What Are the Odds of Hitting a Royal Flush on a Video Poker Machine?
Recently updated on July 31st, 2023
The odds of hitting a royal flush in video poker are 1 in 649,740, which is 0.000154%. This isn’t a high percentage on average. You can expect to hit a royal flush every 4000 to 10000 hands. Now, there is no guarantee that you will indeed hit the royal flush every 1000 hands. These are just statistics, and if you have luck on your side, your odds of hitting a royal flush could be better than 1 in 4000 or 10000 hands. It is important to remember that these odds will vary depending in the video poker game that you are playing.
Odds Of Hitting a Royal Flush
The royal flush is the most sought-after hand in video poker. It is expected to offer you great prizes, which is why many players will search for machines with great odds. Another important aspect of playing video poker is playing a game that pays out well. There is a wide variety of video poker games, and not all of them offer great odds.
Each video poker game will use the standard deck of cards with 52 cards. As the game uses a random number generator, this RNG shuffles the cards. The odds of hitting a royal flush will change also depending on the hands that you are initially dealt. This means that the odds of hitting a royal flush with your initial five cards will differ from a royal flush after discarding 4, 3, 2 or 1 card.
Below is a table that explains the odds of getting a specific hand when holding four, three, two or one cards. Remember that for the odds to be correct, and you have to hold the correct cards.
| Hand | Odds | Chance of Hitting a Royal Flush | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 in 6 | 1 in 178 365 | 16.7% |
| 2 | 1 in 13 | 1 in 16 125 | 7.7% |
| 3 | 1 in 92 | 1 in 1081 | 1.09% |
| 4 | 1 in 2777 | 1 in 47 | 0.036% |
| 5 | 1 in 649740 | – | 0.00015% |
Increase Your Odds of Hitting a Royal Flush
So, video poker is a combination of the traditional five draw poker games and slots. The gameplay is, however, different from traditional poker. The aim is to get a ranking hand rather than playing to beat the dealer or other players.
For starters, you can have the edge by understanding the games paytable. While many players are fixated on only landing a royal flush, they tend to forget plenty of other paying hands. However, if you are always looking for the best hand, you will miss out on possibilities to win with smaller cards. Remember that winning with the other hands can also help you recoup part of your bankroll.
Another way you can beat video poker is to learn a few strategies. Video poker is one of the casino games with cheat sheets that you can use. The sheet tells you how many cards to keep or discard to create a winning hand.
Lastly, play good video poker games. For instance, video poker games that pay the best include jacks or better, deuces wild, tens or better and bonus poker. They all have an RTP of over 99%.
Conclusion
The odds of ALWAYS landing a royal flush are impossible. Of course, this isn’t to suggest you shouldn’t be enthusiastic about the possibility of a royal flush. Just be mindful that you don’t always get carried away and devote your whole game plan to pursuing this encountered hand.
It turns out that playing a game with a lower RTP % allows the player to win significantly more. As a result, while selecting a video poker game, players should always consider the total bets they want to place. A game with the highest expected value, but not necessarily the biggest projected return, would be the ideal option.
