If one is asked how he would go about choosing a video poker variant from the numerous that are available at online casinos, the most likely reply would be to go for the variant that offers the highest average percentage return. The logic of that reasoning cannot be disputed. However the issue is not as simple as it seems.

Calculating the average percentage return of a video poker game is not that simple. As a first step the payout for each and every combination in the payout table has to be calculated. For this the probability of that combination occurring and the payout for that combination are both needed. The payout is available in the payout table. The probability has to be obtained from some reliable source. The average online casino player would not be that well-versed in mathematics to be able to determine the probability himself. Then the payouts for the various combinations have to be added to obtain the average percentage return.

Average percentage returns for the more common variants of video poker would be available on the Internet. However these cannot be blindly used. These returns assume a particular payout table. If the payout offered by a variant at any online casino differs for even one combination then the calculation can change. Let us say that a player has done the due diligence and carefully obtained the average payout returns for a number of video poker variants. The results that he is likely to have obtained are summarized below. These are based on the actual payouts offered by a leading online gaming software provider. Jacks or Better offers the highest return of 99.5%. Bonus Poker is second with a return of 99.2%. Double Bonus Poker and Tens or Better follow with 99.1%. Aces and Eights has an average percentage return of 98.7%. All American and Deuces and Joker bring up the rear with 98.5%.

Obviously the best game is Jacks or Better. But what does this mean in practical terms. If a player starts with a bankroll of $100 and makes the correct decisions all the time then he can expect to end up with $99.5 while playing Jacks or Better. Under the same conditions he would expect to end up with $98.5 while playing Deuces and Joker. Hence he is better of by only $1 when playing Jacks or Better in preference to Deuces and Joker. $1 is neither here nor there. A significant difference would be perhaps $100 per month. If a player can save $100 a month by choosing the video poker variant correctly then it would be worth the trouble. But in order to save $100 a month the player would have to wager $10,000 a month. That is an extremely steep amount and only a small percentage of online casino players would be in that level. For those players it definitely makes sense to work out the average payout returns accurately and choose the best possible game.

Perhaps a representative amount that most players wager in a month would be around $1,000. They would save $10 a month by choosing the correct video poker game. For such players this exercise is really not worth the trouble. There is a very specific reason for this. Though Jacks or Better offers the highest average percentage return it is also one of the most boring video poker variants. There are no wildcards and the payout combinations are extremely unimaginative. Even if players have to shell out $10 a month for having more fun playing other variants of video poker it is worth it.