Last updated: April 2026
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The paytable is the first thing to look at when evaluating any Pickem Poker machine. Strategy helps you capture the game's value, bankroll planning helps you survive variance, and casino selection determines your operator — but none of those matter if you're playing a version of the game where the payout structure has been quietly degraded. The paytable determines the ceiling. Everything else determines how close to it you play.
The full-pay Pickem Poker paytable
The full-pay version of Pickem Poker — the strongest available — produces approximately 99.95% RTP under optimal play. This is the paytable to look for:
| Hand | 1 Coin | 2 Coins | 3 Coins | 4 Coins | 5 Coins (max) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 250 | 500 | 750 | 1,000 | 4,000 ★ |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| Four of a Kind | 25 | 50 | 75 | 100 | 125 |
| Full House | 9 | 18 | 27 | 36 | 45 |
| Flush | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 | 30 |
| Straight | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 |
| Two Pair | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 9s or 10s (pair) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
★ The 4,000-coin Royal Flush at max coins is the key line. At 1–4 coins, Royal Flush pays at 250-for-1. At 5 coins, it pays at 800-for-1. This is the max-coin bonus that drives approximately 3% of additional RTP for max-coin players versus sub-max-coin players.
What makes Pickem Poker's paytable unique
Compared to Jacks or Better and most standard video poker games, Pickem Poker has two structural differences that affect how the paytable works in practice:
It pays on 9s and 10s. Unlike Jacks or Better where you need at least a pair of Jacks to receive a payout, Pickem Poker pays 1-for-1 on pairs of 9s and 10s as well. This increases hit frequency — more hands return something. It also changes how you evaluate low pairs in strategy decisions, since a pair of 9s or 10s already qualifies for a payout rather than needing to improve.
It uses a single-decision format. Because you only make one decision per hand (choosing between two offered two-card pairs), the paytable's mid-tier values — Full House, Flush, Straight — have a stronger influence on strategy than they do in multi-decision games. You're choosing between paths to different hand types, so the relative payouts between those hand types directly shapes which path is mathematically superior.
Side-by-side: strong vs weak paytables
Here are the most common Pickem Poker paytable variants, compared side by side. The key lines to watch are Full House, Flush, and Straight — they hit frequently enough to drive meaningful differences in long-run return.
| Hand | Full-pay (9/6/4) | Strong (8/6/4) | Reduced (8/5/4) | Weak (7/5/4) | Avoid (6/5/4) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush (max) | 4,000 | 4,000 | 4,000 | 4,000 | 4,000 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| Four of a Kind | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| Full House | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 |
| Flush | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Straight | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Two Pair | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 9s or 10s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Approximate RTP | ~99.95% | ~98.85% | ~97.75% | ~96.65% | ~95.55% |
The full-pay and strong versions are separated by only one unit on the Full House line, but that costs 1.1% in RTP over the long run. The difference between full-pay (99.95%) and the version to avoid (95.55%) is over 4 percentage points — the difference between playing one of the best available games and playing something worse than European roulette.
Line-by-line impact analysis
Not all payout lines are equally important. Here's how to think about each one when evaluating a paytable:
| Hand | Approximate frequency | Full-pay value | RTP cost per 1-unit reduction | Priority to check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full House | ~1 in 90 hands | 9-for-1 | ~−1.1% | 🔴 Check first |
| Flush | ~1 in 70 hands | 6-for-1 | ~−1.1% | 🔴 Check first |
| Straight | ~1 in 60 hands | 4-for-1 | ~−0.8% | 🟡 Check second |
| Four of a Kind | ~1 in 450 hands | 25-for-1 | ~−0.5% per 5-unit reduction | 🟡 Check second |
| Royal Flush (max) | ~1 in 15,000–20,000 hands | 800-for-1 | ~−3% vs non-max-coin Royal | 🔴 Critical for max-coin decision |
| Straight Flush | ~1 in 1,000 hands | 50-for-1 | ~−0.2% per 10-unit reduction | 🟢 Strategy-sensitive, less RTP-critical |
| Three of a Kind / Two Pair / Pair | High frequency | 3 / 2 / 1-for-1 | Rarely varied in practice | Verify but rarely changed |
The practical reading: glance at the Full House and Flush lines immediately when you open a game. If Full House is 8 or below, you're playing a reduced-pay game. If Flush is 5 or below, the game has been further weakened. Both lines at full strength (9 and 6) is your green light to play.
How the paytable shifts strategy
For most decisions, the strategy hierarchy holds regardless of paytable strength. Royal draws are still Priority 1. High pairs still beat flush draws. But two specific matchups are genuinely paytable-sensitive:
Straight Flush draw vs Three of a Kind: On a full-pay table (SF pays 50-for-1), the four-card SF draw edges ahead. On a reduced table (SF pays 40-for-1 or less), three of a kind can pull ahead. If you can't confirm the SF payout, the safe default is to check the paytable before this specific decision arises.
Four-card Flush draw vs Open-ended Straight: On a full-pay table (flush pays 6-for-1), the flush draw wins this comparison. On a reduced table (flush pays 5-for-1), the open straight can pull ahead. This is the most common paytable-sensitive decision in actual play because flush draws appear frequently.
All other priorities in the hierarchy are paytable-stable under normal variance. The Royal draw beats everything. High pairs beat flush draws. Low pairs beat gutshots. Those relationships don't flip under normal paytable ranges.
What to check before sitting down
Before your first hand at any Pickem Poker machine or online game, run through this quick check:
If the Full House is 9 and the Flush is 6, you're on a full-pay table. Play it. If either is reduced, calculate whether the RTP is still worth your time based on the comparison table above. If both are at 8 and 5 or worse, consider whether a different game or casino is a better use of your session bankroll.
For guidance on which online casinos currently offer full-pay or near-full-pay Pickem Poker, see the online casino comparison page.
Frequently asked questions
Can I tell the paytable strength just by looking at one line?
The best single indicator is the Full House payout. If it shows 9-for-1, you're likely on a strong table. If it shows 7-for-1 or lower, the game has been significantly weakened. Always check the Flush line as a second confirmation — 6-for-1 alongside 9-for-1 Full House is the full-pay combination.
Does the strategy chart still work on a reduced paytable?
For most decisions, yes. The priority hierarchy is robust across normal paytable variation for Priorities 1–4 (Royal draw, SF draw, high pair, three of a kind). The two paytable-sensitive spots are the SF draw vs trips matchup and the flush draw vs open straight matchup. Check your specific paytable if these situations arise in a reduced-pay game.
Is the 9/6 Pickem Poker table harder to find online?
Full-pay Pickem Poker isn't universally available, but it's offered by some RTG-powered online casinos. It's more commonly found online than at land-based casinos, where Pickem Poker is relatively rare. The casino comparison page focuses specifically on finding operators that offer the strongest available paytables.
Does the paytable affect variance as well as RTP?
Yes. Stronger mid-tier payouts (higher Full House and Flush values) slightly reduce variance by increasing the return on moderately frequent hands. Reduced mid-tier payouts concentrate more of the game's return in premium hands, which hits less often, increasing session-to-session swing. A 6/5 game doesn't just have lower expected return — it also has more volatile short-term results, making bankroll planning more challenging.