I sent a note to video poker author John Grochowski asking him for the definition of "full pay" video poker and he was kind enough to respond. His email to me follows. Please note his use of the term "super full pay" which I have never seen or heard before:

Hi Alan,

"Full-pay" is designation given by players, so there's nothing official about it. But what is meant by the term is the highest-paying, commonly available --- or once commonly available --- version of a video poker game. Usually, it's the original pay table on a game. Players refer to 9-6 Double Double Bonus Poker as full pay because it was the first version of the game marketed by IGT, and it's a high-payer at 98.98 percent return with expert play. There's a higher-paying version, 10-6 Double Double Bonus where full houses pay 10-for-1 instead of 9-for-1, but it's fairly rare, used only in casinos that want to appeal to serious video poker fans. Players refer to such games as "super full-pay" games.

Some full-pay games are no longer commonly available. The original pay table on Deuces Wild yielded 100.8 percent with expert play. There used to be hundreds of such machines in Las Vegas. Now there are only a few dozen, if that, and the game is not available in most of the country. Still, that game holds its "full-pay" nickname among players. and Deuces games with alternate pay tables have other nicknames, such as the Not So Ugly Deuces game that is the most commonly available high-payer in today's casinos.

Good luck,

John