Progressive video poker offers benefits and challenges for players. One of the major challenges is determining the return at a specific level of the jackpot. This articles explores that aspects of the game.
Contents
- Overview of progressive video poker
- Returns of sample progressive games
- Analysis of tables
- Cautions
- Summary
1 – Overview of progressive video poker
In a progressive game, one or more lines of the pay table increases as the game is played. The most common pay line is the royal flush.
At reset value, the royal flush pays the same as a non-progressive – 4,000-for-5. As the game (or linked bank of games in a casino) is played, part of the amount bet goes towards increasing the amount paid when the jackpot is hit. Once a royal flush (or other progressive jackpot hand) is hit, the amount paid is returned to the reset value.
To finance the increasing progressive jackpot line(s), one or more other pay lines are reduced. Usually, the full house and flush pays are decreased by one each. This amounts to an overall decrease in return at reset value of about 2.5 percent.
The major benefit of progressive games is returns can become very high. While uncommon, the jackpot for a royal flush – normally set at 4,000-for-5 – has been known to get to more than triple that or 12,000-for-5.
One of the major challenges, however, is knowing the actual return of the game. Most serious players avoid progressives if the return is under 100%. But how can one know the jackpot required for a 100 percent return?
2 – Returns of sample progressive games
This section list a few of the more popular progressive video poker casino games and shows the average returns at various progressive jackpot levels.
Explanation of table information:
- Each table starts at the reset value of 4,000 and increases by 1,000 until the 100% return mark (which is included as a separate line). From there, jackpot values are increased by 500 until 12,000 is reached. This is three times the reset value.
- The base return is a typical return, but the pay tables of progressives vary significantly between and even within casinos.
- The Royal Flush (RF) jackpot is in credits paid for five credits bet.
- Return percent is the average return at the listed RF Jackpot.
- Change is the change (increase) in the return from the previous level (except for the 100% return level – yellow).
- The variance is listed for the reset value, the 100% level and three times the reset value.
Progressive Video Poker Returns for 8/5 Jacks or Better
| RF Jackpot | Return % | Change | Variance |
|---|---|---|---|
|
4,000 |
97.30 | 19.32 | |
|
5,000 |
97.80 | 0.50% | |
|
6,000 |
98.38 | 0.58% | |
|
7,000 |
98.98 | 0.60% | |
|
8,000 |
99.59 | 0.61% | |
|
8,700 |
100.02 | 96.27 | |
|
9,500 |
100.51 | 0.31% | |
|
10,000 |
100.82 | 0.31% | |
|
10,500 |
101.13 | 0.31% | |
|
11,000 |
101.45 | 0.32% | |
|
11,500 |
101.78 | 0.31% | |
|
12,000 |
102.07 | 0.31% | 184.34 |
Progressive Video Poker Returns for 7/5 Bonus Poker
|
RF Jackpot |
Return % | Change | Variance |
|---|---|---|---|
|
4,000 |
98.01 | 20.75 | |
| 5,000 | 98.53 | 0.52% | |
| 6,000 | 99.09 | 0.56% | |
| 7,000 | 99.68 | 0.59% | |
|
7,550 |
100.02 | 74.09 | |
| 8,000 | 100.29 | 0.61% | |
| 8,500 | 100.60 | 0.31% | |
| 9,000 | 100.90 | 0.30% | |
| 9,500 | 101.21 | 0.31% | |
|
10,000 |
101.52 | 0.31% | |
| 10,500 | 101.84 | 0.32% | |
| 11,000 | 102.15 | 0.31% | |
|
11,500 |
102.46 | 0.31% | |
| 12,000 | 102.78 | 0.32% | 186.19 |
Progressive Video Poker Returns for 9/6 Double Bonus Poker
| RF Jackpot | Return % | Change | Variance |
|---|---|---|---|
|
4,000 |
97.81 | 30.78 | |
|
5,000 |
98.34 | 0.53% | |
|
6,000 |
98.90 | 0.56% | |
|
7,000 |
99.49 | 0.59% | |
|
7,850 |
100.00 | 89.73 | |
|
8,500 |
100.40 | 0.31% | |
|
9,000 |
100.70 | 0.30% | |
|
9,500 |
101.01 | 0.31% | |
|
10,000 |
101.32 | 0.31% | |
|
10,500 |
