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100% Rebate on Video Poker Losses

Introduction

In the previous year before this discussion, two casinos had promotions that provided a full 100% rebate on losses from slots, including video poker. Such promotions can prove to be extremely beneficial for players. This page aims to clarify the potential winnings and the realistic winning goals players should establish while engaging in video poker.

Strategy

When casinos implement loss rebate promotions across their machines, they often exclude high-denomination video poker games from being eligible. If players find that they can bet much higher amounts on slot machines compared to video poker, it may be wise to switch to playing slot games instead. For more information, I have created another page on the subject. 100% rebates on slot losses . This page considers video poker only.

Typically, volatility can be problematic for skilled players, but when aiming to make the most of a loss rebate, it can work in your favor. The house edge shouldn’t diminish your bankroll significantly; instead, aim to reach your winning targets quickly, or risk going broke attempting it. Consequently, you should place the highest bets possible. Ideally, look for video poker games with $25 denominations or five-play games at $5. If these are unavailable, considering playing slots might be worthwhile. reeled slots .

This page outlines the ideal moment to stop playing based on the maximum loss that will be refunded, along with details for four common single-line video poker payout configurations.

Example

For instance, with an 8-5 Bonus Poker game and a maximum loss limit of 800 credits, the table illustrates that the optimal winning target should be 860 units, which corresponds to an anticipated win of approximately 295.52 units, with a success probability of 27.89%. Yet in practical terms, the expected win is nearly equivalent for achieving significantly lower winning objectives. When contemplating the Kelly Criterion alongside the delay of returning for the rebate, a realistic target would be roughly half of the ideal winning goal.

For those unfamiliar with the term \"unit,\" it refers to the total wager. In the previous scenario, if you place a bet of 5 coins on a game with a $25 denomination, that would equal a unit worth $125. Setting a winning target of 500 units would yield an expected win of 282.06 credits. When betting $125, this translates to an anticipated win of $125 multiplied by 282.06, giving approximately $35,257.50.

800-Credit Bankroll

8-5 Bonus Poker — Max Loss = 800 Units

Win Goal Expected
Win
Probability
of Success
100 193.54 62.07%
200 243.23 51.13%
300 263.00 46.11%
400 274.06 42.79%
500 282.06 39.86%
600 288.25 36.85%
700 292.78 33.59%
800 295.25 30.01%
860 295.52 27.89%
900 295.22 26.64%
1000 293.33 24.09%

25-15-9 Deuces Wild — Max Loss = 800 Units

Win Goal Expected
Win
Probability
of Success
100 173.33 66.11%
200 216.71 56.32%
300 246.16 48.74%
400 262.59 43.72%
500 273.11 39.72%
600 279.77 36.24%
700 283.87 32.95%
800 285.69 29.65%
820 285.77 28.99%
900 285.09 26.64%
1000 282.70 24.07%

9-6 Jacks or Better — Max Loss = 800 Units

Win Goal Expected
Win
Probability
of Success
100 220.50 63.40%
200 273.01 54.06%
300 293.29 50.16%
400 306.49 47.38%
500 318.06 44.68%
600 329.13 41.79%
700 339.70 38.61%
800 349.62 35.06%
900 357.35 31.72%
1000 361.52 29.31%
1100 363.64 27.42%
1200 364.58 25.74%
1230 364.66 25.25%
1300 364.45 24.14%
1400 363.53 22.61%
1500 361.65 21.15%

9-6 Double Double Bonus — Maximum Loss = 800 Units

Win Goal Expected
Win
Probability
of Success
100 166.29 73.09%
200 222.06 63.34%
300 257.69 56.68%
400 284.36 51.24%
500 304.45 46.64%
600 319.62 42.77%
700 331.32 39.35%
800 340.25 36.13%
900 347.00 33.25%
1000 351.26 30.69%
1100 353.81 28.42%
1200 354.83 26.38%
1260 355.11 25.27%
1300 355.02 24.57%
1400 354.12 22.92%
1500 352.21 21.41%

400-Credit Bankroll

8-5 Bonus Poker — Max Loss = 400 Units

Win Goal Expected
Win
Probability
of Success
50 108.71 62.77%
100 149.73 47.66%
150 171.38 39.07%
200 182.63 34.25%
250 188.35 31.53%
300 191.25 29.99%
350 192.71 29.13%
400 193.41 28.64%
450 193.90 28.22%
500 194.44 27.61%
550 194.95 26.77%
600 195.34 25.71%
640 195.45 24.74%
650 195.43 24.47%
700 195.14 23.08%
750 194.33 21.55%

