Las Vegas Best Video Poker
For the life of me, I just don’t understand how so many gamblers can lower themselves to play against inferior video poker pay tables.
Easily the best video poker on The Strip and a host of first rate dining, entertainment and drinking options as well. The property has recently been put up for sale and hopefully any potential new ownership will maintain the player friendly video poker. The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas 3708 Las. Las Vegas is the best place to play video poker in the world. There are hundreds of machines in the Las Vegas Valley that return 100 percent or more when betting five coins and playing perfect strategy. None of these devices are located on the Las Vegas Strip. No matter your style or your gambling game, Las Vegas has a casino for you. Here are 12 of the best casinos, where guests can roll the dice, eat like royalty, party like celebs and take in some. The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of South Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada, that is known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip, as it is known, is about 4.2 mi (6.8 km) long, and is immediately south of the Las Vegas city limits in the unincorporated towns of Paradise and Winchester, but is often referred to simply as 'Las Vegas'. With an endless array of the best video poker in Las Vegas offering some of the highest payouts in our valley, it’s no surprise locals choose the stunning gaming floor at Red Rock as their favorite video poker destination. 100% Payback Video Poker.
And that’s exactly what they’re doing too. That’s because every coin you wager on a game of video poker and every hand you play must contend with the exact probabilities and payouts offered by the machine’s particular pay table.
In other words, even if you play a perfect basic strategy that follows all of the optimal discard / draw decisions to a tee, a bad pay table instantly and irrevocably reduces your overall odds of success.
If you’re just starting out on your personal video poker journey, and don’t know much about how pay tables work, take a moment to acquaint yourself with the basics of the game first. Once you’ve learned the ropes, return here for an advanced course on putting that pay table knowledge to work for you going forward.
In a nutshell, the pay table – or the escalating ladder of payouts awarded for each hand based on their difficulty to make – holds every video poker enthusiast’s destiny in its proverbial hands.
A Look Into Video Poker Pay Tables
When you play on a 9/6 full pay Jacks or Better machine, for example, the 9-coin reward for a full house and 6-coin reward for a flush combine with the other payouts to create a 99.54 percent payback percentage. Switch over to an inferior 9/5 pay table, however, and the exact same Jacks or Better gameplay suddenly offers a much lower 98.45 percent payback rate.
That may not seem like too big of a deal, but consider this… for every $100 you bet over your lifetime as a Jacks or Better player, the full pay game will return $99.54 – sending just $0.46 to the house on average. Meanwhile, those suckers on the 9/5 machines will watch $1.55 of every $100 wagered be scooped up by the house.
And that’s not even the worst of it either. Substandard pay tables commonly offered by modern casinos on their Jacks or Better machines can slice your payback percentage down to double-zero roulette status:
Jacks or Better Pay Table Comparison
| TABLE | PAYBACK |
|---|---|
| 9/6 | 99.54 percent |
| 9/5 | 98.45 percent |
| 8/6 | 98.39 percent |
| 8/5 | 97.30 percent |
| 7/5 | 96.15 percent |
| 6/5 | 95.00 percent |
And this larceny of your bottom line isn’t limited to Jacks or Better by any means. As you can see in the various tables below, all of the popular video poker variants begin with a full pay table up top, followed by a series of progressively worse options:
Deuces Wild Pay Table Comparison
| TABLE | PAYBACK |
|---|---|
| 25/15/9/5/3/2 | 100.76 percent |
| 25/15/11/4/4/3 | 99.96 percent |
| 25/16/10/4/4/3 | 99.73 percent |
| 25/15/9/4/4/3 | 98.91 percent |
| 20/12/10/4/4/3 | 97.58 percent |
| 20/12/9/4/4/3 | 97.06 percent |
| 25/16/13/4/3/2 | 96.77 percent |
| 20/10/8/4/4/3 | 95.96 percent |
| 25/15/10/4/3/2 | 94.82 percent |
Double Bonus Poker Pay Table Comparison
| TABLE | PAYBACK |
|---|---|
| 10/7 | 100.17 percent |
| 9/7/5 | 99.11 percent |
| 9/6/5 | 97.81 percent |
| 9/6/4 | 96.38 percent |
| 8/5 | 94.19 percent |
| 7/5 | 93.11 percent |
Double Double Bonus Poker Pay Table Comparison
| TABLE | PAYBACK |
|---|---|
| 10/6 | 100.07 percent |
| 9/6/4 | 98.98 percent |
| 9/5 | 97.87 percent |
| 8/5 | 96.79 percent |
| 7/5 | 95.71 percent |
| 6/5 | 94.66 percent |
And naturally, the casinos don’t advertise their video poker pay table selection in any noticeable way. In fact, they count on uninformed players – whether they’re simply unaware of the concept, don’t care about long-term probabilities, or too drunk to even notice – to transform video poker from a player-friendly gambler into a money-making powerhouse for the casino house edge.
