Video Poker - Other Games

1 = 0.926273 + 0.00002537*j
j = (1-0.926273)/ 0.00002537 = 2,906.

The 2,906 is measured in bet units. For a $1 machine ($5 total bet) the breakeven point would be $5*2,906 = $14,530. So, $12,000 is still a long way away from break-even. Before some perfectionist writes me, as the progressive goes up, the optimal strategy will change, to be more aggressive towards playing for royals. My answer assumes the player follows the same 6/5 optimal strategy the entire time.

A simple approximation for any 52-card video poker game is to add 0.5% for every extra 1,000 coins in the meter. In the case of a $10,100 meter, that is $6,100 higher than a non-progressive. It is a dollar game, so that is 6,100 coins, so add 0.5% × (6,100/1,000) = 3.05% to the base return. The base return is 92.63%, so the total return could be approximated as 94.66% + 3.05% = 97.71%. The actual return for a $10,100 meter is 97.75%, so pretty close.

The following table shows for each initial hand the pre-double win, pre-double probability, number of doubles required, post-double win, and probability achieving the post-double win, including the $250 bonus. The lower right cell shows a return of 115.5%. You will get a jackpot every 297 hands on average, with an average jackpot of $1,717.46.

To the best of my knowledge, the loosest video poker game in Vegas is the 101.60% 5¢ Loose Deuces game at the Fitzgeralds. It is located upstairs, near the sports book.

Update: This answer was correct at the time of writing. However, said machine has since disappeared. See my Ask the Wizard #292 for the new loosest video poker machine in Vegas.

The standard deviation is 13.58! That is over three times as high as 9-6 Jacks or Better at 4.42.

However, if you limit me to games that are easy to find, my nomination is Triple Double Bonus, with a standard deviation of 9.91. Here is that pay table.

This question was raised and discussed in the forum of my companion site Wizard of Vegas.

I might add that if you start playing 4000-coin jackpot strategy at exactly a 7,281.8 jackpot, you can expect to profit 201.18 bets. However, if you took the time to learn the strategy changes for a 7,281.8 coin jackpot, then your expected profit would be 234.31 coins.

On a related note, I just finished reading The Secret World of Video Poker Progressives by Frank Kneeland. This book has lots of formulas for much more complicated progressive situations, as well as practical advice and stories based on his years running a team of progressive hunters. I recommend it for advantage progressive video poker players.

You found the source of the confusion. Video poker strategy depends on the exact pay table. The strategy you were reading was for 13/4/3 Bonus Deuces Wild, while the practice game you were playing used 9/4/4. Those numbers refer to the payouts for a straight flush, four of a kind, and a full house, respectively.

Deuce plus suited 6-8. For the dealt hand 2♦ 6♥ 8♥ K♣ Q♠, the expected returns per unit bet are:

The higher straight-flush payout makes the three-card draw worthwhile under 13/4/3. Under 9/4/4, holding only the deuce is better for this hand. The warning you received was consistent with the pay table you were playing.

Two pair with no deuces. Two pair does not pay by itself in this game. If you hold both pairs, eight of the 47 possible replacement cards produce a full house: the four deuces and the four remaining cards matching the two pair ranks.

• When a full house pays 3, holding both pairs returns 24/47 = 0.510638. Holding one pair is better, so two pair is deliberately absent from the 13/4/3 strategy list.
• When a full house pays 4, holding both pairs returns 32/47 = 0.680851. That beats holding either single pair, so two pair appears at number 12 on the 9/4/4 “No Deuce Dealt” list.

Four to a flush with one deuce. The same pay-table difference explains these warnings. On the 9/4/4 strategy list, every one-deuce four-card flush draw ranks above holding only the deuce. The 13/4/3 list is more selective, including the deuce plus suited 4-5-10 and 7-9-A combinations you mentioned.

For the 9/4/4 game, use the 9/4/4 Bonus Deuces Wild strategy. Its exceptionless strategy returns 99.4464%.

We now also offer a 13/4/3 Bonus Deuces Wild practice game, which you can use with the matching 13/4/3 strategy. Always match the strategy to the pay table displayed on the game.

You were right on both counts. We corrected the Major Multipliers return tables. The correct figures are:

NSU Deuces Wild: The old 95.4439% feature return belonged to 6/5 Bonus Poker Deluxe and had been copied into the wrong row.

Deuces Wild Bonus: The old 97.3644% base return and 97.3986% feature return resulted from a misplaced pay-table row. A 10-4-4-3 row that is not offered on the game had been inserted, and the 13-4-3-3 figures had been omitted. The wild royal was not the cause; every return in that section uses a wild royal payout of 25.

The five Deuces Wild Bonus pay tables offered on Major Multipliers are 9-4-4-3, 13-4-3-3, 10-4-3-3, 12-4-3-2, and 10-4-3-2. All five now show the correct returns.

We confirmed the corrected figures with Action Gaming, which designed the game, and checked every base return with our own calculations. Thank you for catching these errors.