25-15-9 Deuces Wild — Max Loss = 400 Units

Win Goal Expected
Win
Probability
of Success
100 135.85 53.50%
200 163.68 42.03%
300 179.75 34.08%
400 186.08 29.97%
500 188.92 27.10%
600 189.99 24.66%
630 190.04 23.94%
700 189.61 22.23%
800 187.62 19.62%
900 184.36 17.27%
1000 180.37 15.34%

9-6 Jacks or Better — Max Loss = 400 Units

Win Goal Expected
Win
Probability
of Success
100 171.30 46.94%
200 205.85 35.29%
300 213.35 32.46%
400 214.96 31.78%
500 216.49 30.99%
600 219.63 28.99%
700 222.96 26.19%
800 225.43 22.85%
900 226.35 19.83%
920 226.37 19.38%
1000 226.03 18.00%
1100 225.28 16.82%
1200 224.07 15.81%

9-6 Double Double Bonus — Maximum Loss = 400 Units

Win Goal Expected
Win
Probability
of Success
100 133.45 60.35%
200 169.99 48.40%
300 189.75 41.26%
400 202.35 36.08%
500 210.76 32.08%
600 216.18 28.89%
700 219.77 26.15%
800 221.98 23.62%
900 222.99 21.39%
910 223.02 21.18%
1000 222.78 19.47%
1100 221.93 17.82%
1200 220.29 16.37%

200-Credit Bankroll

8-5 Bonus Poker — Max Loss = 200 Units

Win Goal Expected
Win
Probability
of Success
50 72.39 54.08%
100 96.77 36.73%
150 108.69 27.17%
200 114.44 21.89%
250 117.08 18.93%
300 118.28 17.28%
350 118.76 16.35%
400 118.92 15.82%
450 118.96 15.53%
500 118.93 15.36%
550 118.90 15.27%
600 118.87 15.22%

25-15-9 Deuces Wild — Max Loss = 200 Units

Win Goal Expected
Win
Probability
of Success
50 80.29 50.04%
100 93.95 40.63%
150 101.07 35.07%
200 107.39 29.33%
250 111.81 24.54%
300 113.91 21.69%
350 115.01 19.62%
400 115.56 17.96%
450 115.69 16.71%
500 115.60 15.81%
550 115.34 15.13%
600 115.01 14.61%

9-6 Jacks or Better — Max Loss = 200 Units

Win Goal Expected
Win
Probability
of Success
100 109.08 35.07%
200 128.88 21.57%
300 132.85 18.34%
400 133.61 17.56%
500 133.74 17.37%
600 133.75 17.32%
630 133.76 17.26%
700 133.65 16.55%
800 132.68 14.18%
900 130.67 11.61%
1000 128.89 10.15%

9-6 Double Double Bonus — Maximum Loss = 200 Units

Win Goal Expected
Win
Probability
of Success
100 95.93 45.66%
200 114.97 33.29%
300 123.22 27.06%
400 127.83 22.67%
500 130.21 19.49%
600 131.14 17.35%
690 131.30 15.80%
700 131.30 15.64%
800 130.81 13.96%
900 129.80 12.47%
1000 128.33 11.22%

100-Credit Bankroll

8-5 Bonus Poker — Max Loss = 100 Units

Win Goal Expected
Win
Probability
of Success
50 46.82 43.89%
100 58.71 26.82%
150 63.58 18.13%
200 65.46 13.54%
250 66.07 11.03%
300 66.18 9.64%
350 66.10 8.87%
400 65.97 8.43%
450 65.86 8.19%
500 65.77 8.06%
550 65.71 7.98%
600 65.66 7.93%
650 65.62 7.91%

25-15-9 Deuces Wild — Max Loss = 100 Units

Win Goal Expected
Win
Probability
of Success
50 55.02 34.50%
100 60.65 26.75%
150 62.38 23.75%
200 64.45 18.94%
250 65.65 14.85%
300 65.88 12.83%
310 65.89 12.52%
350 65.79 11.40%
400 65.47 10.19%
450 65.08 9.30%
500 64.66 8.67%

9-6 Jacks or Better — Max Loss = 100 Units

Win Goal Expected
Win
Probability
of Success
50 49.19 44.50%
100 64.38 25.47%
150 70.40 16.91%
200 72.84 12.87%
250 73.80 10.92%
300 74.17 9.97%
350 74.29 9.51%
400 74.33 9.28%
420 74.33 9.22%
450 74.33 9.17%
500 74.33 9.11%
550 74.32 9.08%
600 74.32 9.07%

