Last updated: April 2026
Every term below is defined and then explained in the specific context of Pickem Poker. Generic definitions from other gambling glossaries often don't translate well to video poker — particularly for concepts like variance, expected value, and hit frequency, which have precise mathematical meanings that affect how you should actually play and plan sessions.
Core math and value terms
RTP (Return to Player)
RTP is the theoretical percentage of total money wagered that a game returns to players over an extremely large sample of hands. Full-pay Pickem Poker returns approximately 99.95% RTP under optimal play — meaning the game keeps $0.05 per $100 wagered as a long-run house edge. RTP is not a per-session promise. In a 300-hand session, actual results routinely deviate from expected by hundreds of dollars in either direction due to variance. RTP only becomes visible and reliable over tens of thousands of hands.
House Edge
House edge is the casino's long-run mathematical advantage expressed as a percentage of each wager. House Edge = 100% − RTP. At full-pay Pickem Poker (99.95% RTP), the house edge is 0.05% — $0.50 per $1,000 wagered. This is one of the lowest house edges in casino gaming. Reduced paytables raise the house edge: an 8/5 game at 97.75% RTP has a house edge of 2.25%, which is $22.50 per $1,000 wagered — 45× higher than full-pay.
Expected Value (EV)
Expected value is the average return of a decision over many repetitions. In Pickem Poker, EV is used to compare the two offered options — the correct pick is whichever has the higher expected return per unit bet. For example, a four-card Royal Flush draw has an EV of approximately 17–18 units per unit bet (including Royal and fallback completions). Three of a kind has an EV of approximately 3.4 units. The EV gap between them is why the Royal draw is Priority 1 and why taking the made hand is a significant error.
Variance
Variance describes how much individual results deviate from the expected average. High variance means results swing widely from session to session even when EV is positive. Pickem Poker has a standard deviation of approximately 5.5× the bet per hand — about 5× higher variance per hand than blackjack. This is driven by the rare but enormous Royal Flush payout (800-for-1) that contributes ~4–5% of long-run return in infrequent bursts. Most sessions you won't hit a Royal. The ones where you do create large positive swings. Normal variance, not luck.
Standard Deviation (SD)
Standard deviation is the statistical measure of how widely results spread around the expected value. For Pickem Poker, hand SD ≈ 5.5× bet. Session SD = Hand SD × √(number of hands). At $5.00/hand over 300 hands, session SD ≈ $476. This means 68% of sessions land within ±$476 of expected value — so a $400 loss and a $450 win are both completely normal outcomes on the same game with the same strategy. Session SD explains why "I'm running bad" is almost always normal variance, not evidence of a strategy problem.
Risk of Ruin (RoR)
Risk of ruin is the probability that a bankroll is completely depleted over a sustained period of play. In Pickem Poker, RoR depends on the ratio of bankroll to bet size (units). With 50 units ($250 at $5.00/hand), RoR is approximately 72% — you will very likely bust eventually. With 200 units ($1,000 at $5.00/hand), RoR drops to approximately 3%. This is the mathematical argument for denomination selection: same bankroll spread across smaller bets dramatically reduces ruin risk with no RTP cost.
Coin-In
Coin-in is the total amount wagered across a session — every bet placed, win or lose. At $5.00/hand over 300 hands, coin-in = $1,500. Coin-in matters because theoretical loss is calculated as coin-in × house edge, casino wagering requirements use coin-in (not net loss) as their basis, and session variance scales with coin-in volume. A player who wins $200 but wagered $1,500 has contributed $1,500 to any wagering requirement — an important distinction when evaluating bonus value.
Gameplay and hand terms
Full-Pay
Full-pay refers to the strongest available paytable for a specific video poker variant — the version that produces the highest theoretical RTP. For Pickem Poker, full-pay is the 9/6 table: Full House 9-for-1, Flush 6-for-1, producing ~99.95% RTP at max coins under optimal play. Any paytable below these values is a reduced-pay version. The full-pay designation is the benchmark all Pickem Poker sessions should be measured against.
9/6 Paytable
The shorthand name for Pickem Poker's full-pay table, referring to Full House paying 9-for-1 and Flush paying 6-for-1. These are the two most critical lines because they occur frequently enough that even a one-unit reduction significantly impacts RTP. A 9/6 game returns ~99.95%. An 8/5 game (Full House 8, Flush 5) returns ~97.75% — a 2.2% gap. Checking "9/6" before playing is the fastest single paytable verification step available.
