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Pay Table Theory
In the beginning
In the beginning video poker was a simple game like Draw Poker, Jacks or Better or Bonus Poker. These games are not very volatile and have high hit frequency. Your quads pay little and two pair returns twice your wager. Given the frequency of two pair, this allows people to play for a very long time, but does not afford the excitement of any big jackpot except for the elusive and infrequent Royal Flush.
Volatility is introduced
Over time, volatility was introduced to the game by only returning even money for two pair and using those extra 5 coins to fund other jackpots like four-of-a-kinds or even varied pay backs for different four-of-a-kinds. The next evolution was the introduction of specific combinations of four-of-a-kinds and the introduction of “kicker” cards which led to the highly popular games Double Double Bonus Poker and Triple Double Bonus Poker. The most typical modification was tightening, or loosening the Full House, Flush, Straight or some combination of each. Each of those hands happen a specific number of times, theoretically, and it is a simple way to adjust the return on a game. It is also displayed on the pay table right there in front of the players and they do notice these changes. These adjustments in either direction don’t affect the “walk-away” jackpots like quads or royals in any way but they do affect how long folks get to play for them. This is commonly referred to as “time-on-device” and is typically the key metric sought by players when seeking entertainment.
Games and pay tables can really vary
At one end of the game family spectrum you have Bonus Poker and at the other a game like Triple Double Bonus Poker. Some folks drink beer, some like wine and some like spirits. The same is true in the video poker world in terms of volatility. Many like the high hit frequency of Deuces Wild and even more like the excitement of Double Double Bonus where aces with a 2, 3 or 4 pays half as much as a royal flush.