Question of the Day - 16 July 2020

Before attending my first Dancer vp class at the Silverton, that was many moons ago, I never even realized there were different pay schedules or that the machine was actually dealing from a deck of cards. One player I talked to knew that some schedules were better than others but played one coin on a dollar machine because the quarter schedules in that casino we’re so much worse. That was the best reason I heard of. I referred him to another casino right down the street and the casino we were in lost a customer. Got to do reconnaissance.

There are tons of poor players at the various games casinos offer. Many people don't want to work to learn the correct way to play, they might be lazy or feel that it is too hard or they don't think it would do any good (which is often just an excuse to keep from doing the work of learning). In a lot of ways a casino is like a bookie. The casino takes the money from all the players that lose, they pay some of it to the few players that win and keep what's left over. When you win you're getting money that someone else has lost. All of the casino games have a winning edge or advantage for the casino. It's up to the player to reduce that edge as much as possible and that comes from knowledge about how to best play the game. Those blackjack strategy cards work and they are easy to use. So it's surprising many players don't bother using one until they learn how to properly play. Blackjack isn't hard to learn, those that won't learn it won't do the effort to learn proper video poker play.

I've actually had a player say to me 'I win more when I play 4 coin then when I play 5.' My only thought is that person never gets Royals.  But everyone is different. Though my brother and I come from the same parents, we are so different.(Our spouses don't gamble so we gamble in Chicagoland and Vegas together.) I usually play quarters (the dude plays $10 games? And he thinks he's the norm?) but I will play $1 and have had many Royals, including progressive Royals to not want to play 5 coin at a time. My brother will only play $1 on $1 poker and is oh so happy with $50 or $80 on a 4oak. One year we were at the Venetian on his birthday and he got one Royal for $250 and one for $400. A happier man you never saw (the birthday drinks helped with that!) I'd of been kicking myself the whole night if that happened to me. We're all different.

rokgpsman is about 99.8% correct that the casino has an advantage on every game in the house.  There is one bet that has absolutely no house advantage---the odds bet at craps BUT (notice that is a big BUT) to make that bet you have to make a pass line, don't pass, come bet, or lastly a don't come bet to make the only bet in the house with no house edge. The house edge on the above pass and come line bets is 1.4% (rounded).  The more odds you can take, the lower the house vig is when averaged over the total bet made and can be lowered to 1% or lower--the more odds you can take the lower the house edge.  Just saying.

The "obvious" solution is, either they don't notice that a Royal Flush pays 800-1 if you play maximum coins and only 125-1 if you don't, or they figure that they'll never hit a Royal, so it doesn't really matter what the odds are. Of course, this is the mentality of somebody playing a Megabucks, or Wheel of Fortune progressive, slot but not putting in max coins because "what is the chance of my hitting the jackpot anyway?".

There's a second, less likely, possibility; they don't want to run the risk of getting a $1200 or higher win that triggers a W-2G. Then again, I don't think I've every seen a 25c VP machine where the progressive was ever that high.

I had the same thought as Donzack, about differences in pay tables.

Another reason might be short-term vs. long-term rewards. You’ll hit a pair of jacks way more often than a royal. So, a player at a $10 machine might feel like a “big winner” when they hit a flush on a $10 machine, while they don’t get that “jackpot” feeling from a $1 machine unless they hit a royal flush.  Yes, in the long run, they’ll do better playing 5 coins on $1. But the “big” wins will be spaced farther apart. 

While I agree that playing max coin is the only way to go there are some quibbles I have with the response:

1. Good pay schedules no longer exist.
2. Points earned on a player's club card have been cut way back on video poker machines.
3. Club points only help if you are doing a lot of gambling - they are worthless to the casual gambler. If you come to Las Vegas once a year for a few days and only gamble a few $100 (this describes most Las Vegas visitors) then the club gives you no benefit.

IMHO the ONLY people for whom video poker is an advantage game are those who play it a lot. Whereas (pointed out above by another poster) anyone can put down a pass line bet and take full odds.

I made those mistakes when I first started playing. Got burned on those less than max at least twice.  In my defense sometimes it was to preserve a limited bankroll.  

LVA... Well put! Let them be. Or in other words, mind your business!!! One of the dumbest questions ever.

Another reason some people play fewer coins is that you may find a much better pay table for higher denominations.  Depending on the improvement in the pay table, it might be better to play 1 coin on a $1 denom than 5 coins on quarters.

Just to accent Steve's comment, occasionally there might be a logical mathematical reason to not always play max coin.  Some casinos have actually removed full pay on the royal flush.  So, Bob Dancer's answer is certainly outstanding with the disclosure that financial strategy regarding max bets is applicable only when there is full pay on the royal flush.

Where can you find the only pay schedules that the "pros" think you should play? Please point them out to me, because I don't see good ones anymore. The real question is...How much % do you lose by playing less than max coins? And how much do you gain back by playing a better pay schedule because you play a higher level? As a few have stated, your bankroll often dictates what you can comfortably play, and some of us like playing VP AND play correct strategy, but can't afford to play like the pros. It still pays better than regular slots. And it's more fun to have some control over the outcome. Does that make me a poor player? Maybe, but I would be a worse player if I overbet my bankroll.

Some people do not trust that the odds don’t change when you play higher coin in.

I.E. they think they are going to be less likely to hit a Royal when playing max coins because the casino doesn’t want to pay out the jackpot. Ditto for max coins on regular time slots. They don’t trust that the odds don’t change. 

Ray and others:  You see it every month in the LVA newsletter - https://www.vpfree2.com/

The statement "The best video poker players attack the game intelligently They pay attention to pay schedules, slot clubs and promotions" is true. The statement "The best video poker players always play maximum coins" is false. The statement about playing maximum coin that would be true is "IF THEY HAVE A BIG ENOUGH BANKROLL, the best video poker players always play maximum coins." This mistake is constantly made by people who are well-off financially & can't imagine not having enough bankroll to play max coin. The fact is, tens of millions of Americans don't have a big enough bankroll because they're barely getting by, and  that includes millions of senior citizens who are retired & living off Social Security. For them, it's a joy to just be able to take a trip to Vegas & experience the bright lights & the sounds of the machines, so playing just 1 or 2 coins per hand in video poker is OK because it's all they can afford to play. A short-coin royal will be appreciated & enjoyed.

I have been playing for over 20 years at 1.25 but only full pay deuces or jokers. Fun while it lasted 101% jokers wow. Over $40 K win during the good times total. Now break even fun and free rooms and food.

Screw VP. It's heyday has passed long ago. Hone your skills and play skill games in the casino. Titles include Texas Tea pinball,  Cleopatra pinball,  Centipede,  Space Invaders,  Race Ace among others. The typical 3 different levels of progressive meters are accessible via the help screen.  Only play when the meters are chubby. If you have no skill then learn how to play AP games like all the Chinese do. VP is done but BD can't tell you that because he makes his living off telling people to play perfect when the truth is that opportunity has pretty much went the way of the Passenger Pigeon. Good luck finding real VP opportunities!😥