Max Coins / Max Bet
Playing the maximum number of credits per hand — typically 5 coins in Pickem Poker. At max coins, the Royal Flush pays 4,000 credits (800-for-1) instead of the proportional 1,250 (250-for-1). This bonus adds approximately 3 percentage points of RTP. Sub-max-coin play voluntarily converts a ~99.95% RTP game into a ~97.0% game. The correct response to bankroll pressure is always to reduce denomination, never to reduce coins.
Hit Frequency
Hit frequency is the percentage of completed hands that produce any payout, regardless of size. Pickem Poker has a hit frequency of approximately 50–55%, meaning roughly half of all hands return something. This is higher than Jacks or Better (~45–47%) because Pickem Poker pays on pairs of 9s and 10s. Hit frequency should not be confused with profitability — a 50% hit rate mostly consists of 1-for-1 wins that net $0 on top of the bet. Premium hands drive actual return.
Priority Hierarchy
The ranked list of hand structures in order of expected value, used to determine which of the two offered options is correct in Pickem Poker. Priority 1 (Four-card Royal draw) always beats everything below it. The full hierarchy has eight tiers: Royal draw → SF draw → High Pair → Trips → Flush draw → Open Straight → Low Pair → Inside Straight. The hierarchy exists because EV calculations produce consistent relative rankings across standard paytables, making it unnecessary to calculate EV mid-hand.
Bankroll and risk terms
Session Bankroll
The amount of money allocated to a single playing session — distinct from your total gambling bankroll. For Pickem Poker, a balanced-risk session bankroll is approximately 100× the bet per hand. At $5.00/hand, session bankroll = $500. This covers approximately 85–87% of sessions within normal variance without running out of funds. The session bankroll is a pre-set limit, not a target — you stop when it's depleted, regardless of whether the session is "over."
Loss Limit
A pre-set amount at which a player stops a session regardless of results or emotional state. Setting a loss limit before playing — not during — is the single most effective session management tool because it removes the stopping decision from the point of maximum emotional pressure. A typical loss limit is 50–75% of session bankroll. At $500 session bankroll, a $250–$375 loss limit is the standard range. Honoring the loss limit is mandatory; adjusting it mid-session defeats the purpose.
Bankroll Units
The ratio of total bankroll to bet per hand, used to measure bankroll health independent of denomination. A $500 bankroll at $5.00/hand = 100 units. A $500 bankroll at $1.25/hand = 400 units. Risk of ruin drops dramatically as unit count increases. 50 units carries ~72% long-run ruin risk; 200 units carries ~3%. Bankroll units are the correct way to compare whether a given session setup is appropriately funded.
Casino and software terms
RTG (RealTime Gaming)
RealTime Gaming is the software provider whose platform hosts Pickem Poker. RTG-powered online casinos are the primary (and in most cases only) venue where Pickem Poker is available online. RTG games are certified by independent testing organisations (TST, GLI) that verify RNG randomness and payout accuracy. Not all RTG casinos configure the same paytable — they license the software but set their own payout tables, which is why paytable verification is necessary at every casino.
RNG (Random Number Generator)
The algorithm that simulates card dealing in online Pickem Poker. A certified RNG produces statistically random outputs — each deal is independent of previous deals, and the casino cannot manipulate outcomes for individual players. RTG's RNG is subject to regular third-party audits. Common player perceptions of non-randomness (hot streaks, cold machines, "due" hands) are normal statistical variance being misinterpreted, not RNG manipulation.
KYC (Know Your Customer)
Identity verification process required by licensed casinos before processing withdrawals. KYC typically requires government-issued photo ID, proof of address, and sometimes payment method verification. All licensed casinos are legally required to complete KYC before paying out. The practical advice: submit documents proactively before your first withdrawal request, not after. Post-win KYC requests are legitimate regulatory compliance, not a withdrawal delay tactic at reputable operators.
Wagering Requirement
The total amount a player must wager before bonus funds become withdrawable. A $500 bonus with 30× wagering requires $15,000 in qualifying wagers. For video poker players the critical detail is contribution rate — most casinos count video poker at 10–20% toward wagering requirements, meaning 30× effectively becomes 150–300× when playing Pickem Poker. At 10% contribution, clearing a $500 bonus requires $150,000 in video poker coin-in. This is why most Pickem Poker players should skip bonuses entirely and deposit without them.