Video Poker I Want To Like Video Poker... But...

On my last three trips out to Vegas I decided I would play a lot more video poker than I normally do. I'm normally a table games/sportsbetting player who would ocassionally try my luck at slots etc... My table games winnings or sports bets would always cover the slot action so to me it was like taking a free shot to hit something big. Over the years I've seen a steep decline in how long that money lasts and having never hit anything worthwhile I decided to stop slot playing altogether and switch over to video poker.

Here's the thing. On my last three trips out I've dumped $1,000+ in video poker each time with nothing to show for it. Not the end of the world since it was just some winnings from tables and sports bets and I've had similar results plenty of times with slot machines.

But the more I thought about it the more I wondered how people play this so exclusively. On my next trip out I would have to immediately hit three $.25 royal flushes in a row and I would still be in the hole! Since people have commented about how they have never hit a royal flush before I'm trying to make sense of how so many people can play for so long grinding out comps and wins/small losses.

It seemed to me that unless you got a royal flush everything else was just filler. Flushes, full houses, 4oak all keep you playing but without a royal it seemed hopeless. I'm starting to feel that video poker is just as bad as a slot machine. It must be better since so many people talk about putting a ton of coin-in thru machines while keeping losses to a minimum but how do you do it? Do you need at least one royal flush per trip to have a shot?

For reference I played mainly $.25 JoB machines with some $.50 and $1.00. Payouts ranged from 9/6 to 7/5. I'm not a prefect player by any means but I play well enough to know I don't make any major errors.

 

Like you, I’ve never liked JoB. Other than the RF, there are no payouts that are very exciting. So my first few attempts to play more VP didn’t last long.

Then, I discovered Double Double Bonus Poker and I was hooked. The four-of-a-kind payouts in DDB are definitely not “filler”. They range from 250 credits to 2000 credits, depending on which card you have four of. So, you don’t have to hit a royal in order to hit it big.

Beware though. The variance is much higher in DDB than it is in JoB. Any long quad-drought can destroy your bankroll in no time.

 

Video poker in general can have some high variance. You mentioned playing .50/1.00, a thousand bucks wouldn't be that much at the dollar level.

 

First off, there is no one on this site that racks up tons of points and small loses playing 7/5 JOB!!! Not for long anyway.

Royal flushes are just another hand, they won't change your life and they don't guarantee you will win. I've played $25K in JOB, broke even and not hit a royal. It happens (these are usually my favorite sessions!). Also losing thousands playing dollar VP is not hard either! It's not uncommon to lose $1,000 in an hour playing 10/7 DB.

Serious players and I mean really serious players have practiced for 100's of hours to make sure they strategy is right. Do you have a separate strategy for 7/5 JOB compared to 9/6? Video poker played poorly really is not better than a slot.

It sounds like you are not enjoying it. Perhaps it is just not your thing.

 

First thing, you really have to play 99% and up to have a chance in the LONG RUN. People think it can't matter that much but it keeps you in the game to get those extra 5 credits on full houses and flushes. If you play a lot over time it's just basic math. I can put 100k thru in a 3 day trip and 1% difference in paytable means $1000 cash, on average.

Multi-play also helps to even things out. I play a lot of 5 and 10 play 9/6 JOB on quarters. In single line, it's all or nothing so you can hit a bad streak and really lose a bunch. It's great though if you hit the royal or several quads.

For example playing $1 single versus 5/10 play quarters. If you play $1 single line and don't hit any quads and few full houses and flushes, you could lose big in a short period of time. The multi-play will smooth the ride because you WILL get some of those hands. You'll also hit more royals AND won't get a W2G unless you hit more than 1 at a time. That has only happened to me 1 time in about ten years. Still waiting for that DEALT ROYAL on 5 or 10 play!

 

Hey Now!

