Full Pay 9/6 Video Poker Rules and Paytable Breakdown
In the old days, your choices regarding video poker were pretty limited. But that wasn’t necessarily bad, as many games used a paytable known as “full pay” or “9/6”. You can still find 9/6 Jacks or Better poker games and 9/6 Double Bonus video poker, but they’re not as common as they once were.
In this guide, we’ll discuss how 9/6 video poker works, how to find these games, and how to utilize 9/6 video poker strategy.
What is 9/6 Video Poker?
Traditionally, 9/6 refers to Jacks or Better video poker, whereby players will only win with a pair of Jacks or higher. However, the 9/6 applies to the fact that a full house rewards a 9:1 payout, and a flush rewards 6:1. These payouts are much better than other variations, giving the game a high RTP that usually falls around 99.5%.
There are occasional variations of 10/7 video poker, but these are usually offered on a limited-time promotional basis.
9/6 Jacks or Better Paytable
The 9:1 and 6:1 aren’t the only payouts in 9/6 video poker. In the context of Jacks or Better, the game pays for everything equal to or stronger than a pair of Jacks, with the biggest payouts coming for a Royal Flush. Classic games of 9/6 video poker use a coin-based payment system, with payouts for two, three, and four coins growing relative to the single coin bet before jumping significantly for five-coin royal flushes:
| Poker Hand | One Coin | Five Coins |
| Royal Flush | 250 | 4,000 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 250 |
| Four of a Kind | 25 | 125 |
| Full House | 9 | 45 |
| Flush | 6 | 30 |
| Straight | 4 | 20 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 | 15 |
| Two Pairs | 2 | 10 |
| Pair (Jacks or Better) | 1 | 5 |
9 6 Video Poker Strategy
We discussed general strategy in our video poker strategy guide, but some specific elements apply to full-pay Jacks or Better games. So, if you play video poker online or offline, keep the following in mind:
- Hold four cards to a flush or straight.
- Hold three cards to a straight flush and a royal flush.
- Hold high pairs.
- Hold three or four of a kind.
- If you don’t have any pairs or higher in your hand, hold the highest card if it’s a Jack or greater.
- If you don’t have any matches or any cards higher than a Jack, draw five new cards.
You can use a 9 6 Jacks or Better video poker trainer to hone your skills or just try some games in demo mode. Playing for low stakes will also help you to improve without a great deal of financial risk.
If these tips work for you and you want to expand your video poker skills, check out our multi-hand video poker strategy guide.
Conclusion: Play Full Pay Video Poker
Full-pay video poker is not as common as it once was. Developers have turned to other features and gimmicks to lure players, and classic 9/6 poker has fallen out of favor with online and offline casinos.
These games still exist, though, and video poker itself is still a massive draw. Even when the paytables don’t reflect those classic 9/6 poker versions, they still offer favorable payouts and features that keep the house edge low.
Check out the video poker games on BetUS to see what’s available. If you want to see what the pros can do with this game, check out our article on how much is Vegas Matt worth?
Video Poker Common Queries
What does 9 6 mean in video poker?
It refers to the paytable traditionally used on Jacks or Better video poker, with the 9 and 6 referencing payouts of 9:1 and 6:1 for the full house and flush, respectively.
Is 9 6 video poker good?
Yes! These games are highly sought after by players, as the generous payouts for big hands like the full house and flush mean the house edge is often very low. If these games are played with a strict video poker strategy, players can keep that edge down, and with a little luck, they could turn a consistent profit.
What is a 9 6 pay table?
In video poker terms, it references a paytable with 9:1 and 6:1 payouts for a full house and flush. This means that a $10 wager will trigger a profit of $90 and $60, respectively. These payouts are sandwiched between an even money payout for a pair of Jacks or better and a jackpot for a royal flush.
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