Video Poker Forum

     Has anyone ever seen a straight flush pay 100-1 (or 500-5) instead of 50-1? It would only make sense for casinos to offer it. Even on a double double bonus game with a 9/6 pay table or less the return would still be under 100%. The expected return on DDB 9/6 would increase to 99.56% from 98.98%. On games such as full pay JOB (99.54%) the return would go to 100.11%, so I could see the casinos not offering it here.
     I believe this would be a nice new twist in strategy and return tables. I know when I hit a straight flush it's kind of anti-climactic. It's got to be much harder to pull a straight flush than quads, although quads pay at least the same and higher in bonus games than a SF. Straight flushes seem to occur so rarely. I think I pull royals more than straight flushes, maybe because I go for the RF more aggressively, like holding any 3 to a RF over a high pair. I don't do that with straight flush draws, I'll hold any pair over 3 to a SF draw. I think my strategy would change significantly though if the SF payed 100-1 instead of 50-1.
     I'd like to hear everyones' thoughts on this. Have you ever seen a SF pay 100-1? Would it change your strategy alot? Should the casinos offer this? Is it easier to get a RF w/joker in JW than a SF in non-wild card games? A RF w/joker pays 100-1, why not a SF in non-wild card games? 

Damule...
 
Never seen straight flush pay anything other than 50-1 on the two games I play...ddb and tbd.
 
My thoughts on straight flushes are like yours. They are pretty rare to get and I also agree that for an outcome that rare, the payoff should justify it. 100-1 sounds fair.
 
I remember this well b/c it was so rare. .. It was a few years ago and I was playing at the Stardust and talking to a nice couple from Texas playing next to me. I was telling them how I thought straight flushes should pay more and that I never get them. Then, 2 minutes later, wouldn't you know it? on tdb triple play I get dealt a straight flush.
 
Should the casinos offer 100-1? Sure, that would be great but that chance of that happening are probably as low as the chances of getting a straight flush!! slim 2 none!

White Hot Aces pays 80-1-and it does change my strategy a little.

Super Double Bonus pays 100-1. Some versions of Double Bonus pay 80-1. You can look over various paytables at:
 
http://members.cox.net/vpfree/PayV.htm
 
As for strategy there may or may not be significant changes depending on the game. Typically a SF occurs about every 9000+ hands. That's why you don't see them very often. This changes on wild card games where they occur much more often but usually pay less (except for OEJs where they still pay 50-1 but have a 500 hand frequency).

Shadow, with almost 2.6M possible combinations of hands from a 52 card deck, you'd think the hit frequency of a SF would be higher but apparently not. Didn't know that other games paid higher than 50-1 since thats all I'm used to seeing on the paytable and rarely look at the SF payout anyways unless it's DW.

The frequency of SFs is also related to strategy. You'd see more of them using a different strategy.
 
For example, in OEJs if you are dealt unsuited KQ and a couple of suited low cards, 56, then the proper strategy is to hold the two low cards. I call this a 2fer (two for a SF) and I've hit many a SF holding a 2fer (the wild cards do come in handy).