Plaza Video Poker MRO

Nice!  The Joker Poker doesn't give you points, right?

No points. I've visited there a couple of times and was surprised to find the machine unoccupied.

Joker Poker has always been my favorite game, so the opportunity to play it was great. I wouldn't mess with the LVA coupon if I saw that that game was available.

You do have to follow some counterintuitive strategy, which is kind of hard to track down online these days. Stuff like never hold the Joker alone, and such. Basically, one strategy when you're dealt the Joker, and one when you're not.

It's also only $0.25 play.

Yeah, but if that machine had offered the FPJW in 50 cent or higher denoms, it would have long ago been taken out back and beaten into splinters with sledgehammers. After all, at that denom, a skilled player could make as much as $14 an hour from it! Unacceptable!!

If playing with the $500 slot credit coupon. What is the best way to play? Is one best advised to keep the same play strategy as they otherwise would, or is it better to "play for the royal"? 

If you mean going for the Royal to get the $500 FP with the MRB coupon, that would be an interesting question for the QOD.    I don't think you actually give them the coupon until you hit the Royal, so I think you would play for the royal.  Would be interesting to hear other thoughts. 

Yes. That is what I mean. 

A royal, depending on the game, comprises 2.2 to 2.4% of the total return. So if you're playing a .50 denom game, the coupon adds between 0.55 and 0.6% to your overall return. A .25 game, twice that.

Recalling my occasional bouts with +EV progressives, both the inflection point where a game turns positive and that where your strategy should change hover at about a 35% increase to the royal, depending on the game. So that suggests to me that your strategy should change if you're playing quarters but not higher denoms.

I also should add that at the first inflection point, the strategy adjustments are small and infrequent and have minimal effects on your play--stuff like holding AQ suited instead of AQJ10. You only start really implementing significant strategy changes when the royal is increased by about 70%.

Not making the strategy changes at the first inflection point --which, again, the coupon barely carries you past if you're playing quarters--will cost you about 0.02 to 0.03% and slightly prolong your play, depending on the game you're playing. I wouldn't bother to learn the strategy changes, especially since if you were going all super-optimal a la Bob Dancer, you should also take penalty cards into consideration.

I hit the Royal at the Sand Dollar the first year the coupon was in the LVA.  Looking back in my photos, I held 3 to the royal, QATh and drew the KJh to win the .25 progressive at $1224.99 playing DDB.  I think I put $300 in at the SD during that trip.

It was pretty simple, when the attendant arrived I showed the coupon (in the book, did not remove) and they took that, wrote down my information and it took them about 20 minutes to return with my handpay and I believe the $500 free play was just added to my card, I don't recall a TITO.

I then went and degenned playing the $500 freeplay on Ultimate X 5 play DDB .25 and converted that into ~$600 cash I believe.

My play is definitely sub-optimal, I am not an AP.  I draw to the Royal at every chance I get and also play TDB badly as I don't always hold the kicker drawing to quads... probably 25% of the time.  Yeah, I know its like drawing to a royal.

Looks like now you have to "present" the coupon to the bartender before playing. I wonder if you get the coupon back if you don't hit the royal?