Are Good Video Poker Games Available?

Is Any Playable Video Poker Left?

From Lee in Minnesota

Hi Stickman,

I have been playing video poker in casinos for the last 25 years or so. I live in Minnesota so I go to my local Indian casinos most of the time. I also go to Vegas once or twice a year.

The Minnesota casinos have always had lousy games, but that is to be expected when there is no real competition.

But things seem to have taken a turn for the worse when it comes to video poker returns in Vegas. I used to be able to find near 100 percent and even more than 100 percent returns from time to time.

That is no longer the case, it seems. Often, the best game I can find is 8/5 jacks or better returning a little over 97 percent. I can tolerate bad returns from local casinos because it doesn’t cost me much to get there and back, but the conditions in Vegas are making it difficult for me to justify me taking a trip there.

You obviously play a good deal more than I do in Vegas. Do you have any advice for me?

Lee

Hi Lee,

Video poker is not the same opportunity it was years ago. That is a fact. Casinos are driven by profits. Shareholders demand improved profits. Those profits are expected to improve each quarter.

They no longer care about relationships (unless you are a very high roller). They care about how much money they can take from you each time you visit the casino. If they burn you out and you do not return. That is all part of the business plan. They will find others to take your place.

What is a player to do?

Believe it or not, there are still a few good video poker games available in Las Vegas. They are not likely to be on the strip. They may not be downtown. There may only be a few of them. But there are good games to be had in Vegas.

There are a couple of good resources that I can recommend.
• Las Vegas Advisor is a great source of overall information about Las Vegas including information on changes to video poker around town. There is a cost for this resource. Go to lasvegasadvicor.com for more information.

• VPFree2.com is a free website that provides information about video poker availability in Las Vegas casinos as well as other gambling jurisdictions. Did I mention it is free? Keep in mind that there is a lot of movement of video poker games in casinos, so the information shown could be obsolete.

You now have a couple of resources to help you find decent video poker in Las Vegas. If things continue to deteriorate, and video poker is your main reason to visit the city, there may be a time when you must seriously consider abandoning Las Vegas as a destination.

Hopefully that day never comes.

As always, may all your wins be swift and large, and your losses be slow and small.

Jerry “Stickman”

Jerry “Stickman” is an expert in craps, blackjack and video poker and advantage slot machine play. He is a regular contributor to top gaming magazines and 888casino.com. He authored the video poker section of “Everything Casino Poker: Get the Edge at Video Poker, Texas Hold'em, Omaha Hi-Lo, and Pai Gow Poker!” You can contact Jerry “Stickman” at stickmanjerryg@gmail.com
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