[Gonzopozo]

Hi everyone -

Over the next few months, I'm going to write up a series of articles that briefly explains ALL the varieties of video poker I find in Colorado.

There are quite a few, and they are changing all the time, but I'm going to start plugging away.

Here's a brief summary I found on the web to get this project started...

Video Poker Varieties

There are many choices of games when it comes to playing video poker. You can play White Hot Aces, Bonus Poker, Deuces Wild, Double Bonus Poker, Jacks or Better, Joker’s Wild, and many others. Although the games are generally the same, you should note that the payout schedule can differ for each variation. In order to have as close to 100% payback, you need to use the correct playing strategy for each type of game. By far the most popular video poker game is Jacks or Better as it has a payout of 99.5%. This is an excellent return for an easier game which allows you to gain the experience and knowledge to move on to the other more complicated games. When you see a game referred to as "9/6" or "10/7" or something like that it is referring to the payout for a full house/flush. "9/6" means 9 coins for every coin bet if you get a full house and 6 coins for every coin bet if you get a flush.

Deuces Wild
In this game, the standard 52-card deck is used, with all four deuces (2’s) designated as wild cards. Because of the added bonus of the four deuce wild cards, the minimum rank for a winning hand is three of a kind. Never discard a deuce in a Deuces Wild game.

Jacks or Better
This is the best game to begin with when starting to play video poker. In fact, it is a good all-around machine to play at any time. You can identify a good-paying machine by reviewing the full house and flush payouts on the first column on the payout chart.
It is important to remember not to play the low payout 7/5 machines as the house odds are just too high.

Progressive Machines
These machines typically have a lower payout for a full house and flush; however, this can be overcome if the progressive jackpot is high enough. On a $.25 machine, if the jackpot is above $2,240, it's worthwhile to play. If it's below the $2,240 level, go back to the standard 9/6 machines. On progressive 9/6 Jacks or Better machines when the jackpot raises above 6,500 coins, the payback reaches a 100% return making this an excellent machine to play.

The Bottom Line
The three best machines you can play are the 9/6 Jacks or Better, 10/7 Double Bonus, and full-pay Deuces Wild. When you insert the maximum coins and use proper strategy, these machines will pay out 99.5%, 100.2%, and 100.8%, respectively. Look for these machines and play them.

[bernard]

Hey GP, thanks for this effort, I look forward to reading these. Video Poker is almost exclusively what I play in casinos.

[slammer99]

Agree, a summary would be helpful. I too mostly play video poker. There are a number of good games in Blackhawk, not much in Central City. 9/6 Jacks or Better is available for quarters at Mountain High, Riveria, Colorado Central Station, and Lodge. There are lots of machines with worse paytables, even at these same casinos. Best machines I've found in Central City are at Scarlets. As far as I could tell, all Scarlets' machines were set to the same pays.

I'd like a good inventory of the multi-strike machines. I know the have them at Fortune Valley, Riveria, Lodge, and Gilpin. These tend to have lower pay tables. That's unfortunate because they have a complex strategy anyway, so the casino is going to take more on these even with a good pay table. But, I think these are loads of fun.

[michaelnc]

Video Poker is one of my favorite games to play but it seems I always come out empty handed. Do you guys have any tips for new players on how to win big? Also, do you think I should spend more time thinking about my next move or do I think too much?

[Gonzopozo]

Hi Micheal -

Let me be brutally frank.

The sad truth is that THE BEST video poker machines offer between a 98% and 102% payback assuming you play PERFECT mathmatical strategy. That means that the best you can do is "WIN LITTLE" (as opposed to win BIG).

However, casino's stay in business by "winning little" over and over and over.

I personally have two ways I play. One is "win little" - I find the best payback percentage machine and play slowly and thoughtfully. Two is "lose a lot" - I find the biggest ROYAL progressive jackpot and simply play for it. That's a losing proposition almost every time, although I have hit a few. The excitment of that big hit is great, but it costs you.

One last tip (at least on this message) - always play MAX COINS. That's the only way the theoretical 98-102% paybacks can be reached on Video Poker.

G

[slammer99]

Yeah, I'll second what Gonzo said. With video poker you will never have as big a win as you could get on a slot. The upper bound is 4000 coins for a five coin bet. Even the progressives won't be much higher than that. What you do get with VP is a low house cut. Lots of games in Blackhawk with 99.5% payback, 9/6 Jacks of Better and "Not So Ugly Ducks" Deuces Wild. I'll bet a dollar there aren't any slot machines set with a payback that high. There aren't any machines in Colorado that payback over 100%, like there are in Vegas. Its the law.

That higher payback just means you can play longer before you run out of money. But you'll still run out of money eventually as long as you play games with less than 100% playback (negative expectation games.) I don't know about you, but if I ever did hit a royal or a slot jackpot, I would just think my bankroll was now a lot bigger, and not that it was time to go home and never come back.

As far as what to do to do better, get a trainer program like WinPoker. Study the cheat sheets that tell you what to hold. Don't just play by feel, hunches, or guessing. Some of the plays aren't obvious. Holding the wrong cards will cost you lots of money. That 99.5% JOB machine can drop down to 90% with bad play. Once you have the combinations memorized and have some practice, then there really isn't any analysis. There is always one and only one correct set of cards to hold. OK, OK, sometimes there are two equal choices. Like when your dealt two pair in Deuces Wild. Hold either pair.