9-6 Double Double Bonus — Maximum Loss = 100 Units

Win Goal Expected
Win
Probability
of Success
50 53.00 42.30%
100 62.03 31.58%
150 66.94 25.16%
200 70.09 20.54%
250 71.71 17.81%
300 72.58 16.03%
350 73.13 14.56%
400 73.49 13.12%
450 73.64 11.93%
500 73.61 10.98%
550 73.48 10.21%
600 73.27 9.57%
650 73.01 9.05%
700 72.72 8.62%
750 72.36 8.18%
800 71.87 7.69%
850 71.32 7.22%
900 70.73 6.80%
950 70.13 6.43%
1000 69.51 6.08%

50-Credit Bankroll

8-5 Bonus Poker — Max Loss = 50 Units

Win Goal Expected
Win
Probability
of Success
20 21.90 50.96%
40 27.74 36.69%
60 30.95 28.03%
80 32.90 22.07%
100 34.14 17.65%
120 34.88 14.46%
140 35.30 12.09%
160 35.53 10.30%
180 35.62 8.93%
190 35.64 8.37%
200 35.63 7.87%
220 35.59 7.05%
240 35.52 6.41%

25-15-9 Deuces Wild — Max Loss = 50 Units

Win Goal Expected
Win
Probability
of Success
20 24.58 44.42%
40 31.48 27.44%
60 34.25 19.94%
80 35.38 16.54%
100 35.84 14.98%
120 36.01 14.26%
140 36.08 13.93%
160 36.11 13.68%
180 36.18 12.89%
200 36.23 11.50%
220 36.20 10.00%
240 36.11 8.85%
260 36.00 8.03%
280 35.88 7.46%
300 35.77 7.03%

9-6 Jacks or Better — Max Loss = 50 Units

Win Goal Expected
Win
Probability
of Success
50 30.35 33.22%
100 36.58 16.89%
150 38.54 10.31%
200 39.15 7.35%
250 39.30 5.95%
270 39.31 5.62%
300 39.30 5.28%
350 39.26 4.95%
400 39.22 4.79%

9-6 Double Double Bonus — Maximum Loss = 50 Units

Win Goal Expected
Win
Probability
of Success
50 33.36 0.28
100 37.07 0.19
150 38.47 0.15
200 39.37 0.12
250 39.71 0.10
300 39.81 0.09
320 39.82 0.08
350 39.80 0.08
400 39.70 0.07
450 26.54 0.04
500 21.61 0.03

25-Credit Bankroll

8-5 Bonus Poker — Max Loss = 25 Units

Win Goal Expected
Win
Probability
of Success
10 11.63 49.84%
20 14.44 37.04%
30 16.00 29.47%
40 17.01 24.20%
50 17.68 20.36%
60 18.11 17.62%
70 18.42 15.43%
80 18.65 13.50%
90 18.81 11.85%
100 18.91 10.50%
110 18.97 9.37%
120 19.00 8.42%
130 19.01 7.61%
140 18.99 6.91%
150 18.97 6.32%

25-15-9 Deuces Wild — Max Loss = 25 Units

Win Goal Expected
Win
Probability
of Success
20 15.05 33.66%
40 18.06 18.31%
60 19.08 12.08%
80 19.44 9.35%
100 19.55 8.12%
120 19.58 7.56%
130 19.59 7.40%
140 19.59 7.29%
160 19.58 7.17%
180 19.58 7.09%
200 19.48 6.48%

9-6 Jacks or Better — Max Loss = 25 Units

Win Goal Expected
Win
Probability
of Success
20 13.65 42.43%
40 17.08 26.68%
60 18.71 18.37%
80 19.56 13.37%
100 20.02 10.13%
120 20.26 7.95%
140 20.38 6.43%
160 20.42 5.35%
170 20.43 4.93%
180 20.43 4.57%
200 20.41 4.00%

9-6 Double Double Bonus — Maximum Loss = 25 Units

Win Goal Expected
Win
Probability
of Success
20 17.77 25.13%
40 18.69 20.96%
60 19.84 15.31%
80 20.35 12.55%
100 20.64 10.78%
120 20.78 9.79%
140 20.86 9.09%
160 20.97 7.91%
180 21.01 7.04%
200 21.03 6.40%
220 16.77 4.34%
240 14.48 3.34%
260 13.24 2.84%
280 12.39 2.53%
300 11.69 2.28%

Pay Tables

The next four tables display the full payout structures for the games evaluated in this study. Typically, one of these games will stand out as the best option at higher denominations in many casinos. The bottom right cell of each table indicates the expected return when employing an optimal strategy.

