DDB Poker and pay back

[Pokerface1961]

Hello everybody,

I play DDB Poker 9/5 triple play or Five play ( the only once available at my Casino).
It has a 97.87% pay back, I’m not sure I understand what it mean, can somebody please explain that to me, thank you

[Eduardo]

All casino games (not just video poker) have a percentage pay back that represents the long term return of a game to the player. Casinos can adjust their odds in ways such as more 0's on a roulette table, different payouts in craps, or different hold requirements in blackjack.

In video poker, that percentage is based on the pay table and also based on playing the game correctly all the time. Casinos can change the pay tables visible to the player in order to adjust the return, but they can't change the return by giving worse hands.

97.87% basically means that for every $100 that players put into the machine, the casino will keep an average of $2.13. Mistakes by players increase the house edge, so that is kind of a worst case expectation for the casino.

Of course, that is an average over a lot of play and you as an individual will have many winning and losing sessions along the way. You're not going to lose 2 bucks every time you put in 100.

Video poker is one of the few games that sometimes has a 100% or even slightly greater edge for the player instead of the casino by the time you add in comps etc. Casinos do this because they know not all players will play the game perfectly and they still end up with an edge. If your casino only has 9/5 DDB, then you don't have an edge. Like most casino games with a house edge, if you play enough, the house will win. Put another way, even if some players in the casino win, the casino knows others will make up for it in losses.

Over limited amounts of play, anything can happen. But the lower the pay table, the lower your return over time.

[Player422738]

It means if u play 5 play on dollar denominator, which is $25 per hand, you will lose $0.5325 on average every time you press the deal button.

[BobDancer]

It means if u play 5 play on dollar denominator, which is $25 per hand, you will lose $0.5325 on average every time you press the deal button.

That's the amount you will lose if you play perfectly.

Basically nobody who plays games as bad as this has studied enough to play the game that well. It's not trivial to learn at that level