We remember those days. A certain group of players would go back-and-forth between their tournament tables and the Pick 'Em games (which were also available at the Star Trek bar). Pick 'Em has a devoted following, because it's different, fun, and has a 99.95% return rate when played optimally.
For those who don't know this game, you're dealt four cards. From them, you're forced to keep the first two, and must choose one (and only one) from the second two. Once you choose ("pick 'em"), the machine deals two more cards to make your 5-card hand. The paytable starts at a pair of 9s or better and looks like this (for the 99.95% payout).
| Hands | 1-coin | 5-coin |
| Royal Flush | 1,000 | 6,000 |
| Straight Flush | 200 | 1,999 |
| 4-of-a-Kind | 100 | 600 |
| Full House | 18 | 90 |
| Flush | 15 | 75 | Straight | 11 | 55 |
| 3-of-a-kind | 5 | 25 |
| Two pair | 3 | 15 |
| 9s or better | 2 | 10 |
Notice the heightened payouts (this is an 18/15 game, baby), and that bonuses for 5-coin play are paid on the RF, SF, and quads, as opposed to just on the RF as in most games. The paying hands are juicy, but they come in much less frequently than on standard video poker games.
We called the Hilton and were told that while the game had indeed been taken out, it had since been "brought back by popular demand" and is currently available in the sports book. We checked, and it's true that the game is back, but not with the above schedule. Several short-pay versions of Pick 'Em were subsequently introduced (the pros call them "Slim Pick 'Ems"), and two of these make up the inventory at the Hilton. At the bar, you'll find Pick' Em's semi-evil twin Pick-a-Pair, with a schedule that returns 98.74%. Not horrible, but also not the real deal. The GameKings on the floor have quarter Pick 'Em, but only with a payback below 98%.
We asked Bally Gaming, the original developers of Pick 'Em, about the game's current availability. Bally gave us this response:
"Pick 'Em Poker is part of the GameMaker multi-game suite, which is widely distributed at casinos throughout the country. While there are some stand-alone Pick 'Em video slots out there, the vast majority of the Pick 'Em games can be found on GameMakers. We would therefore encourage your readers to look for our GameMaker multi-game video slots. I'm sure they will find a lot of these games at various Las Vegas area casinos."
Yes, but the games you'll find have the lesser-paying schedules.
So, back to the question, are there any of the original Pick 'Em games remaining in Las Vegas? According to our Best Video Poker listings, only two places in all of Las Vegas still have the game: Fremont and Greek Isles (both are for quarters).
Check the listings and click through to vpFREE2 for the exact locations of these games (there's only one at Greek Isles). And if you like this game, Bob Dancer has a strategy card for the game that will help you hit that 99.95%.
