The other day I was talking to a video poker player who travels frequently to brick and mortar casinos to play video poker. And wins nicely.  We were discussing different games available for players and which we enjoyed playing.  But I noticed something.  A difference in pay tables.

Now, when you begin learning to play video poker one of the first things you learn is to pay attention to the pay tables for the games.  Minor changes in pay tables can make a big difference in the overall payout that you can expect when playing.  When you play Jacks or Better, you know you want a 9/6 paytable over a 8/5.  Sounds simple enough.  And since I play mostly online (not as much free travel time as my video poker playing friend), I’m used to playing with the best payout tables.  This is a little secret to online casinos – they have very little reason to offer anything less than the best pay table.  After all, if they don’t, you can log off their site and be at another site in minutes. Heck, you don’t even have to log off.  You can open more than one window on your computer and leisurely check out your playing options. 

But a brick and mortar casino only has so much space to devote to video poker, even  though it’s a popular game.  And they know that it will take you time to leave their playing floor and go to another, if there is another casino available.  So, brick and mortar casinos need to offer some machines with the best pay tables to bring in players.  Which means that the determined players take up the best machines.  And other players look for the best pay table still available. 

Which is why online casinos hold an advantage for video poker players. You can always play with the best pay tables.