More on Using the Double Up Feature

There was a thread on videopoker.com recently discussing whether using the double up feature on a video poker game changed the return on the game.

The general consensus among the knowledgeable posters (whom I respect) was:

1. Using double up doesn’t affect the total number of expected coins lost. But since you’re betting more money to get the same money return, your percentage loss will be lower.

2. It is basically inconsequential.

There were some other opinions posted by players who aren’t very knowledgeable (yet). That’s okay. It takes time to understand the various nuances of video poker and each of us have to learn these things one at a time. There were also opinions posted by players who will never be knowledgeable. That’s typical of all public forums.

With all that said, there are some special circumstances under which the double up feature DOES affect your actual return — when these circumstances are in play. These circumstances are relatively rare, but they occur often enough that you should generally be aware of them “in case.”

First, some casinos include “time on device” as something that matters. One example (at a casino that currently doesn’t have the double up feature turned on but possibly could be persuaded to do so) is Harrah’s in New Orleans. When you have an offer that includes airfare reimbursement, they require two hours of play before they will pay you.

If you play two hours at 99.73%, that involves a bigger expected loss than if you played 1.5 hours at that game and 0.5 hours in the double up mode. Other casinos want you to play four hours a day to qualify for something. Using the double up mode means you have the same expected loss for less coin-in.

You could generate the same expected results by just slowing down. Instead of playing 600 hands per hour, for example, play only 450 hands per hour. No casino is going to come up to you and say “play faster.” Still, many video poker players don’t want to slow down. Using the double up feature allows you to slow down (in terms of expected loss) while still playing just as fast (in terms of hands per hour.)

Using the double up feature when there is a bonus for W2Gs or other jackpots of a certain size is a second situation where real EV is added. On April 15 of this year, a few casinos in downtown Las Vegas offered a 28% bonus on all W2Gs. If you were playing video poker, and the double up option was either offered or they could be talked into turning it on, using the double up feature would provide positive EV.

Almost two decades ago, Treasure Island (which has changed owners at least twice since then and is now called TI), ran a promotion where you got a “drawing ticket” for each W2G generated — and they DID have the double up option active. I don’t remember what each drawing ticket was worth, but it wasn’t trivial and many of the savviest players were playing on double up machines. (I wasn’t among the savvy players at that time. I’m far more knowledgeable today.)

I know it’s been awhile since they did this. But you never know when marketing directors will come up with a “new idea” (to them) which allows those players who’ve been around the block a few times to gain an advantage.

If you get lots of W2Gs, you’re used to dealing with them. If you only get a few, there are real costs associated with which can easily outweigh their benefits. Some states have pretty harsh penalties for W2Gs , so this promotion wouldn’t be such a good thing there. Still, the possibility is worth considering on a case by case basis.

One last example comes to mind — and it involves tipping. A casino offered the W2G feature only when you hit a jackpot of $1,200 or higher. A friend of mine tipped $5 for every jackpot between $1,250 (the lowest possible on the game he was playing) and $5,000. So if he got a $1,250 jackpot, he’d double up twice. Three out of four times he’d end up with zero. One out of four times he’d end up with $5,000, which he’d claim. This reduced the price of tips from $5 per jackpot to $1.25 per jackpot.

While that might well be argued to be in the “inconsequential” category, it was still positive EV for my friend to use the double up feature in this case!

Do these counter-examples mean the knowledgeable posters on vpFREE were wrong? No, not at all. Within the parameters of the problem they were addressing, they were correct. I merely set out examples where there might be some exceptions to consider.