Generally, I’m going to play the game that returns the most — including slot club, promotions, and mailer. Sometimes, however, I have a choice between a few different games that return about the same amount. Here is my approximate ranking — your mileage may vary.
Hundred Play > Fifty Play > Ten Play > Five Play > Triple Play > single line games. Assuming the same return, the more lines the better. This increases the fun and decreases the variance.
I prefer these over Double Super Times Pay and Super Times Pay. Keep in mind, though, that if it’s the same pay schedule, the DSTP version adds about 0.5% and the STP versions adds half that. These additions more than make up for the fact that these aren’t my favorite games. The reason for my lack of excitement on these games is the speed. Whenever you get a multiplier, it takes five seconds or so for the exact multiplier to be “squeezed” out and made visible. I’d prefer to have that five seconds to play another hand.
Quick Quads > Ultimate X. Since neither game regularly comes in good pay schedules (other than at the South Point), the choice is moot for most people who seriously value winning. Quick Quads has a different strategy — but not a greatly different one. The sound Quick Quads makes when you get a Quick Quads (namely three of a kind where the ranks of the other two cards add up to the rank of the trips) strikes the right level of excitement and non-annoyingness. Ultimate X is a game with a sky-high variance and the strategy for the game is quite a bit different than regular video poker games. You have to be in the mood to play and willing to lose a great amount today, even with a good pay schedule.
Spin Poker is okay, but not nearly as attractive to me as Ten Play.
I usually avoid Dream Card as I find the sound effects annoying.
Multi Strike is an interesting game, but it’s slow. Keeping four strategies straight requires some effort, although it’s not impossible. If I’m playing while tired, though, I’ll sometimes make mistakes on this game.
I prefer slant tops to uprights to bar tops. Bar-top machines, even with good pay schedules, have stickier than average buttons due to drinks being spilled on them. I can play longer on slant tops than I can on uprights.
I prefer adjustable seats to non-adjustable. I am taller than average and prefer a higher chair than average.
Each of these game-types come with several different games. That is, you can find Double Double Bonus, Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, etc., in most of these game types.
Deuces Wild is generally my favorite game. (It doesn’t exist in Quick Quads.) What makes it interesting to me is you never know what you will get. Start with two deuces and you can end up with anything from 3-of-a-kind to four deuces — meaning anywhere from five coins to 1,000 — per line.
Jacks or Better — This game is arguably the simplest and has the lowest variance. Some people get bored with the variance, but not me. Since I’m playing games where the slot club and other goodies give me an advantage, it’s plenty okay just to grind it out.
Double Double Bonus — This is the most popular video poker game in the country. I generally avoid it because it rarely returns more than 99%. When found in a better version, or with a GREAT promotion, this game is fun. Better have your seat belt on though. It has a lot of variance.
I will play other games, of course, if they happen to be the best game at a casino. Exactly which one it is doesn’t matter much to me. If I can learn the strategy, I can play it. If learning additional games doesn’t come easily to you, you might limit your selection to the games you already know.
There are games like Ultimate X Bonus Streak and others where the correct strategy is unknown — at least by me. I do not have the computer programming skills to work it out, and commercially available software does not contain these games. To get good at a game I need a computer to correct me when I make a mistake.
As I said at the beginning, the total return of the game is the most important thing to me. It matters to me not at all if your favorite games are different than mine.
My favorites are at the tables. VP is just a little extra sauce.
bob u said slants r more comfortable.This should be put in capital letters !!!!!!!!! the difference is massive !!!
Agreed.
I prefer games multi video poker games with multiple denominations from quarter to 5 dollars per coin. Most station casinos have these and at sante fe station the circular bar area also has the 10 dollar per coin denomination. I like southpoint but their bar tops only go to 2.00 per coin and the high limt area is extremely low payout for the fullhouse across all games. for a 25.oo bet for example. a full house returns only 7 in bonus poker.
Variance is the spice of video poker. Strictly speaking, intellectually, I have a low spice palate … variance translates to added bankroll risk, and no smart gambler takes on risk without incremental return as a reward.
