Video Poker Forum

Whatever pause or reservation(s) I attached to my recent statement that I am abandoning AC  altogether as a Video Poker destination in Favor of only playing in Nevada.....forget them, forget the reservations, I am clearing out and cleaning out all my AC player card accounts, using up all comps and all freebies, everything!     After April 23 (when I will be finishing up with several important No limit Texas Holdem tournaments)  I will never return to AC except to play in a Poker Tournament (specifically, world series of POKER-related  tournamnets and events).....
 
Before Tedlark complains, allow me to recognize and state that any points I make about AC video Poker in the next few paragraphs are made with the full recognition that some people might think or feel that I am NOT stating anything NEW or that they have not heard before....it is needed to underscore the point I am making in THIS particular thread....
 
I came down here yesterday (03/16) for a 4 day visit for several reasons:   to start clearing out my player accounts for a POSSIBLE abandonment of AC as a regular gambling destination......to visit a friend who recently had surgery and who is now recovering at home in her condo with her family, and her condo is located right  on the boardwalk.....and finally on my way home this week as I pass thru NYC, I'm going to play in a small-scale chess tournament sponsored, in part, by Fordham University;  its similar to what many local poker clubs do to crown a winner to send to the MAIN EVENT World Series of Poker in Vegas .... in this case, we shall hopefully crown a winner to compete in one of several possible large scale events (we have not decided yet but among the possible events are the US chess open, European OPEN, South AMerican OPEN, and several others....believe it or not the PRIZE money from a major Chess Event can be significant!)   this will hopefully take place on Wednesday 03/19).     And before anyone named tedlark asks, I did NOT attend Fordham obviously but I did play chess in college....
 
While I never planned to play a lot of VP, it is only natural (and inevitable) that a player such as ME will "dabble" a bit and play a few hours.....I did in fact "DABBLE" after I arrived last night, and I was slaughtered in such a way and in such a fashion and with such speed that I actually, TRULY, do not know WTF happened, only that I am now so completely releived of even the last slivers of doubt that I may be WRONG about Atlantic City Video Poker and I am now forever tuned in to the fact that AC video poker is NOT something serious VP players accustomed to playing in Nevada should get involved in (and even Nevada video poker is significantly suspect in today's economic and ethical quagmire.)
 
I have previously recorded how most (if not all) Video Poker sessions  IN ATLANTIC CITY  for me over the last 2-3 years have been unprofitable, in many cases catastrophically unprofitable to the point where even SLOT machines are not as poor or negative in their performance for the player(s).   IN ac these days, the Video Poker machines (which again are actually just SLOT MACHINES in management's eyes)  are taking players money in such fashion that entertainment is no longer even a factor or element in this equation.....the desperate, abysmal FINANCIAL & BUSINESS conditon of the gaming market, both from a present-day perspective as well as future prospects essentially dictates that MOST of AC Casinos  can no longer afford to have on their floor(s)  "SLOT MACHINES"  that return 99% to the players with numerous $1,000 jackpot payouts as well as occasional payouts in the range of $2000 to $10000  (what typical Video Poker games with denominations that range from 25 cents thru $5, exactly what the vast majority of AC video poker machines display!)     Yet the demand for the game by diehard customers STILL frequenting AC dictates that the casinos MUST maintain some VP machines on the floor.   they cannot just junk them and replace them with penny slots, the preferred, unimaginative and ridiculous "management solution" to the profitability dilemma.    So the solution is to keep VideoPoker, upgrade the machines out there with NEW ones replacing old ones whereever possible,  mix up the paytables to befuddle most customers by having a smorgasboard of different paytables on the floor  (like they do now in AC in places like CAESARS, BALLYS & SHOWBOAT), but in reality many of the machines are now "programmed/calibrated/adjusted"  IN A MANNER CONSISTENT WITH slot machines:  what that simply means is they will deal hands that, irregardless of what the paytable suggests, bring the return percentage of the machine wayyyy down into the lolwer reaches of slot  machines percentages (basically by dealing a inflated number of busted zero value hands).
 
 
 
I lost 1100 bucks in less than 5 hours playing 25 cent 8/5 bous poker and 9/6 Double Bonus poker, at Ballys and Trump Plaza.
 
There is a 3 line 8/5 Bonus Poker PROGRESSIVE brand new machines in BAllys.....I played the equivalent of 3,360 hands on the 3 line machines, I lost 600 bucks in less than 90 minutes, received only 3 meaningless quads the entire time (all from drawing  against a pair to cathc the other two....the numerous three of a kind hands (about 45)  I was dealt in the 3,360 hands, I never ever caught even one quad on the draw)    Furthermore, a married couple in their 60s started playing next to me and received the same type of results!  They played 2900 hands (at least)  while I was there and the guy said his losses were around 320 bucks and he only received 2 quads (although one of them was a quad 4s  which he was DEALT which prevented his losses from being even more hideous!)     So between us over 6,200 hands of a %99.2 game, we got 5 total quads and nothing else for premium hands.....our coin in was $7,750  making our return % a sickly 88%!!!!

Thank you for letting me know that they still have the 8/5 triple play bonus poker machines at Bally's. As a 7 star grinder, they are typical of the type of machines I like to play. On my last visit to AC in September, I hit a progressive royal on the second line just below the $1200 line so I did not have to worry about hand pay. I am looking forward to giving them a spin on our next trip to AC in early June.

