Short Pay & Full Pay Machines, Progressive and Flat Top Video Poker
With the success of video poker machines, casinos are sure to use any advantage to give themselves an edge over their competition or to keep from falling behind. This can range from using short pay and full pay machines, progressive video poker, or even sticking with safe flat top games. Most use a combination of them all to maximize their chances. Whether you’re someone looking to bring in more revenue or just want to know more about your video poker chances, sit back and we’ll discuss each one in detail.
Short pay Video Poker machines are games that… come up short in payouts (as opposed to standard payout tables). They’re the equivalent of the uncle that always forgets his wallet at home and stiffs his friends at the bar. The payout will be less than standard or it’ll have less than a full payout table. You’ll see these machines near high traffic, non-casino areas. A good example is the machines near the airports in Las Vegas. Travelers are so excited to see a poker machine, that they’ll start playing not realizing the payouts are short.
Full pay machines are the opposite of short pay machines. Payouts are the best available and some even cross over into the positive payout range. This means, a player can enjoy an edge normally given to the house. As you can guess these are very rare. There is a misconception that full pay machines must have a positive player advantage. This isn’t true. Full pay machines can give a smart player an edge but there are plenty of full pay machines that still give the house a edge (although it’s usually a small one).
Progressive Video Poker machines have a jackpot that’s always growing. In other words, it’s progressively getting bigger. Winning the progressive jackpot in video poker usually means you need to make the maximum bet. Bet any less and you either don’t quality or you’ll get a small percentage of the jackpot if you hit the necessary combination. If that happens, you won’t be happy that you won 20% of the jackpot. Do yourself a favor – bet the max credits.
Flat Top machines are video poker machines without a progressive jackpot. Their jackpots don’t grow. They stay flat, hence the name “Flat Top”. This doesn’t mean they aren’t good bets. Just don’t expect life changing wins if you hit the jackpot. You may pay off the rent for a few months, but hey, that’s always a good thing too.
Have fun, and avoid the short pay machines!
