Video transform coefficient encoding and decoding methods are provided. A two-dimensional array of quantized transform coefficients are obtained for a block of a video frame. The two-dimensional array of quantized transform coefficients are converted to a one-dimensional array of integer samples using a scan pattern, wherein each sample is represented with a level that is an absolute value of the sample and a sign bit if the level is greater than zero. The one-dimensional array of samples is converted to a bit-stream by processing the one-dimensional array of samples in sequential order. A switch is adaptively made between multiple coding modes, where each coding mode is characterized by how consecutive coefficients are jointly coded as a single event. For each mode, a switch may be adaptively made between various variable length code (VLC) tables.