Video Poker Forum

just got back from boca raton fl. where i was unfortunate enough to find myself at hardrock ( indian) in hollywood fl. almost all of the vp machines were empty at prime time. Played a bit and found out why they were empty. Last time for me! Ventured north to Isle of Capri in Pompano beach  and found a .25 ddb, 8/5 pay  10 play at the bar. Hit 4As with a 3 and followed up with a SF and a delt boat. Cashed out and left a winner. I'm tearing up my treaty!

I recently played at the Ho-Chunk Tribal casino in Baraboo,Wi. and was favorably impressed.The casino is spacious,clean & has lots of VP in all denominations.The paytables are nothing great (9/6 DB,10/8 Shockwave,7/5 Bonus in 25 cent play,some better as you go up in $ but boy,did the wife & I score there.Not halfway through our first adult beverage the Mrs hits a Shockwave 4 of a kind.Halfway through our celebratory second beverage I hit a royal!The rest of the night passed unevenfully,but the next morning,I was golden!Playing on a bank of 12 Bonus poker machines with a very nice progressive($2800) in a five hour session,I hit 4 aces 4 times,four 3s 3 times & had 5 other sundry (5 thru K) quads!Wow!We left back home for Chi nicely ahead for the trip.I know these results are the exception rather than the rule,but I would recommend this property to any midwest gamers.The rooms are decent & inexpensive and the suds are cheap with lots to choose from.Also the casino is open 24/7 so you night owls can have the run of the place! 

I've been to ho-chunk several times back in the days when they had NSUD, 9/6 Jacks and triple deuces. With the demise of these games I no longer stop there when I'm passing by on I-90. I realize that all games are beatable with good luck as you indicated. I just prefer to gamble when the odds are better.

 Been 2 Cahuilla Creek casino.Small(385 machines).  Hit 3 RF's(2 nickel!).Place is out in the sticks so it dont get too crowded(yeah).Is the casino at Pauma similar? Smallish,off the beaten path,etc.etc.?

Pauma isn't really in "the sticks" - it's approx. 1/4 mile off Hwy 76 (Pala Rd) hidden between Pala Casino and Harrah's Rincon.  Recently, it started to get crowded because a 75yo Navy Vet won $3.2 million on a one-cent Star Wars Video Slot Game.
They have 28 VP machines (I can't recall the paytables, but I take a looksie next time I go out that way. None in the non-smoking portion).  Oh, and they have approx 1000 video slots, and 3 or 4 tables open during the day -- most with 2-3 players. 

Pala has ONE progressive jkpt for all of their 25 poker machines(about 90)A very poor bet at least

As Linda Boyd (VP Edge) and others point out, Minnesota is one of the states where a bad compact keeps most positive expectation games out of the state. So what’s a VP hound to do, short of playing OEJ full-pay forever and/or looking for good progressives? Here’s one man's solution.
 
I derive inordinate pleasure out of calculating ideal strategies for less-than-ideal games. For some strange reason i enjoy the idea that i’m getting the maximum long-term return from games like DB 9/6 with its 2+ percent house edge. Call me crazy but i get a little warm feeling inside every time I, say, keep two high cards rather than tossing one to draw to the three-card flush.
 
For the same reason, the feeling that I can sit down in front of an unfamiliar game and, using that background, play a reasonable approximation of the best strategy keeps me hopeful, sometimes too hopeful. I always check the returns when I get back home, and often find they were none too good.
 
Which is why I set, and keep to, loss and win limits for each session, day and trip. as I’ve said elsewhere, I’d rather throw my money in the street and watch people dive for it than push it through a machine with nothing coming out the other end. Going in, I never play more than I can comfortably lose, and think of the time between as entertainment, not investment.
 
And I always, always take all the money, tokens, points, match play and swag I can get from the casinos for free, or anyway in exchange for a phone number and e-mail address. Now if I could just get them to comp the booze . . .

If you are playing a negative game, then you will lose.  I don't think there are any positive plays in the California Indian casinos.

I haven't found any positive pay in North County San Diego (Pala, Rincon, Pauma or Valley View).  I've heard they have a few at Pechanga, but I haven't had a chance to get up that way (with all the fire related damage on the 15 freeway). Anyone know?
 
PS If anyone's seen any positive pay in San Diego, share please!  Thank you

I work for an Indian casino, and I can tell you we are regulated. The federal gaming commission, the state has a gaming commission, and the local or tribe gaming commission.
 
The local gaming commission just ensures the we stay in compliance for all other regulations.