Deal and draw
The player receives five cards, chooses any cards to hold, and replaces the rest from the remaining deck. The final five-card hand is paid according to the displayed table.
Standard machines model a 52-card deck and reshuffle between hands, but wild-card variants and special features change the deck or rankings.
Pay-table notation
A label such as 9/6 Jacks or Better refers to nine-for-one on a full house and six-for-one on a flush. Small changes to these frequent hands materially change return.
Bonus Poker families shift value toward four-of-a-kind categories and therefore require different holds.
Credit and royal treatment
Many games pay a disproportionately larger royal flush award when five credits are wagered. A one-credit royal may pay 250-for-one while five credits return 800 per credit.
The higher full-coin return does not justify a wager beyond the player’s budget. Choose a denomination where the qualifying amount is acceptable.
Theoretical return
Return is calculated by enumerating every initial hand, applying the optimal hold, and evaluating every possible draw. It assumes the player actually follows that strategy.
A published percentage is not a session promise and does not transfer to a different pay table.
Practical checklist
- Record every payout
- Check the royal by credits wagered
- Identify wild cards
- Use matching strategy
- Confirm denomination and feature rules
Rules, probabilities, and payouts apply only to the model stated on this page. Posted casino rules control when they differ. Last reviewed September 20, 2026.