Progressive Video Poker

Progressive jackpots are most commonly associated with slots but they are also available in most casinos on video poker machines. While the jackpots are nowhere near the multi-million dollar prizes found on slots such as IGT's Megabucks there can be some good opportunities on progressive machines.

What are Progressive Jackpots?

A progressive jackpots is a jackpot that grows as people play. It progressively gets larger and larger as a percentage of each bet is added to the total prize. With video poker games this jackpot is usually won by hitting a royal flush although there are other variations with jackpots won for four of a kinds with special kickers or royal flushes of a specific suit.

Choosing When to Play a Progressive Machine

While there is no way to tell if a progressive jackpot on a slot machine gives an EV of over 100% it is possible with video poker. This means that if you learn what point the jackpot level pushes the EV on a progressive video poker machine over 100% you can use this to your advantage.

Below is a list of some of the most commonly found progressive machines and the point at which the royal flush grows big enough to push the payback to over 100%. You will very occasional find a game that is way over these levels - if you do we highly recommend playing as long as possible to score the jackpot.

Jacks or Better (25 Cent) Progressive Pay Tables
Hand	9/6	9/5	8/6	8/5	7/5
Royal Flush	$1220	$1696	$1706	$2167	$2630
Straight Flush	50	50	50	50	50
Four of a Kind	25	25	25	25	25
Full House	9	9	8	8	7
Flush	6	5	6	5	5
Straight	4	4	4	4	4
Three of a Kind	3	3	3	3	3
Two Pair	2	2	2	2	2
Jacks or Better	1	1	1	1	1
Return %	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%

Dbl Dbl Bonus (25 Cent) Progressive Pay Tables
Hand	9/6	9/5	8/5	7/5	6/5
Royal Flush	$1,462	$1,944	$2,379	$2,802	$3,216
Straight Flush	50	50	50	50	50
Four Aces + 2-4	400	400	400	400	400
Four 2-4 + A-4	160	160	160	160	160
Four Aces	160	160	160	160	160
Four 2 - 4	80	80	80	80	80
Four 5 - K	50	50	50	50	50
Full House	9	9	8	9	8
Flush	6	5	5	5	5
Straight	4	4	4	4	4
Three of a Kind	3	3	3	3	3
Two Pair	1	1	1	1	1
Jacks or Better	1	1	1	1	1
Return %	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%

Playing Considerations

There are a few things to keep in mind when playing video poker machines with a progressive jackpot. The first is the fact that in many cases the jackpot is linked to a whole bank of machines. This means that if there are players on all of the machines there is a chance that another player will hit the royal before you.

Also remember that the odds of hitting a royal flush never change no matter how big a jackpot gets. Having said that, if the royal flush pay is considerably over the levels you see above then changing your playing strategy to maximize your chances of getting a royal can be a good idea.