Pay tables in lower-pay areas

[Eduardo]

Simple question- as someone who mostly plays in Vegas on vacations, I have gotten in the habit of being aware of the pay tables I'm playing not only in what casinos I choose to play at but also which machines since you will often find poor pay tables in the same casino as the better pay tables.

What about other markets outside Vegas, where returns may be only below 99%? Do you find that these casinos have the exact same pays throughout the entire casino or do you check various machines to be sure you are playing the best pay table available to you at the time?

[FloridaPhil]

Do you find that these casinos have the exact same pays throughout the entire casino or do you check various machines to be sure you are playing the best pay table available to you at the time?

This varies with the casino. In Hollywood for example, there are only six 99% video Poker games. These six machines have the same odds from quarters to $5 a coin. You have to know here they are. They removed them last year and it caused a huge uproar among regular players. Thankfully they put them back this year.

In Blackhawk Colorado for example, the best odds are at the Monarch Casino in the rear of the second floor. They have the only NSU games in the area. The good games are limited to quarters. Some casinos like Tampa have the same odds in all the machines. The best odds in Tampa are 98.9% deuces wild starting with 50 cents and going up to $5 a coin. On our trip to Atlantic City last spring, we couldn't find the good games until we were tipped off by a forum member. They have 9/6 Jacks or Better on a few machines. It didn't help much, but you can find better games if you look hard enough.

In the Southeast, the best games you will find will be 99% or less. This wasn't always the case. At one time 9/6 Jacks or Better was available in Mississippi. I have only seen one full pay VP game in my life and that was at Red Rock in Vegas. I love that place. We will play poor games if the comps are good enough. We avoid casinos where the odds are bad and they are stingy with their comps. If we are on vacation and have no choice but to play bad games, I play single coin or limit my play to $200 per day. The Mohegan Sun has this right. In that casino you have a choice of comps or better odds. It's written on the front of the machine you can take your choice. Both is always good if you can find it.

[Gronbog]

I find different pay tables interspersed even among the machines in the same bank.

[Eduardo]

Thanks, I figured there was a lot of variation just like in Vegas. Seems like that would be a pretty important thing for "recreational" players to be aware of if you want to help them, even if the pays are below 100. There has been endless talk here about playing 1 coin or choosing denoms, but I don't remember any emphasis on making a smart pay table selection at these casinos.

I'm all for people playing however they want, but there is really no excuse or positive "recreational" spin on someone playing a machine with a worse pay table right next to a better one.

Helping people find these better pays may be a better use of your time than the same arguments we are all tired of.

[markinca]

Thanks, I figured there was a lot of variation just like in Vegas. Seems like that would be a pretty important thing for "recreational" players to be aware of if you want to help them, even if the pays are below 100. There has been endless talk here about playing 1 coin or choosing denoms, but I don't remember any emphasis on making a smart pay table selection at these casinos.

I'm all for people playing however they want, but there is really no excuse or positive "recreational" spin on someone playing a machine with a worse pay table right next to a better one.

Helping people find these better pays may be a better use of your time than the same arguments we are all tired of.

My mom is sadly one of these types of people. There's a bank of DDB machines in the casino near her - 6 out of the 8 are 9/5 and 2 are 9/6. Exact same machines otherwise. She'll be playing the 9/5 and I'm like wth, why aren't you playing the 9/6? She'll invariably tell me, "I did, but they're cold, I wasn't hitting anything." All the math reasoning in the world won't get her to play those machines until at least the next day. Frustrating as hell.

[OTABILL]

When we were still playing VP in local casinos here in AZ I found paytables varied within each. Assume that is still the case.

[billryan]

Pay tables can vary within a machine. Just because a machine has a bad pay table for JOB, don't assume every game has a bad pay schedule. I know a bank of 8-5 JOB that also offers 8-5 Bonus.

[stevel96a1]

Thanks, I figured there was a lot of variation just like in Vegas. Seems like that would be a pretty important thing for "recreational" players to be aware of if you want to help them, even if the pays are below 100. There has been endless talk here about playing 1 coin or choosing denoms, but I don't remember any emphasis on making a smart pay table selection at these casinos.

I'm all for people playing however they want, but there is really no excuse or positive "recreational" spin on someone playing a machine with a worse pay table right next to a better one.

Helping people find these better pays may be a better use of your time than the same arguments we are all tired of.

My mom is sadly one of these types of people. There's a bank of DDB machines in the casino near her - 6 out of the 8 are 9/5 and 2 are 9/6. Exact same machines otherwise. She'll be playing the 9/5 and I'm like wth, why aren't you playing the 9/6? She'll invariably tell me, "I did, but they're cold, I wasn't hitting anything." All the math reasoning in the world won't get her to play those machines until at least the next day. Frustrating as hell.

sounds alot like me when i went to tropicana with a 15$ free play went with 9/5 jacks and ran up 48.50$ i think thats the 2nd best i ever did with a 15$ free play bankroll

[FloridaPhil]

There has been endless talk here about playing 1 coin or choosing denoms, but I don't remember any emphasis on making a smart pay table selection at these casinos.

Most people that play single coin VP do so because they are gambling on a budget. Those players are normally not concerned with pay tables. They should be. Playing better games stretches your money by allowing you to play more hands with your money. Anyone who doesn't care to check the odds most likely doesn't care about playing computer perfect. Another mistake. Playing perfect has the same benefit as playing better games, stretching your dollars.

If I ever choose to play single coin, it's because I have checked the pay tables and they are so bad I have determined the game is unplayable. I may have driven 600 miles to get to the casino and I don't want to sit in my room all afternoon. When I encounter those situations, I may choose to play single coin as small and as slow as possible to limit the damage while I kill some time. It's the same thing as walking away, only it costs me a few quarters. I can play Candy Crush on my phone and run up a $60 Google bill. Google is never going to pay me $100 for four aces with a kicker.

Bill is right about pay tables being different on the same machine. I have seen VP machines with lousy Jacks or Better Odds only to find 98.9% Deuces Wild on the same machine. Whenever I go to a new casino, I always walk around checking the odds. I can't always find the best machines. Sometimes a little help from a local comes in handy. When we play at the Mohegan Sun for example, Olds442jetaway spots the best games for us. Some are in places where we would never find them. If you play in Miami, I will do the same for you.

Better games do not guarantee jackpots. They allow you to play more hands with the same money giving you more chances at a jackpot. The result of playing better games better is a better result.