Full-pay deuces: the last stand

Recent months have seen the elimination of fullpay deuces from places such as the El Cortez and the Skyline. There is now only one place to go for that game: Stations Casinos. Fortunately, there are several such casinos, and not only have they kept them, they've expanded the number of machines available. Here's a review for your deucing pleasure, along with some location info:

Aliante (not Station): FPDW gone since assimilation by Boyd

Boulder Station: 15 machines offering FPDW in .05/.10/.25. Machines also have FPJoker, FPDB, and FPDDB. In an area that gets very smoky and has poor ventilation. Machines are moderately busy.

Fiesta Henderson: 14 machines, all with .05/.10/.25 fullpay deuces, Joker, DB, and DDB. 4 uprights are in a nonsmoking section, in a very, very, very noisy area.

Fiesta Rancho: Only 5 machines remain, with games and denoms the same as Fiesta Henderson.

Green Valley Ranch: 26 machines, including 6 in a nonsmoking section (yay!). Good games only on .25 denoms.

Palms: Two banks of 6 each. Good games only on .25 denoms.

Red Rock: 17 machines in four separate areas. Two banks are in nonsmoking areas; 10 machines total (yay!). Good games only at .25.

Sunset Station: Nine machines in two banks. Bank of 3 is nonsmoking. .25 games only.

I just realized there are a few remaining FPDW in .05 and .25 at Sam's Town. But that's a Boyd casino, so you don't want to play there.

Stations has a long tradition of putting its best VP machines in the most inconvenient and/or annoying locations. These have included near entrances, where you are treated to blasts of cold or hot air (depending on the season) and screaming kids, drunks, and drunk kids passing through the area. But that strategy also means that the nonsmoking sections (for which I applaud Stations) are near those same entrances. So there are at least four places to play FPDW AND not choke to death!

My new go-to place is Red Rock, which has an awesome buffet, plenty of free parking, and a large poker room. It's also one of the nicest casinos decor-wise; it feels spacious and pleasant without being tacky. The property's location in an affluent part of Vegas probably has a lot to do with the marketing approach used.

The only negative to all the FP Ducks at the Stations is that it takes 4 times the play to get a point.

It's worse than that. It takes TWELVE times the coin-in to earn a point. $12 coin-in = 1 point.

True, but since Stations awards (at least) 3 times points daily, assuming you swipe at a kiosk, so in effect it requires $4 to earn a point. 

Per Boarding Pass Rules:

1. Members may earn 3X points every day on designated video poker, video reel, reel slot, video keno and video blackjack machines.
   1. Active Chairman, President and Platinum cardholders will automatically receive the 3X multiplier; no kiosk swipe or Station Casinos App activation is required. Member’s points will multiply at the end of each gaming session after Boarding Pass removal from machine.
   2. Active Gold and Preferred cardholders must swipe daily at the kiosk or accept the offer on Station Casinos App to activate the 3X point multiplier. If activation occurs prior to start of gaming play, member’s points will multiply at the end of each gaming session upon Boarding Pass removal from machine. If activation occurs at end of gaming day play, all prior points earned for the day will be multiplied on member’s account.

I truly trust the forum members right here, to steer me towards the GOOD machines that are available!

So much information is that is first hand is GOLD,IMO.

Thank you Westie and Kevin for your research and hands -on experience.

 I owe you both a hand shake and a heapin' helpin' of good luck.

May you live long and prosper.

If it wasn't fun,we wouldn't do it.

Just to clear things up--yes, normally, you get 3X points, and the base rate for non-fullpay VP is $1 coin-in = 1 point, so on those games, it takes $0.33 to earn a point. On fullpay machines, it takes $12 to earn a point, which is multiplied to 3 points, so it takes $4 to earn a point. 12 x 0.33 = 4.

You'll earn one-twelfth of the points on a fullpay game at Stations that you do on a short-pay game. However, there is a silver lining. They almost always have some kind of kiosk game going. You earn 50 or 100 points, and you get a swipe. The prize is usually something small, like 1,500 points, but the games narrow the difference between the points you get for each kind of game. For instance, you put $1200 in a fullpay machine, you get 300 points, while you put the same amount in a short-pay machine, you get 3600 points. But in either case, you get a swipe worth at least 1,500 points, and sometimes more (I've gotten free buffets, $5 matchplays (worth $2.50), and $5 free slot play on occasion). 1,000 points gets you $1 in comps.

These extras are not trivial. $1200 of coin-in on FPDW should, in the long run, earn you about $9. Getting an additional goody from the kiosk game that's worth, on average, about $2.50 is definitely a significant increase in EV.

Your EV is maximized by playing just enough to make you eligible for the swipe.