Reason #3 why the Wizard likes Bovada:

Excellent Odds

In my opinion many online casinos are too stingy when setting the odds on their games. They think they will make more money that way but I believe they are misguided, because when players lose too quickly it’s not fun, and those players might not come back.

Bovada is one of the few casinos that understands this. They offer generous odds to let you play longer and get you a better chance of winning. Among their generous offerings are Full-Pay Jacks or Better returning 99.54%, six other video poker games paying over 99%, single-zero roulette, and my favorite, Pick ’em Poker, returning 99.95%!

Kudos to Bovada for not being afraid to give their players a good gamble.

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Jumbo Bingo Progressive

Last Update: Apr 01, 2008

The Station Casinos, including the Fiestas, offer four different progressive keno jackpots, on the pick 6 to pick 9. The bet amount is always $1. The following tables show the expected return at the minimum jackpot amounts for catching every pick.

Pick 6

The pick 6 jackpot starts at a $2,500. The expected return at any given time is 40.30%, plus 32.25% for every $2,500 in the meter. The expected return at the minimum jackpot of $2,500 is 76.61%. At a jackpot of $4,623.80, the odds swing to the player’s favor.

Pick 6
CatchPaysCombinationsProbabilityReturn
6 2500 38760 0.000129 0.322462
5 70 930240 0.003096 0.216695
4 2 8575650 0.028538 0.057076
3 1 39010800 0.12982 0.12982
2 0 92650650 0.308321 0
1 0 109230240 0.363495 0
0 0 50063860 0.166602 0
Total 300500200 1 0.726052

Pick 7

The pick 7 jackpot starts at a $10,500. The expected return at any given time is 44.98%, plus 24.40% for every $10,000 in the meter. The expected return at the minimum jackpot of $10,500 is 69.38%. At a jackpot of $22,548.54, the odds swing to the player’s favor.

Pick 7
CatchPaysCombinationsProbabilityReturn
7 10000 77520 0.000024 0.244026
6 200 2325600 0.000732 0.146415
5 15 27442080 0.008639 0.129578
4 1 165795900 0.052191 0.052191
3 0 555903900 0.174993 0
2 0 1037687280 0.326654 0
1 0 1001277200 0.315193 0
0 1 386206920 0.121574 0.121574
Total 3176716400 1 0.693784

Pick 8

The pick 8 jackpot starts at a $50,500. The expected return at any given time is 50.97%, plus 21.73% for every $50,000 in the meter. The expected return at the minimum jackpot of $50,000 is 72.70%. At a jackpot of $112,825.38, the odds swing to the player’s favor.

Pick 8
CatchPaysCombinationsProbabilityReturn
8 50000 125970 0.000004 0.217283
7 1500 4651200 0.00016 0.240683
6 75 68605200 0.002367 0.177504
5 5 530546880 0.018303 0.091513
4 0 2362591575 0.081504 0
3 0 6226123680 0.214786 0
2 0 9512133400 0.328146 0
1 0 7724138400 0.266464 0
0 0 2558620845 0.088266 0
Total 28987537150 1 0.726982

Pick 9

The pick 9 starts at a $60,000. The expected return at any given time is 70.22%, plus 4.35% for every $60,000 in the meter. The expected return at the minimum jackpot of $60,000 is 70.22%. At a jackpot of $471,122,03, the odds swing to the player’s favor.

Pick 9
CatchPaysCombinationsProbabilityReturn
9 60000 167960 0.000001 0.043457
8 3000 7558200 0.000033 0.097777
7 300 137210400 0.000592 0.177504
6 30 1326367200 0.00572 0.171587
5 3 7560293040 0.032601 0.097804
4 1 26461025640 0.114105 0.114105
3 0 57072800400 0.246109 0
2 0 73379314800 0.316426 0
1 0 51172416900 0.220666 0
0 0 14783142660 0.063748 0
Total 231900297200 1 0.702234

Break-Even Points

Finally, here is a handy table showing the break-even points for all four games. If you see any jackpot above these amounts, then the odds will be in your favor.

Break-Even Points
PickBreak-Event Point
6 $4,623.87
7 $22,548.53
8 $112,825.38
9 $471,122.03