Full Pay vs Short Pay Video Poker Explained

What this guide covers

"Full pay" and "short pay" are terms you'll see thrown around constantly in video poker discussion, and they refer to a specific, definable distinction rather than a vague sense of "good" versus "bad" pay tables. This guide defines both terms precisely, walks through concrete tier comparisons, and gives a practical method for quickly benchmarking any table you sit down at. For the mechanics of reading a pay table grid, see video poker pay tables explained; for why the gap between these categories matters so much in dollar terms, see why pay tables matter in video poker.

Defining full pay and short pay

Full pay refers to the best commonly-available version of a named pay table for a given game — the specific combination of payouts across every hand tier that produces the highest realistic RTP for that game under perfect strategy. It's not necessarily the theoretical maximum possible in every conceivable configuration, but the strongest version you can reasonably expect to find in circulation. For Jacks or Better, that's the 9/6 table, at roughly 99.54% RTP. For Deuces Wild, it's the specific configuration commonly labeled full-pay Deuces Wild, at roughly 100.76% RTP.

Short pay describes any version of that same named game with one or more payout tiers reduced below the full-pay benchmark. Short-pay tables keep the same name, the same hand rankings, and often look nearly identical to the full-pay version — the difference lives entirely in the numbers on specific rows of the grid, usually trimmed just enough to lower RTP by a meaningful margin without obviously changing the game's appearance.

Jacks or Better as the clearest example

Jacks or Better is the easiest game to illustrate this distinction with because its full-pay and short-pay versions differ by only two numbers, both easy to spot.

• 9/6 Jacks or Better (full pay): Full House pays 9 coins, Flush pays 6 coins at 1-coin bet. RTP roughly 99.54% with perfect strategy.
• 8/5 Jacks or Better (short pay, step one): Full House pays 8, Flush pays 5. RTP roughly 97.3%.
• 6/5 Jacks or Better (short pay, step two): Full House pays 6, Flush pays 5. RTP roughly 95%.

Every other row on these three tables is typically identical. The RTP gap between the full-pay 9/6 version and the 6/5 short-pay version is roughly 4.5 percentage points, driven entirely by those two rows — a difference that compounds significantly over any real amount of play. See jacks or better video poker explained for the full rules and strategy context behind this specific game.

Deuces Wild follows the same pattern

Deuces Wild has its own full-pay and short-pay distinction, though the specific rows that get trimmed differ from Jacks or Better because the wild-card mechanic restructures the whole pay table. Full-pay Deuces Wild, at roughly 100.76% RTP with perfect strategy, is one of the rare video poker configurations that can exceed 100% — meaning it offers a positive theoretical return to a perfect-strategy player. Most real Deuces Wild machines, however, are not full pay; various short-pay versions exist with reduced payouts on specific tiers, bringing RTP back below 100% and often well below the full-pay benchmark. Because Deuces Wild's grid has more rows sensitive to trimming than Jacks or Better's, it's worth checking more of the table rather than relying on just one or two rows. See Deuces Wild video poker explained for the full pay structure.

How to benchmark a table quickly

You don't need to memorize every RTP figure for every variant to spot a short-pay table. For Jacks-or-Better-family games specifically, checking just the Full House and Flush payouts at 1-coin bet against known full-pay numbers — 9 and 6 for standard Jacks or Better — tells you almost everything you need to know in seconds. If those two numbers match the full-pay benchmark, the rest of the table is very likely standard as well; if they're lower, you're looking at a short-pay version, and it's worth knowing by how much before you commit to a session.

For other variants, including Deuces Wild and the various bonus-poker games, the same principle applies but with different key rows — it's worth learning the one or two payout tiers that most reliably signal full pay for whichever specific game you play regularly.

What to do if you spot a short-pay table

Finding a short-pay table isn't a reason to panic, but it is a signal worth acting on if a better option exists. If the venue or app offers multiple versions of the same game, or if a full-pay table is available elsewhere, it's almost always worth moving to the stronger table — the cost of switching is nothing, while the cost of staying on a meaningfully short-pay table compounds with every hand played. If no better version is available, it's still fine to play, but worth adjusting your expectations and bankroll accordingly, since a short-pay table's theoretical house edge is simply higher than the number most strategy guides quote by default.

An unusually low-looking pay table, especially one you don't immediately recognize the shape of, is always worth treating as a prompt to double-check the numbers before betting rather than assuming it's standard. This is a low-cost habit that protects against the most common way video poker's math quietly works against a player who isn't paying close attention.

Frequently asked questions

Is short pay the same as a rigged or unfair game? No — short-pay tables are entirely legitimate and fairly regulated; they simply return a lower percentage than the best available version of the same named game.

How much does the jump from 9/6 to 6/5 Jacks or Better cost, in RTP terms? Roughly 4.5 percentage points of theoretical return, driven entirely by the Full House and Flush payout rows.

Is full-pay Deuces Wild common on casino floors? No — most real-world Deuces Wild machines are short-pay versions below the roughly 100.76% full-pay benchmark, so it's worth checking specifically rather than assuming.

What's the fastest way to check if a Jacks or Better table is full pay? Compare the Full House and Flush payouts at 1-coin bet against 9 and 6 — if they match, the table is very likely standard full-pay Jacks or Better.