A video encoder can maintain, by generating, storing, adjusting, altering, and/or updating, one or more variable length coding (VLC) tables that represent a mapping of prediction modes to codewords. One or more codewords representing a selected prediction mode can be communicated to the decoder for a CU of a frame. The decoder maintains one or more VLC tables that match the VLC tables maintained by the video encoder. Thus, based on the one or more codewords received from the video encoder, the video decoder can determine the prediction mode used to encode a CU.