8-5 Bonus Poker — Return Table

Hand Pays Combinations Probability Return
Royal flush 800 495,443,136 0.000025 0.019884
Straight flush 50 2,129,604,264 0.000107 0.005342
4 aces 80 3,903,775,812 0.000196 0.015667
4 2-4 40 10,509,866,328 0.000527 0.021090
4 5-K 25 32,688,417,336 0.001640 0.040997
Full house 8 229,516,869,924 0.011514 0.092114
Flush 5 216,873,645,000 0.010880 0.054400
Straight 4 223,676,319,912 0.011221 0.044885
3 of a kind 3 1,484,391,167,856 0.074468 0.223405
Two pair 2 2,577,523,603,752 0.129308 0.258616
Jacks or better 1 4,290,810,981,444 0.215259 0.215259
Nothing 0 10,860,710,822,436 0.544855 0.000000
Total   19,933,230,517,200 1.000000 0.991660

25-15-9 Deuces Wild — Return Table

Hand Pays Combinations Probability Return
Natural royal flush 800 459,049,128 0.000023 0.018423
Four deuces 200 3,727,422,492 0.000187 0.037399
Wild royal flush 25 38,117,987,136 0.001912 0.047807
Five of a kind 15 62,201,557,608 0.003120 0.046807
Straight flush 9 98,365,859,016 0.004935 0.044413
Four of a kind 4 1,221,942,888,444 0.061302 0.245207
Full house 4 522,030,131,520 0.026189 0.104756
Flush 3 407,586,633,720 0.020448 0.061343
Straight 2 1,145,767,137,120 0.057480 0.114961
Three of a kind 1 5,342,397,992,292 0.268015 0.268015
Nothing 0 11,090,633,858,724 0.556389 0.000000
Total   19,933,230,517,200 1.000000 0.989131

9-6 Jacks or Better — Return Table

Hand Pays Combinations Probability Return
Royal flush 800 493,512,264 0.000025 0.019807
Straight flush 50 2,178,883,296 0.000109 0.005465
4 of a kind 25 47,093,167,764 0.002363 0.059064
Full house 9 229,475,482,596 0.011512 0.103610
Flush 6 219,554,786,160 0.011015 0.066087
Straight 4 223,837,565,784 0.011229 0.044917
3 of a kind 3 1,484,003,070,324 0.074449 0.223346
Two pair 2 2,576,946,164,148 0.129279 0.258558
Jacks or better 1 4,277,372,890,968 0.214585 0.214585
Nothing 0 10,872,274,993,896 0.545435 0.000000
Total   19,933,230,517,200 1.000000 0.995439

9-6 Double Double Bonus — Return Table

Hand Pays Combinations Probability Return
Royal flush 800 488,567,700 0.000025 0.019608
Straight flush 50 2,184,917,880 0.000110 0.005481
4 aces + 2-4 400 1,227,691,500 0.000062 0.024636
4 2-4 + A-4 160 2,854,370,052 0.000143 0.022911
4 aces + 5-K 160 3,460,011,120 0.000174 0.027773
4 2-4 + 5-K 80 7,662,444,216 0.000384 0.030752
4 5-K 50 32,494,582,452 0.001630 0.081509
Full house 9 216,474,969,996 0.010860 0.097740
Flush 6 226,412,247,120 0.011359 0.068151
Straight 4 254,472,741,540 0.012766 0.051065
3 of a kind 3 1,500,277,164,324 0.075265 0.225795
Two pair 1 2,453,055,008,724 0.123064 0.123064
Jacks or better 1 4,212,339,758,244 0.211322 0.211322
Nothing 0 11,019,826,042,332 0.552837 0.000000
Total   19,933,230,517,200 1.000000 0.989808

Methodology

This evaluation was conducted using the optimal video poker strategy. The simulations incorporated a Mersenne Twister random number generator.

Internal Links

Promotions offering a complete 100% rebate on losses from video poker games. Strategies for engaging with 100% loss rebate promotions on single-line three-reel slots. This could be a feasible alternative if you are able to place significantly larger bets on slots.

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Strategies

Full-Pay Jacks or Better:

Full-Pay Deuces Wild:

Quick Quads:

Other Strategies: