Royal Flush

The Royal Flush is the best possible hand in a game of video poker for the simple reason that it is the least common. There are 2,598,960 different hands that can be dealt to you - 649,760 for each of the four suits. The odds of you getting a natural flush are therefore 1 in 649,760.

The ability to discard cards and have them replaced in online video poker increases your chances of hitting a royal flush to around 1 in 40,000, which is sixteen times more likely than being dealt a natural.

The prize for getting a royal flush is, as you would expect, the jackpot. However, you shouldn’t assume that you will automatically get the full value of the jackpot regardless of the number of coins you play. Many video poker machines, especially progressive jackpot machines, will only pay out the full amount if you are playing with the maximum number of coins permitted. You should therefore make a point of checking the rules of the game so that you play with a real chance of winning the top prize.

Some players worry that if they are ever lucky enough to be dealt a natural royal flush, they might accidentally press the wrong button in their excitement and discard the jackpot without thinking. Fortunately, this is impossible in almost all casinos, because most video poker machines are set to automatically lock in the royal flush jackpot, which is a good thing for those of a particularly nervous disposition.

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