Say Goodbye to Slots
Since we were introduced to the fascinating game ten years ago, we have been conducting a campaign to switch casino aficionados from "slots" to Video Poker, a game which, for many reasons given herein, we do not classify as just "slots". Hundreds of letters have been sent in from players,
thanking us for opening their eyes, thereby making their casino sessions more interesting and profitable.
However, the vast majority of casual casino-goers apparently are still very
much in the dark about the virtues and vices of slot machines vis-a-vis Video Poker. Their lack of knowledge is causing them to lose money for no good reason and to miss out on much of the enjoyment which intelligent
Video Poker play affords.
In both Las Vegas and Atlantic City the "locals" are almost exclusively Video Poker players. Many locals didn't see Video Poker machines until they moved into town. Those who stayed on the slots are few and far
between now, having run out of money. This is a matter of survival for locals, but even occasional players in these casinos, or riverboats and reservations will benefit from switching to this popular game.
Increasingly, the casinos are becoming aware that Video Poker is the game of the future, with more machines and more liberal machines coming on line. The fabulous Taj Mahal in Atlantic City has 4 times as many Video
Pokers now as it did upon opening, yet the casino is the same size as then.
With this article and about 15 minutes of your time, we hope to convince you to kiss your slot-machine goodbye and to open your eyes to the wonderful world of Video Poker. Incidentally, even if you do play now, this
article will probably make you aware of some information you never thought enough about.
Video Poker is Not "Just Slots"
Video Poker machines are much more liberal than slots, with paybacks ranging from 96% to over 100% (yes, on riverboats too) while slots range from 90% to 97% in comparable coin denominations. Thus, your chances of
winning at Video Poker are far greater; many players have played for years and, with
their comps and slot club benefits, are at break-even or better. Best of all, you can easily identify the most liberal machines and be certain of it. With "slots", you are at the mercy of the casino and the gaming regulators who turn a blind eye toward reel slot operation.
Video Poker is a far more interesting and challenging form of amusement, allowing your skill to make you successful. Win or lose, every session will provide more genuine satisfaction you cannot expect from a slot machine.
Today, every form of tutoring is available at very little cost, in the form of magazines, books, computer software and video cassettes, so it is easy to learn how to play expertly at one or more of the many versions offered.
The development of the micro-processor made Video Poker an open book, while making slots virtually incomprehensible. Video Poker expertise falls into three distinct categories of information:
- WHAT MACHINES TO PLAY
- HOW TO PLAY THEM (Strategy)
- WHAT RESULTS TO EXPECT
WHAT MACHINES TO PLAY
Unlike slots, the payback (percentage returned from coin-in) of Video Poker is completely known just by looking at the pay schedule, which every jurisdiction requires to be shown prominently on the machine. Since
we know the contents of a deck of cards, we can determine exactly what the long-term results will be if a player plays the cards (which must come up randomly) intelligently. In short, what you see is what you get.
This is not true of a slot machine because the reels do not stop at their positions in a truly random manner. You never know what is happening in a slot.
To illustrate the point, consider the most popular Video Poker version known as Draw Poker, which is a "must learn" for every beginner. A typical pay table would be:
| Royal Flush | 250/800 |
| Straight Flush | 50 |
| Four of a Kind | 25 |
| Full House | 8 |
| Flush | 5 |
| Straight | 4 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 |
| Two Pairs | 2 |
| Pair Jacks or Better | 1 |
Note that these are the per-coin payouts for 1-4 coins and the Royal is awarded a incentive for 5 coin play. Using computer analysis, every book on Video Poker would tip you off that with 5 coins played, the
payback is 97.3% and that an increase of one-unit payout on a flush or a full house would add an additional 1.1%. Armed with this information, you can easily sift through the machines offered to find the highest paying
machine in your casino. Just try to find that kind of information on any slot machine you ever find!
HOW TO PLAY THEM (Strategy)
The concept is extremely simple, i.e., when we receive our first 5 cards, the pre-draw hand, we must hold and discard in a way that gives the remaining cards the maximum win power. In most cases in Draw Poker,
that choice is almost obvious, because the cards speak for themselves.
However, in about 25% of the pre-draw hands, there are several reasonable ways to play, but only one is the expert play. For example, if dealt:
In the Jacks game shown above, we might ponder whether to hold the 6D 7D 8D (a partial straight flush), or the 6D 7D 8D 9H (or 9S) looking at a four-card straight, or hold the pair of 9's. This is where the "strategy"
or "ranking table" comes into play.
For every version of Video Poker that is worth playing, optimum strategies have been developed and are readily available at a modest cost. After studying the table for this version, the player would know that the best prospects are with the pair of nines and
that the wrong choice is significantly lower in win power. Many beginners take the strategy table right to their machine until they have developed their skill. The strategy table also clues the players as to what hands are
totally discarded because a draw of 5 new cards has better prospects.
Did you ever see a slot player reading
anything that helps to win?
WHAT RESULTS TO EXPECT
We have pointed out that once the pay schedule is defined, the overall payback can be determined accurately. In this process, much very useful information is derived, e.g., the frequency at which the winning hands of
each type will occur, the streakiness of that particular version, the percent of losing hands and the bankrolling requirements. These figures are average values but they serve well to guide the player.
We know that the Royal Flush, on average, will show up once in 40,000 games and that 55% of the games end up as losers. Also that 21% will be simply a return of the bet. These figures are unalterable, without changing
the pay table which is in full view.
With any form of gambling being aware of the nature of the game will reinforce your enjoyment and prevent you from being "psyched out", because you know what is reasonable to expect. If you don't know, you
will probably depart from expert play when the normal hot or cold streaks show up.
Does any slot player really know anything about his machine?
You now have the fundamentals of Video Poker in hand. Whether you elect to get on the path to greater pleasure from your casino sessions is up to you. Learning to play well is much easier than you think and even
during the learning process, you will be getting a better shot at winning than the slots ever can offer you.