Consider this for a moment… whenever a 9/6 full pay Jacks or Better player decides to bet anything other than the maximum of 5 coins, their payback rate drops all the way down to 98.30 percent. Failing to bet the max represents the cardinal sin for video poker enthusiasts, as it precludes players from triggering the juiced up Royal Flush jackpot of 4,000 coins.
Unfortunately for the more than 42 million tourists who visited Sin City last year – the bulk of whom stayed on the “fabulous” (read: overhyped) Las Vegas Strip – those modern mega-resort casinos almost exclusively offer inferior pay tables. The owners of the 30 casinos lining Las Vegas Boulevard know that most tourists will never leave the area, confining the sum of their gambling action to The Strip as a captive audience of sorts.
Thus, casinos on The Strip spread non-full pay video poker machines without remorse, relentlessly skinning their unsuspecting players for every nickel and dime they can get.
Meanwhile, when you venture away from The Strip to explore Las Vegas’ competing casino regions, the dark clouds of crappy pay tables suddenly disappear. Video poker players in the know never play on The Strip, choosing instead to put their money behind full pay tables only.
If you want to join them by backing the best video poker games possible, look no further than the list below. Here you’ll find three of the most player-friendly “Off-Strip” video poker providers in all of the city of Las Vegas – complete with a full listing of each venue’s full pay variants, coin denominations, and more.
1 – Boulder Station Hotel Casino on the Boulder Highway
Bar none, without a shadow of a doubt, the best place to grind video poker in Sin City – off the Strip or otherwise – is Boulder Station.
Known as the ultimate “local’s casino,” Boulder Station offers all of the amenities (maybe not nude pool parties or exotic animals, but you get my point) that casinos on The Strip have on hand.
But one thing that this place has that can’t be matched is five different variants offering a positive payback percentage (AKA, a player edge).
Just check out the list below to see how Boulder Station’s unparalleled selection of topline video poker pay tables stacks up:
Boulder Station’s Best Video Poker Options
| VARIANT | FULL PAYBACK | COIN DENOMINATION(S) |
|---|---|---|
| Full Pay Deuces Wild | 100.76 percent | 5¢, 10¢, 25¢ |
| 1-Pair Jokers Wild | 100.65 percent | 5¢, 10¢, 25¢ |
| Double Bonus | 100.17 percent | 5¢, 10¢, 25¢, 50¢, $1 |
| Loose Deuces Wild | 100.15 percent | 5¢, 10¢, 25¢ |
| Double Double Bonus | 100.07 percent | 5¢, 10¢, 25¢, 50¢, $1 |
| Triple Deuces Wild | 99.92 percent | 5¢ |
| Not So Ugly Ducks (Deuces Wild) | 99.73 percent | 25¢, 50¢, $1 |
| Super Double Bonus | 99.69 percent | 25¢, 50¢, $1 |
| Jacks or Better | 99.54 percent | 25¢, 50¢, $1 |
2 – Fiesta Henderson Hotel and Casino in Henderson
Another branch on the Station Casinos family tree, Fiesta Henderson is one of the first gambling halls you’ll see when driving in through the Hoover Dam / Lake Mead area.
And while many players pass it right up in their quest to reach The Strip, video poker sharps know better.