DB I read every word of your post and I hear you. 88% seems to be the number for me lately also. In about the same amount of play as you and in the same time frame, I lost 800 bucks. Not all of my hands were at 5 coin either. Some were lower so the results are very similar. I think there should be a mandatory name change for the game to slot poker from video poker because after millions of hands, I really feel that is all that we are playing.
     One more final thing. I know it is very hard to do this, but I tried recent experiments playing 1 unit or 1 quarter for example and leaving my bet there for an hour or more. No matter which machine I played, the hands in the first 10 minutes were rich with everything from 3 of a kinds to quads. After 10 minutes or so, if they didn't suck you in to playing more units, the better hands tapered off, but remained at roughly the 95-97% return level. As soon as I tried these machines with 10 units or more......bang, bang, pow, right to the jaw, down and out for the count....long seriew of dud hands almost every time.
     Most people will say that is just coincidence or bad luck, but my samples and yours with millions and millions of hands in my mind at least prove otherwise.
     Finally, I hope you have a good visit down there, enjoy the food and company, and above all stay healthy. And if you have any power to bring spring on to us, pleas do so immediately!!! Take care and stay safe.

the numerous three of a kind hands (about 45)  I was dealt in the 3,360 hands, I never ever caught even one quad on the draw)
FWIW (probably not much in your view), one of the low points in my Jan-Feb trip to Vegas was, at SouthPoint, four consecutive whiffs drawing to trips on a 50 play machine. For the mathematically challenged, that's 200 consecutive draws to trips without one quad resulting.

Who am I to complain, I got my fourth royal of the year this past Saturday night while playing at Four Winds in New Buffalo MI.

I happen to enjoy chess even though I KNOW that I will never be tournament caliber. Bobby Fisher never had to be on the lookout for me coming up behind him.

The question I have for DaBurglar is: what is the equivalent of 3,360 hands?

A fool and his money are soon parted.

Good job. My last one was in September. I know that saying is old, but I can't remember who said it originally.

Found two possibilities. Both from the 1500's. Poet Thomas Tusser or Dr. John Bridge from the Church of England. Since the proverb also alludes to the person with money being tricked and not just being foolish or wasteful, I lean toward being " tricked " into thinking player return is strictly governed by paytables. That is until I catch up on the Royals and quads though. I might be too old and feeble to play by then. Hope not.

  The question I have for DaBurglar is: what is the equivalent of 3,360 hands?

A fool and his money are soon parted.What I meant was, since I was playing a 3 line game, I actually only hit the 'deal' button about 1,120 times but it extends out to a total of 3,360 hands since its 3 handed..........i usually do not play multihand games, but the progressive jackpots suckered me in, and since my original intent was to just "dabble" and not become too embroiled in more AC potential disasters, this latest experience came as even more disconcerting.I have just never, ever heard of, nor seen (outside of AC), such consistently awful horrendous Video Poker results, after playing for 20 plus years BEFORE ever setting foot and wheel in AC.   This past week, no doubt a little of the proverbial "car wreck syndrome" had influence on me......as I "dabbled" and experienced such quick disappearance of my "dabbling" funds, I would say "this cannot be possible!?!?!   It cannot last like this!  I am playing a 99.2 percent game, and playing it perfectly....I'll put in another hundred, something is bound to hit and change the flow....."     But it never ever does.....See, as I admitted in past threads, I DO NOT WANT TO BELIEVE that Atlantic City Video Poker operates in the manner I stipulate (and now have proven to myself), because it flies in the face of what we ALL have come to believe is the absolute fairest way for VP to be played (i.e  "Nevada or Vegas Style").....I have been reluctant to believe, even as I painstakingly describe all my horrible AC sessions and construct my theories,   that I am ultimately correct about AC video Poker.     I tune out all the input from players and casino personel, and from the people at the Gaming Control Office (by the way Tedlark, its located over on Tennessee Avenue.)      BUT ALAS.......I cannot hang on to even a shred of doubt any longer.......clearly, beyond any doubt, Atlantic City Video Poker is simply Slots at its worst!

I recently switched back to Caesars AC from the Trop where I was experiencing horrendous results. Since January I've hit five quarter royals at Caesars during three AC trips. Two were upstairs on the 2nd floor, three were downstairs. Two were on quarter Ultimate X DD Bonus, one on single line deuces and two on single line DD Bonus. Obviously I'm finding AC Video Poker in great condition.

I recently switched back to Caesars AC from the Trop where I was experiencing horrendous results. Since January I've hit five quarter royals at Caesars during three AC trips. Two were upstairs on the 2nd floor, three were downstairs. Two were on quarter Ultimate X DD Bonus, one on single line deuces and two on single line DD Bonus. Obviously I'm finding AC Video Poker in great condition.first off, congrats on your 5 royals at caesars in less than 3 months.......secondly, what is your overall total results at Caesars during this time period?    what is you profit, loss, coin in, coin out and / or  total tier points during this time on Video Poker?Of the games you mentioned at caesars where you got your royals, I never play any of those games due to the awful paytables, at the 25 cent level you play at....only the DD Bonus MIGHT have a playable paytable if it is 9/6/5 or better, and last time I checked Caesars NEW machines, they had them qu'ed in as 8/5/4  for DD bonus, although I found a few DOUBLE BONUS paytables that had 9/6/5, but most DOuble Bonus games were set as 9/5/4....Whatever.....obviously your results at the TROP were more akin to what I have been experiencing, and for what its worth, I used to play a LOT at the TROP from 2009 thru 2011 and then quit due to the same results as you and what  I subsequently received elsewhere......What I am saying is happening in AC, whereby a hefty portion of the VP machines have been set down into to lower regions of SLOT Machines, means several things:    SOME machines have been left alone so that at least a few players, such as YOU melodicook3, will have normal or even GOOD results so as to "dilute" the negative groundswell from the rest of us players who are getting clobbered!  Also, even the video Poker games/machines that have been "slottified"  are still going to have periods where they actually HIT, which is why I ask about your overall results and profit.AGain, I am glad you got some royals, but your last sentence about AC video poker being "in great condition", eh not so much.....