Payouts

Following is a table of payouts for many of the games which are commonly found today.   "Best games" (those returning 99% or better) are highlighted in green.  It is recommended you avoid games that have lower returns (exception: If you play DDB, the highest-paying variety which is commonly found returns 98.98%, which could be seen as acceptable to those who want to play this game, as well as a common variety of Deuces Wild which returns 98.91%).

In the table below, the "Breakeven Progressive" column indicates the size of the progressive that is required to make the game return 100%.  While "chasing the royal" can be an expensive, sometimes unrewarding exercise, this will at least give you some indication of what it takes to get to an even-money game.  Where indicated, we provide an analysis of the proper strategy for playing this game.  You should be aware that variance increases as more and more of the game's return results from a progressive win.  For example, in the 6/5 JB game below, a progressive of 12,341 coins ($3,085 in quarters) makes it a 100% game -- but the variance is a whopping 194.43.  Suffice it to say, you would need a sizable bankroll and patience to match, if you want to attack such a game.

Our Resources page includes printable versions of this table as well as a summary of the best games.  You can print these out and take them with you for reference.  In addition, you'll find links to calculators that will allow you to do these calculations online.   If you wish to, you can purchase software with similar functionality -- please see our Links page to find these programs.