A fun game that’s a staple of the best poker sites, video poker combines the best of poker and slots into a single package. The aim of the game is much like that of poker, which is of course forming the best hand using your 5 cards. As in poker these hands are ranked, with the Royal Flush being the top and, as such, the highest paying hand. Ever wondered what your odds of getting this most desirable of hands are? That’s what we’re here to investigate, so join us as we figure out what are the odds of hitting a royal flush while playing your favourite video poker title.
What is Video Poker?
Video poker is, in a few words, a pairing of poker and slots. This is an electronic game where you are dealt 5 random cards with which to form any of the hands available in poker. Once you get your cards you can decide which to hold and which to fold, after which you’ll get new cards replacing those you’ve folded. It’s a lot like 5-card draw poker, only played solo against the machine.
Here are the basic facts to keep in mind while playing video poker:
- The game uses a standard 52-card deck.
- A Random Number Generator (RNG) shuffles the virtual deck and draws 5 random cards for your hand.
- You can discard any cards to potentially improve your hand.
- The discarded cards are not added to the deck.
- Once your hand is finished and scored the virtual deck is reshuffled for the next round.
The Hand in Video Poker
We’ve mentioned how video poker has the same hands as regular poker. In case you need a refresher, these are what they are and how they, as a rule, score based on the paytable of the ever-popular Jacks or Better:
|
Video Poker Hand |
Payout (per 1 coin bet) |
How it is formed |
|
Royal Flush |
250 (or 800) |
An ace-high flush consisting of an Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and 10 of the same suit. |
|
Straight Flush |
50 |
Five consecutive cards of the same suit (not royal) |
|
Four of a Kind |
25 |
Four cards of the same rank |
|
Full House |
9 |
Three cards + Pair |
|
Flush |
6 |
Five cards of the same suit, not consecutive |
|
Straight |
4 |
Five consecutive cards of mixed suits |
|
Three of a Kind |
3 |
Three cards of the same suit |
|
Two Pair |
2 |
Two separate pairs |
|
Jacks or Better |
1 |
Single pair of Jacks, Kings, Queens, or Aces |
Note that a Royal Flush will only pay 800 coins if you make the maximum bet of 5 coins. If you’re playing with less than 5 coins then the payout is 250 coins per coin staked.
What are the Odds of Getting a Royal Flush?
What are the Odds of Getting a Royal Flush
As seen above, a royal flush consists of five specific cards - an Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and 10 - all in the same suit (spades, clubs, hearts, or diamonds). As you might imagine the odds of getting such a combination are staggeringly high, especially at first draw. In fact, let’s take a look at the actual numbers! Did you know that a standard 52-card deck allows for a total of 2,598,960 different 5-card combinations? Of these, there are 4 royal flush hands, one for each suit.
Your Chances of Getting a Royal Flush on First Draw
With this in mind, 4 royal flush hands in a total of 2,598,960 hands means your chances of getting a royal flush at first draw are 1 in 649,740 (4 divided by 2,598,960) or, if you prefer your chances in percentages, 0.00015%. Do you feel lucky enough to face such chances? Probably not even if, as they say, never say never. But speaking of never, don’t forget that you can discard your cards when playing video poker, which is where things get a bit more interesting.
Your Chances After Discarding Your Entire Hand
The cards you discard when folding are not added to the deck, meaning the draw will involve less cards. This means less potential hand combinations, so your chances increase somewhat to 1 in 383,484. This still makes getting a royal flush rather unlikely, but it’s a bit more possible compared to the first draw.
Your Chances if You Have Four Cards to the Royal Flush
Let’s say you got a hand that’s nearly brilliant - an Ace, Queen, Jack, 10 and a 9, all in spades. If only discarding that 9 would automatically get you that King of spades! So, what are your actual chances here? The deck consists of 52 cards, 5 of which are currently in your hand. This makes 47 cards remaining and, as such, your chances of drawing your required card are 1 in 47.
Three Cards to the Royal Flush
Your chances get more unlikely if you need 2 cards to form a royal flush. This is because while getting the 1 required card comes with odds of 1 to 47, the chances of getting the exact two cards you need are 1 to 1,081. Blame it on how probability works, since 1,081 is the number of 2-card combinations that can be drawn from a 47-card deck.
Two Cards to the Royal Flush
This is where, of course, things get even more difficult. You need the specific combination of 3 cards to be drawn from the 47-card deck after all! In this case the number of combinations totals 16,215, which is where it all starts getting pretty high in our book.
One Card to the Royal Flush
What if you got exactly one high card in your first draw and want to take a chance at getting a royal flush? This can happen, but do take a look at these odds - 1 in 178,365. Good luck!
Key Video Poker Strategies
Key Video Poker Strategies
Want to take your shot at getting that elusive royal flush? Then you can do worse than following these tips:
- Decide on how much you want to stake per game. Video poker is played with coins, with the player deciding how much each coin is worth. Note that the biggest prize for a royal flush is only awarded when playing with the maximum of 5 coins.
- Considering this coin system, it’s best to play video poker with a fixed bankroll. This way you can easily calculate how many sessions you want to play at how much of a total stake. For instance, if you’re playing at £0.10 per coin then betting the maximum of 5 coins will cost you £0.50 per round.
- Know your limits! Play at lower stakes if you want to play for longer. In addition, never chase your losses. Remember how video poker is a game of pure chance, with no such thing as hot or cold streaks.
Will You Take Your Chance at a Royal Flush?
Getting a royal flush is pretty rare, which is what makes it so exhilarating. It is part of what makes video poker, this unlikely mix of slots and poker, such a special game! While it looks simple, video poker has its strategies, although of course you can always simply play a few hands and enjoy the experience. So always remember to play video poker responsibly, even as you hope that the cards may land just right.
