No two video poker games are alike. Each has a unique variance that increases the swings. Popular video poker games are listed below, ranked by variance from lowest to highest.
The variance shown in each section applies to the best paytable available in Las Vegas. Lower paytables typically have slightly higher variance because they include more draws at larger hands that are unaffected by the lower paytable. The higher the number, the more volatile the game is.
Players looking for smaller swings should play games at the top, while those who prefer massive swings will enjoy Triple Double Bonus Poker. Progressive meters will affect variance. These numbers were compiled with the help of Wizard of Odds.
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Jacks or Better – 19.51
Jacks or Better is the original video poker game that others without wild cards use as the base. It has the simplest strategy to learn and offers the lowest variance of any other game.
Aces and Faces – 20.8
Aces and Faces is like Bonus Poker. It has bonus payouts for four jacks, queens, kings, and aces. The full house and flush are dropped by one coin each compared to Jacks or Better. Its variance is slightly lower than Bonus Poker, while its return is slightly better when comparing the same payouts on a full house and flush.
Bonus Poker – 20.9
Bonus Poker is more common than Aces and Faces. It is based on the same concept. The full house and flush are lowered a notch to make up for bonus payouts on quad aces, deuces, threes, and fours.
Deuces Wild – 25.78
Deuces Wild has the lowest variance of all video poker games with a wild card. Its low variance can be attributed to the low frequency of royal flushes. This variance is based on the 16/10 Not So Ugly Ducks paytable.
Joker Poker – 26.25
Joker Poker is another wild card game with low variance. This number applies to the full-pay game at Plaza, which is kings or better. The two pair or better version found on the East Coast has a 31.32 variance for the full-pay game.
Double Bonus Poker – 28.26
Double Bonus Poker is the video poker game with the lowest variance that only pays one coin back on two pair. Its seven-coin payout on a flush and five on a straight helps keep the variance lower. All quads pay at least double when compared to Jacks or Better. Bonuses are awarded for four aces, twos, threes, and fours.
Double Aces and Faces – 28.54
Double Aces and Faces is like Double Bonus Poker. The difference is that instead of bonuses on quad twos, threes, and fours, Double Aces and Faces pays extra on four jacks, queens, and kings.
Bonus Poker Deluxe – 32.13
Bonus Poker Deluxe only pays the bet back on two pair. This is done to make all four of a kind hands pay 80 coins for each one wagered.
Bonus Deuces Wild – 32.66
Bonus Deuces Wild adds some variance from the original game through bonus payouts on five of a kind. Extra boosts are given on five aces, threes, fours, and fives. Four deuces pays double when the kicker is an ace.
Super Double Bonus – 37.95
Super Double Bonus is a step above standard Double Bonus Poker. It offers bonus payouts on four aces, twos, threes, fours, jacks, queens, and kings.
Double Double Bonus Poker – 42.18
Double Double Bonus Poker has the lowest variance of all video poker games where kickers play. In addition to double payouts of quad fives to kings, and boosts on aces, twos, threes, and fours, special quads pay double if an ace, two, three, or four is the kicker.
Double Double Aces and Faces – 42.19
Double Double Aces and Faces is similar to Double Double Bonus, except that the bonus quads consist of jacks, queens, kings, and aces. These are also the bonus kickers.
White Hot Aces – 43.73
White Hot Aces is like Double Bonus, except quad aces, twos, threes, and fours pay more. Kickers are not relevant in White Hot Aces. Quad aces pay 240, while twos, threes, and fours return 120. A straight flush pays 80.
Triple Bonus Plus – 44.28
When you see a video poker machine with a sign saying “Up to 99.8%,” Triple Bonus Plus is the 99.8% game. It is like White Hot Aces, except the straight flush pays 100.
Triple Bonus – 44.93
Triple Bonus is like White Hot Aces and Triple Bonus Plus. The differences are that the flush pays 7, full house pays 11, the lowest winning hand is kings or better, and the straight flush pays the standard 50.
Deuces and Joker Wild – 45.59
Plaza deals the full-pay version of Deuces and Joker Wild on older Game King cabinets. As the name implies, it has five wild cards. Hitting all five in a hand pays 2000 coins for every one bet, which is 2.5 times higher than a natural royal flush.
Super Double Double Bonus – 50.91
Super Double Double Bonus is like Super Double Bonus, except that kickers double payouts. Low quads must have an ace, two, three, or four kicker for the double payout. Four jacks, queens, and kings require an ace, jack, queen, or king as the kicker.
Double Deuces Wild – 50.99
Double Deuces Wild shorts some lower payouts to double the return on four deuces. The full-pay version of the game is available on coin machines at El Cortez and Skyline.
Shockwave – 56.76
Shockwave has poor payouts on full houses and flushes. This covers the Shockwave bonus round, which happens after a player makes four of a kind. If the player hits quads again in the next 10 hands, the payout is equal to a royal flush.
Super Aces – 63.36
Super Aces pays double on quad fives to kings when compared to Jacks or Better. Four deuces, threes, and fours receive 80 coins. All quad aces get paid 400 coins, which is the equivalent of four aces with a kicker in Double Double Bonus.
Loose Deuces – 70.7
Looses Deuces pays more than double the standard payout for four deuces when compared to the standard game. Lower parts of the paytable return less to cover this.
Triple Double Bonus Poker – 98.29
Triple Double Bonus Poker has the highest variance of all common video poker games. That is because not only does two pair pay one coin, three of a kind only pays two. Special quads with kickers have a huge payout. Four deuces, threes, and fours pay 400 coins, which is what four aces with an ace, two, three, or four kicker pays in Double Double Bonus Poker. Four aces with one of these kickers pays 800 coins, which is equal to the royal flush payout.