Video Poker Forum

Casino managers may say I am wrong as well as other players, but over the years I am thouroughly convinced that the higher end the casino, the worse the payout on video poker. One bad sign is if a casino doesn't offer triple double bonus poker with the 4000 wins with four aces and a kicker. This is I believe the game that gives the player the most advantages to win larger jackpots. If they don't offer that game and just double double bonus, you are looking at a casino that really doesn't want you to win anything there of any size.
 
Here are strip casinos in Vegas I have never ever ever won anything consistently:      Mandalay Bay, Venetian, Bellagio, Mirage, Treasure Island
 
Here are strip casinos I can't lose at:    Luxor, Monte Carlo, Tropicana
 
Some other city tips: I never ever ever lose at Colorado Belle in Laughlin.
 
Trump Marina in Atlantic City stinks for video poker! No triple double bonus and all other games have lower payouts. I played solid for 4 days on Super Times Pay, Triple Play and many single play double double bonus and rarely won 4 of a kinds and never any of the larger pay 4 of a kind.
 
I have played video poker for so many years in so many casinos that I can tell within 30 minutes if the casino is programmed to be aggressive or for you to just have your money sucked away. Overall, the smaller off the track casinos need higher payouts to attract the consistent video poker players. Any saavy video poker player will never enter a high end casino and invest too much money in their poker games. They know that those casinos have higher nuts to cover and really dont want video poker players due to the higher payouts. They want table game players and slot players. Stay with downtown casinos or older smaller strip casinos in Vegas and go to Laughlin and you will be a happy camper. Plus, these smaller older places give me suites and food comps and more while the top ones barely ask you to come.

look at the paytables and you know instantly the fancy strip casinos have bad paytables. look at stations casinos for good games

Staying away from the strip is clearly the thing to do for VP players who are looking for higher paying games. However, I think the reason is a little different. With the current demand for strip casinos they have no reason to provide better paying games. They are filled with customers who will accept just about any paytable. As long as occupancy rates stay high nothing is likely to change.
 
I also differ with your statement that high variance games like TDB demonstrate anything about what you can expect from a casino. This game can be found with very bad paybacks just like any other game.
 
Also, winning or losing at any particular casino is just a matter of luck. Assuming you are finding equivalent payback games your results will approach that payback over time. I've had bad luck casinos go good and vice versa. Unless you've played millions of hands in every casino you really don't have enough "random events" to do any kind of statistical analysis. In any event, given the same paytable you're probably looking at exactly the same internal program running in every casino. It doesn't know who is playing or where it is located.
 
The bottom line is find the best payback machines and play as close as possible to perfect strategy and you will do better over the long haul.