Video Poker Strategy Cards

We are staying downtown at the beginning of August and I'd like to play a little more video poker.  Which strategy card will be the most used?  Meaning which strategy card will be able to be used at the most casinos?

Check the website vpfree2 for the best vp games at each casino and where you can find them within the casino.  It will depend on the demonination you want to play.  We are quarter players.  We usually play double double bonus.  I love pick em (or pick a pair) and Fremont used to have it but sadly no longer nor any of the other casinos. 

Every game has a different strategy card, and even a single game such as DDB or JOB will have multiple different strategies, depending on the paytables. It's best to first decide what game(s) you want to learn, then use vpFree2 to scout out where the best versions of those games exist, and then print out the relevant strategy card (or list).

The selection of the best version of a game is almost as important as learning the proper strategy. For instance, Jana says she likes Double Double Bonus. The best games are found at several Stations casinos: they pay 10 for a full house, whereas most DDB games pay 9 for that hand. The difference in the payback is over 1%. (The Stations 10/6 DDB game, played accurately, returns 100%!)

I would recommend that rather than buying a strategy card, you get some VP software that lets you custom-input the paytables for any game. That way, you can know what the best strategy is for every game you might play.

Then again, sounds like you are going for the fun of it.  Every casino that has any VP machines at all will have JOB, DB, DDB, Deuces Wild, and usually Bonus.  You can use strategy cards in the open, no rules against using them. 

I like Bonus to extend my money since two pair pays 10 coins rather than 5 like the others do. 

DDB has the sexy bonus (different from the game Bonus) hands that pay a lot if you get lucky at all. 

DB should pay more for a Full House and a Flush, plus it also has good bonus hands. 

Bonus actually has some good 'bonus' hands too.

Think about playing nickel 3/5/10 play Bonus for a few minutes, (or any of the others).  More fun than single line and at nickels it won't break you.  You can always switch games.

I don't sweat perfect play, so anything I've said will be a sacrildge to those who do. 

Good luck!

Candy  

All but the Nugget and El Cortez have 8/5 Bonus Poker. That would be the stategy card you could use at the most casinos. Have a GREAT trip and may the royals be with you.........Rich

You wouldn't want to use that strategy card except in games that are JOB-based: two pair pays 2-1. It would be a horrible mistake to use it, for example, when playing Double or Double Double Bonus. The truth is, there is no strategy that can be used in two different games, even similar ones like Bonus and JOB (though the cost of using 8/5 Bonus strategy on a 9/6 JOB game is relatively small).

I reiterate that selecting one or two favorite games and then finding the best paytables offered in the denomination you want to play is as important as using the proper strategy card. If you're downtown, you're going to have a lot of choices.

While things may change by the time of your trip, right now, you can find fullpay JOB (9/6) and DB (10/7) at the Four Queens. You can also find those two games at the Plaza. (In each case, .25 denoms.) Aside from that, the best you can do is NSUD at the California and a couple of oddball games at the El Cortez. And yes, there's plenty of 8/5 Bonus, but you'll lose a lot more playing that game than you will playing 9/6 JOB, and 10/6 DB actually gives you a small positive return. DON'T play short-pay versions of those games, such as 9/5 JOB or 9/6 DB. There's no reason to!

So what I would recommend is getting the 9/6 JOB and 10/7 DB strategy cards and learning those two games well, then concentrating your play at the 4Q and the Plaza. The 4Q in particular has a fairly generous slot club and both places send good offers. Plus, at the 4Q, you can use the LVA points-doubling coupon.

If you want to angle for future offers, another good strategy would be to visit all the joints that offer 8/5 Bonus, play for an hour or so, then leave. That amount of action will get you on their mailing lists, and future offers will be forthcoming.

Thank you for the input everyone.  I mainly do table games, but wanted to give video poker a shot.  I'm not necessarily looking to win big, but rather prolong my entertainment.

We are staying at Golden Nugget, but I will play wherever the rest of the group wants to go.  We move around to the different casinos a lot to see everything.  I was trying to limit it to 1 or 2 strategy cards and just try to find out what game was most common.  It sounds like going the 9/6 JOB may be my option for at least 2 casinos.  I'm also going to check out he vpfree2 site.

Just make sure you play only the 9/6 version. Worse versions are found everywhere. One thing about video poker than isn't true for most other casino games is that the best-paying games are just as much fun as the worse ones. Table games that are gimmicky and/or have high-paying, tempting "bonus bets" always pay much worse than the vanilla versions of those games. With slots, the biggest, newest, flashiest ones always pay much worse than the others.

So if you play only the best VP games, you're saving money without costing yourself anything in Fun Factor. If your friends want to play at the Golden Nugget, tell them you're going next door to the 4Q. (The GN has quite possibly the worst VP games downtown.)

I also want to mention that you can use the LVA and ACG coupon books combined to vacuum up about $100 worth of free play and other bonuses downtown, which works well with doing a tour of the various casinos. Pop in, play the free play, cash out, go next door, repeat. It's a fun way to spend an afternoon.

Yes, I just got my LVA coupon book in the mail today and hopefully should have my ACG later this week.  Thanks for all the great information.