In the world of video poker, most seasoned players understand that key elements define a good game. These elements include return rate, variance, and the complexity of strategy. For most serious players, the return rate is the most important factor when choosing a video poker game.

Many video poker players are aware of what a return rate is, but only a few understand how the return rate varies during gameplay. Even fewer are capable of calculating their actual return over a session, a day, a trip, or a year. This article will delve into these topics in detail.

Definition of Return Rate in Video Poker

The return rate is simply the percentage of money that is returned to the player on average by the casino. It is expressed as a percentage. For example, a return rate of 95% means that, on average, for every $100 wagered, $95 is returned to the player as winnings, while the casino earns a 5% profit from this machine.

The short-term return rate can fluctuate significantly. A player might hit a royal flush, dramatically increasing their return rate, or they might go through long periods without winning anything significant, causing their return rate to drop sharply.

However, over extended periods of play, the return rate should approach the mathematically calculated percentage, which is based on an infinite number of hands.

Examples of Typical Video Poker Return Rates

The return rates for video poker can vary depending on the casino, the location of the casino (such as on the Las Vegas Strip, downtown, or at local casinos), the specific type of video poker game, the denomination, and even the location of the game within the casino. Here are some typical return rates:

• Local casinos: 97–99% or higher
• Downtown Las Vegas: 96–99% or higher
• Las Vegas Strip: 95–98%

Of course, there are some casino games that fall outside these ranges, but these percentages are typical for the specified areas.

How to Calculate Actual Video Poker Return — Short Term and Long Term

Many video poker players I know do not pay much attention to the return rate percentage. They simply keep track of how much money they brought to the casino and how much they have left when they leave. However, these numbers alone are not sufficient.

To calculate the return rate percentage, you need several pieces of information:

• The amount of money inserted into the game(s)
• The amount of money cashed out
• The number of hands played
• The amount bet per hand

Keeping track of the number of hands played can be challenging. One effective method is to track the number of player club points earned during the session and know how many dollars are required per point. Other information needed to calculate the number of hands played includes:

• Starting player club points
• Ending player club points
• Dollars required per point

Getting the amount of money inserted into the game and the amount cashed out is straightforward. Simply log the amount each time a bill or bills are inserted, and log the amount each time you cash out.

The amount bet per hand is also straightforward. You can log the bet per hand or calculate it by multiplying the denomination by the number of credits per hand (usually five).

Here are the detailed steps to calculate the actual return percentage from any amount of play:

1. Add up the total amount inserted.
2. Add up the total amount cashed out.
3. Subtract the total amount inserted from the total amount cashed out to determine the amount won (positive result) or lost (negative result).
4. Next, calculate the total amount played through the game. This is done by multiplying the amount bet per hand by the number of hands played.

• Amount bet per hand — use the amount logged or multiply the denomination by the credits played per hand (usually five).
• Number of hands played — if this number was counted and logged, use it. Otherwise, it must be calculated based on player club points.

1. Subtract the starting player club points from the ending player club points to determine the points earned during the session.
2. Multiply the points earned by the dollars required per point to determine the amount played through the game during the session.
3. Divide the amount played by the amount bet per hand to determine the total number of hands played during the session.

At this point, all the information needed to calculate the return percentage is available. Multiply the hands played by the amount bet per hand to get the total amount played.

Divide the amount won/lost by the amount played and multiply by 100 to get the actual return percentage for the session.

Note that if you use player club points to calculate the number of hands played, calculating the total amount played is an interim step, so if you do not care about the number of hands played, you can skip that calculation.

The same process is used to calculate the actual return percentage for a day, a visit, or a year. Simply add up the amounts won/lost and the total amounts played for each session you want to include in the final result. Divide the total amount won/lost by the total amount played and multiply by 100 to get the actual return percentage for the period being calculated.

Here is the formula in mathematical notation:

• amount played = number of hands played × amount per hand
• return percentage = (amount won/lost / amount played) × 100

The calculations are simple, but gathering all the required data can be more challenging.

The theoretical return rate percentage is based on an infinite number of plays. To calculate a short-term (session, day, trip, month, year, etc.) return rate percentage, you need:

• The amount won (expressed as a positive value) or lost (expressed as a negative value)
• The total amount played through the game (number of hands played times the amount bet per hand)

To get the total amount played, you need to multiply the number of hands played by the amount bet per hand. Knowing the actual return rate percentage is not required for better gameplay, but it is an interesting statistic for serious players.

                                                                                                       — The article comes from MK SPORTS