I've always had luck with Deuces Wild video poker, hitting three natural royal flushes in recent years, and putting me ahead lifetime as a once-a-year gambler.

Is this the machine with the best odds?

(My theory is to play machines with lots of small payouts so you last longer. Eventually, the longer you can afford the play, your odds of a jackpot increases.)

For video poker. The pay scale is everything. I am not an expert on them at all, but I believe you want to look for machines where the full house to flush ratio is 12 to 7. Meaning a full house pays out 12 to 1 and a flush pays out 7 to 1 on that machine.
Some machines pay out smaller ratios. Avoid those and go with the larger payouts.
I am not an expert, but I know that Bob Dancer is one of the best out there. He claims that one can bring the house odds down a ton by playing the right machine and following optimal strategy. Read his book if you want to know a lot about Video Poker. Good luck!

I read up on this a few years ago. It said (and makes perfect sense) that the machines that are programmed to pay off more often are near the traffic areas, where people walking by might be enticed by the Ding Ding Ding!!!! Also, not too close to the tables, as casinos know that poker players find it very annoying to hear others rejoicing. Good luck!!