flush, and the royal flush. Finally, video poker odds will change significantly if one is playing a game that does not consist of a five card hand; fewer cards or more cards in a hand change video poker odds considerably. Keep this in mind when trying more exotic versions of online video poker. |