I started out playing mostly BJ, low stakes. I learned basic strategy and was lucky enough to play in AC where even the low stakes tables were S17. Not much in the way of comps. Then they went H17, and I decided to learn VP. I got the strategy cards and the software. vpfree2 showed where the best games were. I played 8/5 BP almost exclusively, due to availability and lower variance. I found a casino that liked to comp VP players in AC, Resorts. For Vegas, I studied DBDW and a couple of other available games, and play at Boyds. I have had ups and downs, but the last couple of years have been positive. And Boyd's comps VP players well.

 

VP is now the game used when I need a break.
Waiting for the food place to open, or need to kill 30 minutes or need a break from slots or craps so then I play VP.
When playing VP it isn't the one hand game but the 50 or 100 play (1 penny per hand/.50 or $1 per spin).
Other than that VP really doesn't do it for me either.

 

Obviously people like to post the big hits and I like to see them.

But...VP is often a relentless slide downhill, assuming no Royal Flush, unless you are hitting a decent amount of quads.

Games like DB, DDB offer more excitement for most players but the single coin return for 2 pair can be a killer. Money can disappear very quickly.

It's all about the variance. Perfect play at 9/6 JOB returns 99.54% but even with the lower variance of that game there can be a lot of losing sessions.

I like VP but it always feels like a struggle to keep my head above water.

 

It sounds like you gave it a good try. Either you like it or you don't. There's a lot of things I want to like but don't; martini's for example, I could eat olives all day long and you could stick a jar of them in a martini and I still won't like it, I'll never be cool.

 

This is a good analysis. I try to limit all play to Video Poker, Blackjack or Live Poker (tournament or limit). 9/5 JOB is the worst game I've played in a while (CET's best Vegas game at $1). I'll play anything from $0.25 single line to 5 line $1 or 3 line $2. I like 9/6 JOB the best because it has the lowest variance. I am in Vegas for a limited amount of time, and I want to limit bankroll list and enjoy playing for as long as I want. 9/6 JOB gives me the best chance to do so and rack up the most comps. I'll also play Bonus Poker and sometimes Bonus Deluxe or 10/7 DB, but I prefer JOB.

I do not like games which pay even money for two pair as the variance increases and you go through your bankroll quicker while shooting for the RSF.

I'd say I played over half of my VP hands at the quarter level over the past few years (I only started playing VP in 2008 after hitting this board), but both of my RSF were at the $1 level (1 progressive, 1 standard). Outside of the tax implications, I have been fortunate in that aspect.

To dragon7, I suggest you limit play to 9/6 JOB or 9/6 BD, 10/7 DB or FPDW if JOB is too boring, or to lower your play and expectations if you play machines which pay less than 99.11% (8/5 BP w/ JOB starategy).

 

Was at my local Harrah's (Rincon) the other day and decided to play some VP. I sat down at some machine that had a wheel like WoF (Spin Poker?). You had to get dealt a 3oak in order to reveal a slot on the wheel. Once the wheel is conpketely exposed, it spins and you win the amount of the indicated segment. I have zero VP strategy and was basically playing on blind luck. I fed a $20 and played max bet (30 credits) at $0.25 denom DDB. I managed to get my $20 to just over $200 before it dropped below $100. Finally, after 84 tier credits i got my last 3oak to fill up the wheel. I forgot what i hit on the wheel, but i played one hand after spinning it and cashed out $212.50. The game was extremely volatile, so i feel I was insanely lucky to be able to play that session on just $20. I had a blast playing, even though i had no clue what i was doing. I will definitely need to learn proper VP strategy before i play these games with any regularity.

 

I feel the same way. I struggled to like VP. I started with betting a single quarter at a time. I have played on $5 and $1 machines. I got fair play in that I stayed in the game for a little while but I simply don't enjoy it that much. I love so many different other games. Sigh.

 

That's "Build a Wheel". It's terribly volatile, and isn't a good idea to play unless you plan on building an entire wheel before quitting (like you did).

You didn't get addicted to Super Times Pay or Ultimate X obviously.

But echoing what others have said earlier, it's somewhat tough to be a big winner on JoB without the Royal. And playing games like 7/5 JoB won't help the bottom line. You need higher paying full houses/flushes to make your money last longer.