101.62 | 0.30% | |
|
11,000 |
101.93 | 0.31% | |
|
11,500 |
102.25 | 0.32% | |
|
12,000 |
102.56 | 0.31% | 194.95 |
Progressive Video Poker Returns for 8/6 Dbl-Dbl Bonus Poker
|
RF Jackpot |
Return % | Change | Variance |
|---|---|---|---|
|
4,000 |
97.89 | 41.85 | |
| 5,000 | 98.43 | 0.54% | |
| 6,000 | 99.01 | 0.58% | |
|
7,000 |
99.59 | 0.58% | |
| 7,700 | 100.01 | 98.30 | |
| 8,000 | 100.19 | 0.60% | |
|
8,500 |
100.50 | 0.31% | |
| 9,000 | 100.81 | 0.31% | |
| 9,500 | 101.13 | 0.32% | |
|
10,000 |
101.44 | 0.31% | |
| 10,500 | 101.75 | 0.31% | |
| 11,000 | 102.07 | 0.32% | |
|
11,500 |
102.38 | 0.31% | |
| 12,000 | 102.70 | 0.32% | 207.91 |
Progressive Video Poker Returns-Deuces Wild 25/15/11/4/3/3/2/1
|
RF Jackpot |
Return % | Change | Variance |
|---|---|---|---|
|
4,000 |
97.39 | 25.36 | |
|
5,000 |
97.86 | 0.47% | |
| 6,000 | 98.36 | 0.50% | |
| 7,000 | 98.87 | 0.51% | |
|
8,000 |
99.40 | 0.53% | |
| 9,000 | 99.93 | 0.53% | |
|
9,150 |
100.01 | 99.19 | |
|
9,500 |
100.19 | 0.26% | |
| 10,000 | 100.46 | 0.27% | |
|
10,500 |
100.72 | 0.26% | |
| 11,000 | 100.99 | 0.27% | |
| 11,500 | 101.25 | 0.26% | |
|
12,000 |
101.52 | 0.27% | 163.43 |
3 – Analysis of tables
There are several similarities in all the tables.
In all non-wild card games:
The 100% return point is reached between 7,500 and 8,700 credits. The difference is caused by the reset value return. The lower returns have a higher 100% level than the higher reset value returns.
There is a roughly 0.3% increase in return for each 500-credit increase in royal flush jackpot
In the Deuces Wild game:
The 100% return level is reached at just over 9,000 credits in the royal flush jackpot.
In the Deuces Wild game, the increase is approximately 0.26% for each 500-credit increase in the royal flush jackpot.
To determine the approximate point where the game returns 100% return, the return of the reset-value game must be known. This information is available online for most games and pay tables.
Once you have that, simply subtract the reset-value return percentage from 100 and divide that by 0.60 (the percent increase per 1,000-credit increase in the jackpot). This is the approximate thousands to add to 4,000 to get the 100% return jackpot value.
- Ex: for the 8/5 Jacks or Better game, the reset-value return is 97.30. 100 – 97.30 = 2.70. Divide this by 0.60 = 4.5. 4,000 + 4,500 = 8,500. This is approximate – but close.
From that point, (or from any point where the return is known) each increase of 500 raises the return by approximately 0.3 percent.
4 – Cautions
Playing a progressive game is different from playing a standard game. Please go here for more detailed information: Best Video Poker Games to Play | Ultimate Guide to Video Poker.
The major points in that link are:
- The variance increases as the royal flush jackpot increases. This means bankroll requirement are higher.
- Many others will be playing for the same high jackpot. If there are five or seven or nine other players going after the same target, chances are against you being the victor.
- The return percentages are based on optimal play, meaning the playing strategy changes as the royal flush jackpot increases. Changing strategy on the fly is difficult to do accurately.
One final caution, when you see a seemingly high royal flush jackpot, make sure the total credits required to get that jackpot is five. I have seen many progressive games with great looking jackpots that require 10 credits to trigger the royal flush jackpot.
Observation is a key to successful video poker play.
5 – Summary
- The 100% return point of a progressive game can be estimated.
- The total return of a progressive game can also be estimated.
- There are other things beside the return to consider when playing a progressive game with a high jackpot value: other players, variance, bankroll requirements, and strategy changes are a few.
