Do Pay Tables really matter when it comes to picking a video poker machine? Sure, we'd all like to play the best paytables, but do they really matter?
In our Jackpot thread, Rob Singer made this observation about Jason's progressive win with quad aces with a kicker on an 8/5 double double bonus pay table:
The photo of the pay table is below.
I think the pay table does matter significantly. That doesn't mean I won't play on an inferior pay table (I do all the time at Caesars Palace on $1 games) but they do matter. And they matter because you don't know when you will hit the big win that will end your session with a nice profit.
As you can see by the meter in the photo, Jason still had a few hundred dollars of play left so in his case it didn't matter when he hit the quad aces with kicker.
But there have been MULTIPLE TIMES when I hit my "big win" on my last five credits. I distinctly remember hitting AAAA on Super Aces Bonus at Rincon a few months back with my last five credits. Ironically, another of our forum members John also hit quad aces on the same machine a few days earlier on his last 5 credits. I remember years ago at Morongo hitting AAAA on Super Aces Bonus again with my last five credits.
Rob Singer wrote above:
I have to disagree because you don't know when the big win will come. Getting those few extra hands from a better pay table can make -- literally -- all the difference.
In all fairness to Rob, he has told us many times that he always plays the best pay table available. I just want to reinforce that comment -- always play the best pay table available.
On the other hand, whether or not a full house and flush are short changed might not appear to be much of a big deal to you, but you'll never know what "one more hand" might have brought you.