 

I used to hate VP. I still do, but am playing it more and more as a diversion from BJ and other table games. At least it earns me my $20 plus tip "free" drink at the bar. Okay, that's too harsh – sometimes I actually make money. But even when I'm winning, 5 minutes or so is about all I can take. After all, I don't fly across the country to interface with a machine! (Then again, some folks can't understand how I can sit for several hours playing BJ.) Like everything else, it comes down to one's personal preference, but I'll never go to Vegas primarily to play VP.

 

It wasn't until I started playing video poker that I started having winning trips to Vegas. I don't hit a royal every trip, but it happens often enough that I'm happy with my gaming choice. (70 royals in less than 12 years).

But JoB bores me and I get tired of looking for a kicker and not getting one (DDB, TDB). I much prefer White Hot Aces/Triple Bonus +, which have decent payoffs for quad Aces (1200) and 2,3,4 (600), but no need to worry about the kicker. It doesn't hurt that I can find paytables with over 99.8% payback at my Vegas home, Red Rock.

My DH is like some other posters. He gets bored after just a few minutes and starts complaining about not getting anything good. Yet he can sit around a Texas Hold 'em table for hours on end, something I can't imagine.

Fortunately, we don't all have to like the same thing.

 

I go to the casinos not to make money and get rich but just to drink and smoke and have an all around good time. VP seems to be where I can get my money to last the longest while having a good time. My last trip to Tunica a couple of weekends ago I had 19 4oaks, most on DDB, over a Friday and Saturday night. I really enjoy sitting at the bar drinking my favorite adult beverage and hitting a 4oak. I like to take a quick picture with my phone then sit back light up a smoke and drink my beverage while admiring it. Just not anything much more fun.
My brother has never gotten it until that weekend when he hit is first 4oak, 2's at the ddb. At that point he kinda understood why I enjoyed it. He is still not a convert as he is still partial to the table games but he does get it now.
My wife was the same way until she hit her first 4oak. She used to be exclusively a slot player but she has figured out that it is just fun to sit at a bar and play poker and talk to the other people sitting beside you. You meet some really nice people. Plus they keep giving you drinks and you don't have to drive home after drinking all night. You just stagger back to your room.
In all the time I have put in I still only have one RF that I hit at the ELCo on a coin dropper, but I still love the game and am always planning my next trip to play some more.

 

you are right 100%.
mostly a losing game, unless you hit top 4 winners.
I win video Black Jack, slots, keno more than VP.

Ifcourse, you dont play to make money, but to have fun. If you want big money invest in mutual funds, and wait 10 years.

In fact, playing 2 spots for $10 and 7 spots for $10 should should return your bets over time.

 

Say whaaaaat?!?!
The BEST keno I ever saw was like 97% payback...
Im pretty sure for $2 denom ($10 a whack) I can play some 99.7% payback video poker and get some crazy good perks that FAR exceed a measly .3%
You're talking about playing a game with 10x the expected loss.. (3c per pull vs 30c per pull)!

 

I play VP 100% of the time in Vegas. I almost always play 9/6 DDB or 10/6 if I can find it off strip. DDB is a highly volatile game but is SO much fun. I love the excitement of hitting the different 4OAK's. I can usually last all day on a limited bankroll, esp if I'm hitting quads.

 

Yep. I'm there.

And like you, I do not have "perfect" strategy, but I have read enough to have a good handle on the right plays most of the time. They're still $100 bill shredders.

And like you, I usually play VP as a break from table games. I will have a nice craps run, color up, and say to myself "Now I have bankroll to play VP for a few hours". But it never lasts a few hours.

Now, the logical side of the brain knows that good VP tables with perfect strategy can return 99%, and poor pay tables with adequate strategy my go as low as 95%.

Which is STILL better than most slot machines and many table games, mind (including bad blackjack rules with adequate strategy). But to spend endless hours mesmerized by being dealt five cards at a time... can't do it.

Live poker, on the other hand...