If you walk through any casino, past the flashing modern video slots, you will inevitably find rows of old, blocky Video Poker machines.

Because you can see the cards and know a standard 52-card deck is being used, you can mathematically calculate the exact probability of every draw.
Understanding the Paytable: Jacks or Better
Before you ever insert a single dollar, you must intensely study the brightly lit paytable printed directly on the glass of the machine.

Smart players exclusively hunt for a specific paytable known in the industry as "9/6 Jacks or Better."
Always check the payout for a Full House and a Flush before sitting downA "9/6" machine (9 for Full House, 6 for Flush) is the gold standard for playersAn "8/5" machine significantly increases the house edge and should be avoided entirely Why You Must Always Bet Max Coins
Almost every machine accepts between 1 and 5 coins per hand, and the payouts for most hands scale linearly based on your bet.

If you bet 1 coin, a Royal Flush might pay a disappointing 250 coins.
Playing Like a Video Poker Robot
Once you find a 9/6 machine and bet max coins, the final step is flawlessly executing the mathematical basic strategy for every single hand.

You can legally print a strategy card from the internet and hold it right in front of the machine while you play in the casino.
Hand DealtCorrect Mathematical Action (Jacks or Better)4-Card Royal vs. High PairBreak the pair, hold the 4-Card RoyalLow Pair vs. 4-Card FlushHold the Low Pair, discard the rest
By finding the correct paytable, betting the absolute maximum, and playing flawlessly like a robot, you can nearly eliminate the house edge.