With my expected up and coming 4th visit to Vegas looming closer I have been practising my VP on a number of trainer apps. Getting better I have one on my iphone that has a "hand checker" where you can tap in which cards you have been dealt and it advises you which cards to hold and discard should you not be absolutely sure. Job only. What are the casinos policies on these devices? It's not a cheat it's just a percentage checker but don't want some "security dude" looking over my shoulder saying "you cant use that in here matey" One other thing, I have seen references to % 99.74 etc. and 9/6 on various threads. How do I work out what the machine is set at? does it display it on the machine, are there set rates for a particular game i.e. Job Db etc. is it a question of a quick math problem to calculate it myself? I have taken it that the 9/6 refers to the pay rate of 3 of a kind to 2 pair. Is this correct? never really gone this deep into playing the game, usually just for fun but if I can increase my %tage play by doing it the right way maybe my fun will increase because I might win or should I say lose at a more palatable rate.
The 9/6 refers to the ratio between a full house and a flush. Payback on 9/6 JoB is 99.54% when played at max credits, its lower if you play at less than max. The machines won't show you the payback %, they show you the paytable and from there you either know the payback % from memory or just look it up. As far as the hand analyzers I use one on my iphone when I play as well. I probably use it on a hand a few times an hour but I keep it in front of me the entire time. No one has said anything and I usually play in the high limit area where the staff walks around more. That being said someone did post some regulation from the NGC that stipulates it can be construed as cheating to use any analysis device. But I see it as no different than using a basic strategy card at BJ.
Technically, the use of any electronic device to aid in gambling is illegal, and could land you in some trouble with casino security. Smart phones are very common, and might go unnoticed, but to me it isn't worth the trouble. Bring a paper strategy chart (perfectly legal) and consult that while playing.
You can use this site to determine the payback with perfect play by entering the pay scale- http://wizardofodds.com/games/video-poker/analyzer/
I think it would only be a case of a quick check now and then when the obvious choice to a seasoned player is not so for me. I wouldn't leave my iphone out on display purely for the fact that if it's not in my pocket who knows where it might end up. The smokers amongst us will appreciate, how many times have you walked away from a machine and left your fags behind? Let alone a phone worth several hundred £ or $. Easily left behind or "lifted" when your not looking or the old distraction con. I will bear this in mind when playing though if the right cards come up for a Royal flush I doubt i will need assistance in spotting them, not quite that much of a novice
I've used my iPhone for this purpose many times sitting at the Boars Head bar at MSS. The bartender noticed it and just laughed. Course they may have a different attitude if you hit a royal
I use my hand analyzer on my smart phone every time I play VP. And like Kickin, I have it out in front of me. Nobody has ever said anything to me either and I can't imagine they ever will. Unless you used an electronic device to somehow alter the machine's program (which undoubtedly would be cheating), I cannot see how this would ever be an issue.
Yeah, it's unlikely anyone will say anything, but it's important to note that they can do something about it if they want to as it is written on the books as illegal. Here is a post describing the approximate payouts for common variants of non-wild games based on their "full house/flush" payouts. https://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showpost.php?p=786056&postcount=433