The things I hear in this business… This time it was a gambler who was touting the virtues of Jacks or Better video poker, specifically the "full pay" version.

First of all, I put the words "full pay" in quotation marks because, as it pertains to gambling, "full pay" is undefined. Most people consider a "full pay" machine to be set on one of the loosest, if not THE loosest setting available, and I’m fine with that. But there isn’t really anything out there saying pay table such-and-such is the "full pay" version of any game… at least not officially.

Unofficially, a 9-6 Jacks or Better setting is generally accepted as the "full pay" version, with 9 referring to the single credit full-house payback and 6 referring to the flush. Keep in mind each variation of video poker has its own pay table that most consider a "full pay" game, so a similar version of Bonus Poker that pays 8-5 on these respective hands is also called "full pay" by many.

But this gambler was touting the virtues of 9-6 Jacks or Better specifically, stating he never plays anything at all except the 9-6 "full pay" version of Jacks or Better video poker. If the casino he’s staying in doesn’t offer it at quarters, he’ll play dollars. If it isn’t offered at dollars, he’ll play it at a two or five dollar denomination. If he can’t find it at all, he’ll hop from casino to casino until he does find it before he’d ever play another game.

Now I understand wanting to get the best payback possible, but to what lengths should one go? Should you really waste half of a vacation running around until you find a 9-6 Jacks or Better game? Is your bankroll really big enough to handle a jump from quarters to dollars or more just to get nine credits for a full house instead of eight?

This gambler fell into the trap many of us do – it is all about the payback and nothing else. I wholeheartedly advise comparing pay tables and playing looser games whenever possible, but I certainly don’t condone playing only the "full pay" version of your favorite game to the exclusion of all else, regardless of what it takes to do so.

The fact is Jacks or Better isn’t a 100%+ game at virtually any setting anyway, and there are three possible 9-6 "full pay" settings, each paying different percentages back to the player. The lowest "full pay" Jacks or Better setting pays back just under 99% by short-paying the 5-coin royal flush at 2,500 credits rather than the usual 4,000.

The others both pay over 99% but under 100%

and depend on whether you get 240 or 250 credits for a 5-coin straight flush. There are two more 9-6 settings for Jacks or Better that actually reach the triple digits, but you’ll never see either one of them in use. One requires a sequential royal flush payout of 50,000 credits, the other has an odd 90-to-1 payout on a straight flush. Good luck finding either of those!

So the gambler willing to spend more than they can afford and/or willing to search for hours to find their 9-6 Jacks or Better game is still giving up a house edge of about 1%, likely more depending on how good they are at strategy. Perhaps even worse, Jacks or Better is a boring game with little to offer the gambler who wants some excitement or entertainment.

Any four-of-a-kind pays only 125 credits on Jacks or Better, "full pay" or not. Quarter players – will you cash out after a $31.25 "jackpot?" I know I wouldn’t unless I was already significantly up. Even then, is $31.25 exciting? The only other big payouts are for the straight flush and the royal flush – hands players are lucky to see more than a few times a year – so unless you really are happy and excited over 125 credits, Jacks or Better is not a fun game.

Not at all.

Personally, I can’t stand it. It feels like treading water yet continuously sinking slowly but surely into a never ending abyss of video poker boredom.

Double Double Bonus, Deuces Bonus, Super Aces – these games are some of the most popular out there, not because they’re "full pay" but because they’re "full fun!" You can win on less than a 99% machine very easily. Games that pay big on more common hands make winning and cashing out a more common event, and they make for more excitement to boot.

If you ask me, falling into the "full pay" trap is one of the easiest ways to turn what is supposed to be an enjoyable activity into actual work. If you can find a loose machine and have the bankroll to play it, by all means do so.

Have fun and hopefully win some money. Just don’t put too much emphasis on the importance of the pay table and fall into the "full pay" trap. It’s not a job. It shouldn’t require that much effort.