Video Poker

VIDEO POKER: Rounders of the Machines

You may have seen the 1998 movie “Rounders” starring Matt Damon and John Malkovich where two friends need to win big money playing poker to pay off a large debt. In the old days, say mid-seventies, players traveled from city-to-city looking for poker games (some, but not all, high stakes) because it wasn’t legitimized like it is today. They had to make the “rounds”, thus the name “rounders”. There’s still a form of it today that includes poker, video poker and even slots.

Poker Rounders: You’ll still find players making the rounds, especially in high-stakes poker games, looking for the proverbial easy mark. As Amarillo Slim said, “Look around the table. If you don’t see a sucker, get up immediately, because you’re the sucker.” That’s just one reason why it’s a bad idea to get into a poker game with unknown players.

Slot Rounders: It may surprise you to know there are cleaver slot machine rounders and those adept at the game can make a good profit. That’s because almost every casino has “must go” jackpots which are even better than straight slot progressives because they’re more predictable. With a progressive the prize continues to grow as more money is poured into the device by many players, but there is no guarantee that it will go at any time in the near future. Truly a dangerous crapshoot. With the “must go” jackpots the device will indicate the amount at which the jackpot is automatically rewarded. When it gets close to that amount find a seat. For example, if the amount is $5,000 and you notice it’s at $4,980 or a similar amount, then it’s going to be a win for you as long as you can afford to hang in there until it hits the $5,000 limit. (Note that it will probably hit before the limit, but is guaranteed at $5,000.) Good luck finding a seat, however, because the “rounders” will be playing and even making phone calls to “team” members to chop the pot when it hits.

Video Poker (VP) Rounders: Just like the slot rounders, VP rounders focus primarily on progressive jackpots. The downside is that you will rarely, if ever, find a “must go” amount on VP games. Mostly, you’ll have to toss the dice and play until you run out of bankroll or the stomach to handle any more losses. Be aware that if the progressive is only on the royal flush (RF) the game becomes very volatile (risky to your bankroll) because the RF is a longshot.

Main Game: Unlike traditional slots, with video poker there’s a skill component and you can know with certainty both the volatility and ER. You will need a bigger bankroll for a high-risk game, say Double-Double Bonus (DDB), than a game with less volatility, like 9/6 Jacks or Better (9/6 JOB). In addition, you should use tutorial software to determine the ER before making a VP choice. There are still some excellent main games around, but you have to be diligent to find them and keep the specific locations to yourself. One example is 8/5 Bonus Poker (8/5BP, ER 99.1660%, ER 20.9040) is still available in a Vegas casino and on a progressive RF meter. Make sure you check pay schedules carefully, because some fake BP games pay even money instead of double your wager for two pair.

Progressive Meter: Although this will be a “guesstimate” on VP devices, especially if they are progressive on several hands (DDB for, example, may be progressive on RFs as well as Four-of-a-Kinds). You can determine the RF amount that gives you even money in advance by using tutorial software or referring to my book, “The Video Poker Edge”, where the process is clearly explained.

Glitches: You may find glitches on VP pay schedules by looking at the pay table on the machine and using tutorial software to determine the ER. Sometimes when the game is set up it pays more for a given hand than intended. Eventually their error will be corrected, but in the meantime it’s a good play and rounders will take advantage of it until it’s changed.

Final Thoughts: Nowadays good plays for felt games, traditional slots and video poker devices are few and far between. You have to be somewhat of a “rounder”, even if it’s just casing out your neighborhood casinos, to make a profit. You should be patient and look around the casino for all options available because they will change on progressive devices, both VP and traditional slots, with each visit. Rounders in Las Vegas and other casino hubs will find a bigger selection of advantage plays if they are patient and take the time to check out several gambling floors.

by LINDA BOYD

Linda Boyd is a long-time table game player before turning to video poker, writes for “Southern Gaming and Destinations”, “Arizona Player” and the latest edition of “American Casino Guide”. Boyd’s book, “The Video Poker Edge”, includes free removable pay schedules and her free strategy cards for the most popular games.

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