Some Confusion about Video Poker

By some comments, it looks I need to emphasize again that there is no one casino that would be “best” for every player.  Recently there was a lot of discussion here and all over the Internet about whether the Stations new players club was “good” for players.  And I said then that the increased value for base points was a big improvement, that the .3% (formerly .1%) now matched the percentages of Silverton and South Point. 

But when a wise VP player is looking for a “good” play, he looks at many factors.  He will add the EV of the base game plus all the extras:  bonus points, comps, promotions, drawings, bounce-back free play or cash.  He might also consider things like casino location, atmosphere, and amenities.   He also will have to take into consideration the size of his bankroll and how well he knows the strategies of various games.

So you see why we aren’t all playing the same games at the same casino!

Also, during this recent discussion period, someone mentioned that he didn’t notice the Stations changing any VP paytables so how could they talk about “loosening up” their machines.  He wondered if that was legal.  Well, he probably hadn’t looked at every VP machine in every one of the 14 Station casinos – before and after the players club revamping.  With thousands and thousands of machines, that would have been an impossible task!

Short answer – in Nevada (and many other regulated jurisdictions) the return of a VP machine can’t be changed – “loosened” or “tightened” – without a change in the paytable.  That can happen with a slot machine, but not a VP machine!  So rest easy, my doubting friends.  What you see – the paytable – is what you get – albeit in the long run, which can be very very long!