But variance, unquestionably, can make for a fun ride. One of my favorite combos is a low denom, higher variance game played in a multi-line format. I have exciting memories of playing $.10 Super Double Bonus 50-play (combined with a strong promotion, of course).
As far as other games, I get a particular thrill out of Double Super Times Pay. Unfortunately, paytable offerings are such that I only encounter a game that suits my tastes a couple of times a year. I’m tickled by Quick Quads, but it’s the only game that I’m considerably “in the red” on; I steer clear (simply a case of “thrice bitten, forever shy” 😉 )
Harry Porter Downtown Grand has 10 line 10/6 Double Double Bonus nickels up to quarters.
“Hundred Play > Fifty Play > Ten Play > Five Play > Triple Play > single line games. Assuming the same return, the more lines the better. This increases the fun and decreases the variance.”
I must be doing something horribly wrong since I tried a 10 play bonus poker game on my iPhone and blew through “bankroll” at a rate I’d never seen before.
Were you comparing to playing a single line game at 10 times the bet, or a single game at the same bet size? If the total bets per hand are the same for each game the variance should be quite a bit lower on the 10-play.
If I get your meaning…
A multiline game where you have a dealt hand at the bottom and 9 “empty” hands above.
Whatever you hold at the bottom carries to the remaining 9 lines and then you are dealt 10 “final hands”.
If the bottom hand is a paying hand then the remaining 9 pay no less than what was on the bottom hand (assuming you don’t toss it such as a 4 to a Royal vs a Flush)
This is what I understood Mr. Dancer to be referring to by “hundred pay” etc.
If so then it seems that my mistake is that I didn’t reduce my coin value enough to compensate for the extra hands.
Could be. As Bob and Bob noted, if your total wager on all the hands is the same as what you would wager on one hand of single line play, the variance is less.
For example, you can wager $5 per play by playing $1 single line, 10c 10 play, 2c 50 play, or 1c 100 play. The 1c 100 play will have less variance than the 2c 50 play, which will have less than the 10c 10 play, which will have less than the $1 single line.
However, $1 10 play ($50 per play) has a LOT more variance than $1 single line ($5 per play).
Bob Dancer’s Video Poker For Winners software has to be the top choice to learn new video poker game strategies.
I was playing JOB for decades B-4 I bought that excellent teaching program. I have improved greatly.
Sadly,I no longer want to learn a new game,so I look for 9/6 VP in all casinos that I visit.
ARRITE,you people like slant tops more than bar tops? I’m the other way.
The bar top do make my neck sore,but slant tops make my shoulders sore.
The drink service is at least 80% better/more frequent at bar tops.
Where’s Dave? “He’s at the bar”.
Any thought on choice between multi line full pay jacks or better vs single line nsud deuces? Would you choose deuces because of the higher return vs jacks or better lower variance multi line assuming mailers and slot club are about equal?
Bob. You stated that you did not know the correct strategy nor is commercial software available to analyze a game like Ultimate X Bonus Streak. I’m curious as to how the manufacturer of these kind of games analyzes them prior to putting them on the market. I assume they must have their own computer programs ,which are not available to the public, to analyze these games?
Also, have you ever played or been suspicious that a particular game on a particular machine had a faulty random number generator?
Thanks,
Burt Madden
IGT has some very smart programmers and engineers creating their games. Their home-grown software is capable of analyzing many games that commercial products aren’t.
Sometimes a game comes up that isn’t analyzable by IGT software — so they create new software. They have that capability. I don’t.
The “Wizard of Odds” writes his own software to analyze games, including common so-called “advantage slots” which pretty much every casino has, the games where you can sometimes have an edge.
Dave, I think the preference is slant tops versus uprights. Bar top is a whole different matter. Uprights were the earlier version of VP machines. Slant tops are more comfortable, IMO. Bar tops? I agree with Bob. Bar tops often have sticky buttons, sticky around the buttons; bartenders often indifferent (though I tip well and always playing dollars). Of course some bartenders are better than others, but often they just seem tired and…indifferent. Standing same space all day probably doesn’t help.
There is now commercially available software for iOS and Android that covers all ultimate x games and 3 handed ultimate x bonus streak.
Where is such software available?