The Video Poker Machine: The Golden Age
Image source: Peter Mai / CC BY-SA via Wikimedia Commons
Of all the games in the casino, probably the video poker machine is the only one that can give to 100 RTP. If you have the skills, patience and find the right machines, then you can get pretty close to 100% RTP. For example, Full-pay or Betters offer a 99.54% RTP. But if you hunt down these machines then 100% is possible:
Full-Pay Deuces Wild = 100.76% RTP
10/7 Double Bonus = 100.17% RTP
10/6 Double Double Bonus = 100.07% RTP
As you know, casinos don’t like winners, hence they hunt down card counters and escort them off the premises. With the above video poker machine, you should be able to win without attracting the ire of the casino’s security. So, the question on everyone’s lips is; can you play these games with any jackpot winning strategies and crush the casino? Both the short and the long answers are “no” you can’t. In fact, with any positive expectation game, you’ll only end up with some pocket change. Making profits large enough to live on, well, that ship sailed some years ago.
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The Golden Age of Video Poker
Along with flared trousers and long hair and sideburns on guys, video poker first appeared in land-based casinos in the 1970s. But it took a while to catch on. It wasn’t until the 1980’s that the video poker machine started to kick off in earnest. The new combination of player strategy, large payouts, and machine-based play all helped improve the games popularity. Over the following couple f decades, video poker experienced a surge in demand. And casinos became so confident in their offerings that they even put out some positive variants, including jackpot slots. Most players had no idea that there was a correct way to play these machines, especially if you wanted to see a profit. And that’s why casinos had no fear about rolling out high paying machines.
As time passed, casino started to offer better comps and the video poker machine could also take higher and higher coinage denominations. There were a number of casino based video poker machine games that now accepted coins and could deliver over 100% RTP.
Poker Pros Made Solid Profits
Back in the 1980’s and 90’s, to be a skilled player meant lots and lots of practice. There was no internet where you could simply find a YouTube tutorial video to follow. Those few players who put in the effort, could really pull some bank. They benefited from the large payouts coupled with plentiful comps. Here’s the math on how much a good player could make with Deuces Wild back then:
800 hands per hour
$5 bet per hand (five coins at $1)
800 x 5 = $4,000 wagered per hour
76% player’s edge on full-pay Deuces Wild
4,000 x 0.0076 = $30.40 in playing profits
1% comp rate
4,000 x 0.001 = $4 in comps
$30.40 + $4 = $34.40 in hourly profits
Playing Video Poker Machines with Quarters
800 hands per hour is a fast rate. However, some experienced players log more than 1,000 hands each hour. They were also games which relied on quarters. They offered an RTP of 103.2%. So yet another way to make profit. Here’s how much the average winning player could make on such variations:
800 hands per hour
$1.25 bet per hand (five coins at $0.25)
800 x 1.25 = $1,000 wagered per hour
20% player’s edge
1,000 x 0.032 = $32 in playing profits
1% comp rate
4,000 x 0.001 = $4 in comps
$32 + $4 = $36 in hourly profits
Yes, we’ll agree that $36 may not be enough to make you rich. However, it’s enough to offer a solid living. There were pro players who could play over 1,000 in an hour. And then they’d be earning around $40 per hour. This could go up considerably, if you played on days with special promotions, like double or triple comp points promotions. On the whole,m casinos were making enough bank, that the odd video poker layer making a profit was nothing to worry about.
Why the Golden Age of The Video Poker Machine Ended
Unfortunately, this golden age of the video poker machine came to an end There were a number of reasons, including that casinos were starting to see lesser profits from these machines. Also, they lowered the level of comps. Video poker machines with a positive EV started to disappear, along with those games that offered anything above a 100% RTP. In the late 2000s a severe recession swept through the Americas, severely curtailing income spending in casinos. people just didn’t have the spare cash to pay for a visit to Atlantic City or Las Vegas.
This led to the emergence of more localized gambling establishments, which also led to an increase in competition between casinos. So they started to look for financial leaks in their infrastructure. They also did away with +EV games and other gimmicks that had been used previously to try and draw in customers. To try and make up the difference casinos started to offer a more rounded entertainment experience. This is the age when we saw the emergence of shows, night clubs, shopping malls, and fine dining, all thrown into the casino mix.
And gone were those profitable +EV games. These days the only place you can find full pay Deuces Wild is tucked away in corners of Vegas.
What is Video Poker Like Today?
You’re going to struggle to find any casinos that still offer games like Jacks or Better. As we said above, you’ll need to trawl through the floor offerings at some Las Vegas casinos. But even if you do strike lucky, gone are the days of receiving big payouts. Today’s video poker machine is a mixture of poor rewards and low denominations. Here’s how much you’d stand to earn with full-pay Deuces Wild:
You play 800 hands per hour
800 x 1.25 = $1,000 wagered an hour
76% player’s edge
1,000 x 0.0076 = $7.60 in playing profits
Comp rate is 0.05%
1,000 x 0.0005 = $0.50 in comps
You make $8.10 per hour
Sure, earning $8 per hour playing a video poker machine is nice. But having to play at this blazing rate, whilst maintaining a perfect strategy, quickly becomes work. Then times that by 40 hours each week in order to make a living, and you’ll quickly see that there are plenty of other more profitable ventures out there. In fact, on this pay scale, you’ll be earning around $324 per week. And there’s no way you could hope to live in Las Vegas on that miserly figure.
Should You Still Bother?
Well, at least you can see now that the chances of making a living as a professional video poker machine player are nill. If you put your mind to it, you might be lucky enough to make around $200 per week. You’re going to be living off your parents or significant other whilst spending your every waking hour at the casino. We feel that such efforts would start to get old pretty fast. We suggest that you continue to play video poker machines because you enjoy it. But forget any pretense of turning professional. There just isn’t the cash there. Realistically, you’re around 20 years too late.
You can still take playing the video poker machine seriously. After all, $8 per hour is something! But just not as your primary source of income. Even fast-food workers are going to scoff at you. Those days of earning $30 per hour have gone the way of the Dodo, and we will not be seeing they’re likes again.
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