Video Poker Payouts

[GaryMA]

I have read many times about video poker being completely random. Although, I have a lot better luck at certain casinos than others. Can video poker machines be tighter at paying out at particular casinos?

[jazzman12]

If you are referring to Class 3 (Vegas style) video poker machines, the payout percentage is determined by the posted paytable.No matter what casino you play at, a Class 3 machine with a 9-5 DDB paytable will pay out at 97.87% with perfect play (over millions of hands, not necessarily in a single session).Class 3 machines have a RNG that determines cards pulled (randomly) when you hit the deal/draw button.Now, there are some video poker machines out there that are not Class 3 and are programmed to a certain return percentage (just like a slot machine) - but even with these machines the "hand" you get and when it is a winner or not is random based on when you precisely hit the deal/draw button.

[GaryMA]

I was wondering about hitting various hands at different casinos. For example, I have played video poker for three days (off and on) at a certain casino and probably can count on one hand the number of four of a kind hit. And on several occasions at a certain other casino, I have hit about 20 four of a kinds in twenty four hours. This has happened on several visits. I know that this is not chance, since I have hit a Royal on every occasion that I visited the place where I have hit numerous four of a kinds. I do believe that video poker is tighter at some casinos.

[shadowman]

Randomness does not mean consistent. You will have really good and really bad runs on random games. It may not be the casino, it just may have been the natural streakiness of the game. It can take dozens of sessions before these things average out.
 
The first thing you should do is familiarize yourself with the various games and pay tables. Then you can pick the best games and compare the games at the casinos where you are playing. You could check vpfree2 to get started.

[Lucky Larry]

Gary,
Welcome to the forum. My recommendations would be to: 1) Learn a few games like Jacks or Better, Bonus, or Deuces Wild at high efficiency level at first to make sure you're not giving away anymore advantage to the casino. Practice, Practice, Practice!!! 2) Find the best pay tables you can at a low enough denomination to play without running out of bank roll in a few minutes. I used to carry an Excel spreadsheet with pay tables but now I use the VP Pay Tables from here on my iphone. When I'm learning a new game I play lower denominations to give me practice without costing me until I learn the correct play. 3) Finally, understand that you will have winning streaks (luck -when your timing is right) and losing streaks (probably more often - when your timing is off or you are now making the wrong play.)

Good luck and we look forward to seeing your future posts and pictures.

[Vman96]

20 quads in 24 hours isn't that many if you are playing a lot. But if you truly have hit a royal for EVERY time (key emphasis on every) you went there though, then that is way more suspicious unless you are playing tons of multiplay hands at the casino you "always" hit a royal at. Playing 100-hand poker all day, not having a royal could be a pretty bad day.

Also what state(s) are both casinos in? Is one casino an Indian casino, and the other one is not? Many Indian casinos do not have Class III video poker (i.e. video poker that follows the probabilities of a standard poker deck).

[GaryMA]

All I am saying is that I have consistently went to two casinos ,one is Indian and the other is in the Caesar's network. I have always done better at the Indian casino over the other one. I know about winning and losing streaks, but had more winning hands at the Indian casino playing the same type of machines. I know about pay tables, but was just wondering if like slots, video poker can be tighter at different casinos. 

[Vman96]

I'm actually shocked you said you did better at the Indian casino...lol

It's possible that the Indian casino is a Class II machine instead, which could lead to the increased frequency of Royals. But they should still be rare! Normally I would expect any crap video poker machine that CET puts on the floor would pay better than a Class II machine. The CET property has Class III video poker, guaranteed. Depending on the number of hands, it's also possible you're way above expectation at the Indian casino and way below expectation at the CET property.

In class III game, video poker returns are totally dependent on the paytable, card probabilities have to behave like a real poker deck. Class II machines (mostly at Indian casinos) can set prizes and poker hand probabilities anyway they like.

One way to test this is at the Indian casino is to find the cheapest video poker machine you can find, put in one credit, and start throwing away winners dealt to you. If you get the value of your dealt winner back or more ~ten times in a row, it's very likely that you're playing a Class II machine and what the paytable says and the strategy doesn't matter.

[GaryMA]

On the last 4 visits to this Indian casino, I have hit 3 royal flushes. I have hit 4 deuces three times on deuces wild. On one particular machine, I have hit 5 four of a kinds on twenty dollars. Even though my luck might end, that's why I keep going there.

[Vman96]

On the last 4 visits to this Indian casino, I have hit 3 royal flushes. I have hit 4 deuces three times on deuces wild. On one particular machine, I have hit 5 four of a kinds on twenty dollars. Even though my luck might end, that's why I keep going there.

Yeah, unless you are playing 30,000 hands per visit (virtually impossible without multiplay), you're likely running good there, and average or below average at the other casino. Also, fyi, if the machine has a electronic bingo card displayed, that is also a telltale sign of a Class II machine.