Best Video Poker Machines To Play
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New players have a hard time picking a video poker machine, mainly because there are hundreds if not thousands of video poker games out there, and all can be played with different pay tables and special rules.
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This article is going to teach you the difference between all the video poker variations and pay tables, so you can choose the best possible machine based on your preferences and personal goal.
Comparing Different Types of Video Poker Games
The first choice you have is which video poker game you will play. There are many variations out there, but there are about a dozen video poker games that are most commonly played.
Easy Games
If you would like to play a simple game that is easy to learn, we recommend playing Jacks or Better. The proper strategy for Jacks or Better is easy to master, and there are no wild cards or bonus payouts to worry about. Jacks or Better is definitely our pick for new players.
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Exciting Games
Some of the more fun video poker games include the wild card games such as Deuces Wild or Joker Poker. You have a much better chance to make a big hand like a Wild Royal Flush or Four of a Kind than in the non-wild card games, so these become really thrilling.
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Some other fun games including Multi-Strike poker, Quick Quads, and Super Times Pay poker. Those three games throw a spin on normal machines, and make them much more fun.
Profitable Games
If you are trying to make money by playing video poker, you will need to play a game that has a 100%+ return. Some games that can pay over 100% include Deuces Wild, Double Bonus, and Double Double Bonus. However, before you can be sure that the game is profitable, you need to check out the pay table on that particular machine. More on that now...
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Comparing Pay Tables on Specific Machines
The next thing you need to check is the pay table on the specific video poker machine you are considering. Although Deuces Wild is inherently a 100%+ game, some casinos choose to use lower paying pay tables which reduce the return to under 100%, thus making it unprofitable.
Once you have decided on a video poker game to play, we recommend heading over to our video poker pay tables section to see how good the pay table on your machine really is.
Other Twists
Besides just the game type and pay table, some machines throw other twists at the player:
Progressive Machines
Progressive machines are positioned together in a bank, and offer a large jackpot for hitting a royal flush. Each progressive machine that is in the bank takes a small cut of each bet you make and puts it into the jackpot. Then, whoever makes a royal flush receives all of the money. From there, the jackpot resets and starts growing all over again.
Progressive machines usually use low-paying pay tables, so they are bad gambles in general. However, once the jackpot reaches a high enough amount, the machine actually becomes profitable. Learn how big the jackpot needs to be at our progressive video poker guide.
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Multi-Hand Machines
Another twist a machine might throw at you is to let you play multiple hands at once. You can play two, three, four, ten, fifty-two, or even one-hundred hands at a time. These games allow you to bet more per hand, but do not change the profitability of the game in any way. Learn more by reading our full guide for multi-hand machines.
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Tourists often have a hard time finding good returns on video poker when visiting Las Vegas. This is mainly because most of the games on the Las Vegas Strip have a house edge of at least 2%. On top of that, the games at McCarran Airport are far worse than any of the games you’ll find at many Vegas casinos. Serious video poker players will want to stay away from the Strip all together when visiting Las Vegas, or at least take a short taxi ride to find the better games with a higher RTP.
While that is the case, there are still many options available to casino advantage players; you just have to know where to look. Below we’ll go into further detail on how you can find the best casinos to play video poker when visiting Las Vegas.
#1 The D: Best Video Poker Game in Las Vegas
The single best video poker machine in Las Vegas is located at one of my personal favorites; The D. The casino at The D is located downtown on the Fremont Street Experience, which you’ll recognize by the infamous red “D” logo. The game we are talking about is called Loose Deuces Wild and it returns 101.6% on five coins (with perfect play).
There is just one single machine with this game on it at The D, and it’s located on the second floor. All machines found on this level operate on coins. The denomination for this Loose Deuces Wild machine is a measly $.05. If that machine is taken, there is also a 10/7/5 Double Bonus game available in quarters just a few steps away.
Honorable Mention: Video Poker at The M Resort & Casino
We recently decided to add in The M Resort & Casino as an honorable mention. As of 2018, The M has one of the best overall video poker offerings for players among casinos in the Las Vegas area. When considering the 99% payback games available at machines around the resort, including at the bars, The M casino in Henderson is a great choice for video poker players.
