9/6 vs 8/5 Jacks or Better

As a video poker player, you may have noticed that Jacks or Better machines come in different pay table versions. The most common are the 9/6 version and the less lucrative 8/5 version. But what's the difference and why does it matter? Let's break down the 9/6 vs. 8/5 Jacks or Better comparison to figure out which video poker version is better for your wallet.

Reading the Pay Table

When a Jacks or Better machine is labeled as 9/6 or 8/5, it refers to the payout for a full house and flush, respectively, when paid off per coin bet.

In the 9/6 pay table, full house pays 9 coins and flush pays 6 coins. The 8/5 version cuts the full house to 8 coins and the flush to 5 coins per coin bet. With optimal play, 9/6 returns 99.54% while 8/5 returns only 97.30%, which is a 2.24 percentage point difference.

When comparing the two versions, it's clear that the 9/6 version offers higher payouts for both full house and flush hands. This may not seem like a big difference, but it can actually make a significant impact on the overall return percentage of the game.

The pay table also lists the payouts for other winning hands, such as one pair through four-of-a-kind, as well as the return for a royal flush, which is the highest paying hand in the game. In the standard Jacks or Better pay schedule, the royal flush pays 250 coins per coin bet with one to four coins, but 4,000 coins at the maximum bet of five coins.

So, when choosing a Jacks or Better machine to play, it's important to check the pay table before sitting down and see which version you are dealing with.

Why the Royal Flush Matters

While the difference in payouts for full houses and flushes may seem small, they can add up over the long run. The top payout matters for a different reason.

On five coins played, the royal flush pays 4,000 coins on an 8/5 machine, the same as a 9/6 machine.

This big jump only comes into play if you're playing the maximum five-coin bet, which video poker experts generally recommend.

Play optimally, and you will land a royal flush roughly 1 in 40,000 hands, or 0.0025% of the time. With five coins in, that royal pays 4,000 coins instead of the 1,250 it would pay at the one-to-four-coin rate.

What the Return Gap Means in Practice

Let's take a look at how the 2.24 percentage point difference in return between the 9/6 and 8/5 versions of Jacks or Better can impact your bottom line.

Assume you play $1.25 per hand and play 600 hands per hour. At this rate, you would wager $750 per hour.

With the full-pay 9/6 version, which has a 99.54% return, you would expect to lose 0.46% of your wager per hour. That's a loss of $3.45 per hour.

On the other hand, with the 8/5 version, which has a 97.30% return, you would expect to lose 2.7% of your wager per hour. That's a loss of $20.25 per hour.

So, by choosing the 9/6 version over the 8/5 version, you would be saving yourself $16.80 per hour; the 8/5 game costs almost six times as much.

Over the course of a two-hour session, that's a difference of $33.60. And over a 10-hour session, that's a difference of $168.00.

As you can see, the return gap between the 9/6 and 8/5 versions of Jacks or Better can add up to a significant amount of money over the long run.

How to Choose a Machine

When it comes to choosing a Jacks or Better machine to play, it's important to always check the pay table before sitting down. 9/6 tables are the best. You should prefer a 9/6 table if you can.

Remember that the gap between 99.54% and 97.30% is invisible until you read the pay table.

To find the return for an 8/5 Jacks or Better version, look at the payouts for the full house and flush. If those payouts are 8 and 5 coins per coin bet, then it's an 8/5 version. An 8/6 has payouts of 8 coins and 6 coins, which offers about a 1 percentage point better return than 8/5.

So, when searching for a Jacks or Better machine to play, always look for the 9/6 version first. If you can't find that, look for the 8/6 version. And avoid the 8/5 version if possible, as it offers a significantly lower return.

What to Avoid

One common mistake that many video poker players make is assuming that all Jacks or Better machines are created equal. However, this is not the case.

Just because a machine is labeled as Jacks or Better does not mean it offers the same return as another Jacks or Better machine. The pay table is what determines the return percentage of the game, so it's crucial to always check it before playing.

At the same time, remember that with one to four coins the royal flush pays only 250 coins per coin.

You get 4,000 coins only with the maximum bet of five coins.

Don't choose a machine by how many coins you want to play. Play five coins on a 9/6 Jacks or Better game for the best return.

The pay table is the one factor you control, so inspect it before every session, whether on a casino floor or in an online game's help screen.