There are many 99% machines available in the high limit room as well, with denominations as low as $1. This casino is about 20 minutes off the strip, but is one of the newest properties in Henderson and has one of the most modern layouts among Las Vegas Casinos.
Other Great Video Poker Games in Downtown Las Vegas
The D is not the only place on Fremont Street to find good video poker games that return over 100%. While the Vegas Strip’s positive payback video poker machines are few and far between, Fremont Street has a lot to offer in this regard. Below we have outlined the casinos with positive payback on video poker.
#2 El Cortez Video Poker
The El Cortez offers several $0.25 full pay Deuces Wild machines which have a 100.76% payback. Aside from this, they also spread 10/7/5 Double Bonus Poker in several locations on the casino floor. With this abundance of great options, it is one of the best casinos to visit for playing video poker.
#3 Las Vegas Club Video Poker (Now Closed)
The casino at Las Vegas Club in downtown Las Vegas spreads full pay Joker Poker which has a 100.64% return. All of these games operate on coins and return over 100%, which is much better than those located on the strip. This casino has since been sold, closed and a new property will take its place. For posterity and reference, we have left this in our guide.
Best Video Poker Machine To Play In A Casino
#4 Boyd Gaming Video Poker
Two of the three Boyd Gaming properties in downtown Las Vegas offer video poker machines that return over 100%. In downtown Las Vegas, California and Main Street Station have 10/7/5 Double Bonus. These casinos also have a variety of full pay games that return 99.5% or better. Main Street Station has full pay Jacks or Better at the bar as well.
#5 Plaza Las Vegas Video Poker
It is also worth noting that Plaza Las Vegas recently upgraded all of its video poker machines, many of which now return over 100%. Its best game is 10/7/5 Double Bonus, which returns 100.17%. It also has 9/6 Bonus Poker Deluxe and 9/6 Jacks or Better. Both of these games are located at the bar, which is an added plus.
Vegas Locals’ Casinos with the Best Video Poker
If you are looking to get away from Fremont Street and the Las Vegas Strip, there are many locals casinos that offer 100%+ return video poker machines. All major Station Casinos properties offer video poker games that return over 100%. Red Rock, Santa Fe Station, Green Valley Ranch, Boulder Station and Texas Station are among the casinos that offer these games. Not all machines at these properties have the great returns. The ones that do will be clearly advertised, so they are fairly easy to spot.
The best game on these video poker machines is full pay Deuces Wild. Other great options include 10/7/5 Double Bonus and 10/6 Double Double Bonus. Some of the machines also offer full pay Joker Poker. All games are available in quarters. The Double and Double Double Bonus games are also available in $.50 and $1 denominations.
Palms spreads full pay Deuces Wild, Double Bonus and Double Double Bonus. Sam’s Town also offers these games. All are available in quarters.
Poker Machines
Never Use Players Card in Full Pay Machines
When many Video poker players start out, they learn that they should always use a players card when giving video poker action. The games listed above are one of the only exceptions. The reason for this is that casinos will often assume players that play on these devices are experts who are giving up no edge on the game. This can stop all mailers from casinos which means no more free play or hotel offers. For this reason it will do you well to avoid using a players card on these types of machines; even if you have a players card at the casino.
How Can Casinos Make Money Off 100% Video Poker?
Casinos still make money from video poker games that return more than 100%. That is because many players will not play all five coins required for the extra royal flush bonus. Most of the games available require a complicated basic strategy that differs from Jacks or Better. Many players do not put in the time to learn these strategies, and the casinos know this. The Deuces Wild games found on these machines should not be played like a normal game with a lower pay table, since it has a completely different strategy.
For these reasons, casinos still manage to make money from the games we mentioned in this article. Always make sure to play five coins every hand and learn the proper strategy so that you can play at an advantage on full pay machines. This will result in a theoretical 100%+ return on your play.
Video Poker Machines Jacks
Kevin King is a former professional gambler and casino expert from Las Vegas who now shares his expertise in the form of casino guides and reviews.