Fiesta Henderson’s Best Video Poker Options
| VARIANT | FULL PAYBACK | COIN DENOMINATION(S) |
|---|---|---|
| Full Pay Deuces Wild | 100.76 percent | 5¢, 10¢, 25¢ |
| 1-Pair Jokers Wild | 100.65 percent | 5¢, 10¢, 25¢ |
| Double Bonus | 100.17 percent | 5¢, 10¢, 25¢, 50¢, $1 |
| Loose Deuces Wild | 100.15 percent | 5¢, 10¢, 25¢ |
| Double Double Bonus | 100.07 percent | 5¢, 10¢, 25¢, 50¢, $1 |
| Triple Deuces Wild | 99.92 percent | 5¢, 10¢, 25¢ |
| Not So Ugly Ducks (Deuces Wild) | 99.73 percent | 25¢, 50¢, $1 |
| Super Double Bonus | 99.69 percent | 25¢, 50¢, $1 |
| Jacks or Better | 99.54 percent | 25¢, 50¢, $1 |
3 – Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa in Summerlin
Best Video Poker In Las Vegas 2020
If you want to experience all of the glitz and glam of Strip casino, without paying an arm and a leg at every turn, Red Rock Resort in the suburb of Summerlin is the ticket.
This place is straight out of The Strip in terms of modern luxuries like high-end shopping, top-rated restaurants, and in-house entertainment
But unlike those hucksters in the world’s most popular tourist hotspot, Red Rock Casino Resort doesn’t need to spread inferior video poker pay tables.
Red Rock Resort’s Best Video Poker Options
| VARIANT | FULL PAYBACK | COIN DENOMINATION(S) |
|---|---|---|
| Full Pay Deuces Wild | 100.76 percent | 5¢, 10¢, 25¢ |
| Double Bonus | 100.17 percent | 5¢, 10¢, 25¢, 50¢, $1 |
| Loose Deuces Wild | 100.15 percent | 5¢, 10¢, 25¢ |
| Super Bonus Deuces Wild | 100.13 percent | 25¢, 50¢, $1 |
| Double Double Bonus | 100.07 percent | 5¢, 10¢, 25¢, 50¢, $1 |
| Triple Deuces Wild | 99.92 percent | 5¢ |
| Not So Ugly Ducks (Deuces Wild) | 99.73 percent | 25¢, 50¢, $1 |
| Super Double Bonus | 99.69 percent | 25¢, 50¢, $1 |
| Jacks or Better | 99.54 percent | 25¢, 50¢, $1 |
Conclusion
Playing video poker well can offer sharp gamblers the thrill of a lifetime. Knowing that every bet you make comes as close to a null house edge as possible – and in the case of full pay Deuces Wild, an actual player edge – makes video poker the preferred vehicle for skill-oriented players who prefer strategy over guess-based gambling.
Nonetheless, when you don’t know where to find the full pay machines, a video poker parlor can become nothing short of a money pit – even for talented basic strategy players. Nobody wants to be the sucker casinos count on to line their pockets, so make sure to check out these trio of Off-Strip casinos to find the best video poker games Las Vegas has to offer.
Las Vegas is the best place to play video poker in the world. There are hundreds of machines in the Las Vegas Valley that return 100 percent or more when betting five coins and playing perfect strategy.
Best Video Poker Bars Las Vegas
None of these devices are located on the Las Vegas Strip. Video poker players will need to take a trip downtown or to locals casinos to find the best video poker games in Las Vegas.
Where to go for best value video poker in Las Vegas
Station Casinos is home to most of the 100 percent or more video poker games in Las Vegas. These are advertised as Optimum Play machines.
These can be found at Red Rock Resort, Green Valley Ranch, Palace Station, Santa Fe Station, BoulderStation, as well as other properties under the Station Casinos umbrella. Many are found just inside entrances. Some are even in nonsmoking sections.
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Station Casinos offers 100.76 percent Deuces Wild at many of its locations. The pay table returns 25 on a deuces royal flush, 15 on five of a kind, 9 on a straight flush, and 5 of four of a kind. This game is spread in the $.25 denomination.
Many Station Casinos properties also spread 10/7/5 Double Bonus, as well as two other Deuces Wild pay tables that return over 100 percent. These games are available in denominations up to $1.
Boulder Station and Santa Fe Station also spread 100.65 percent Joker Poker where four of a kind returns 20 to 1. Kings or better is the lowest pay on these Joker Poker machines. These games are only available in $.25 denominations.
Palms is another Nevada casino where players will find Full-Pay Deuces Wild. This game is only spread in quarters. Palms also spreads 10/7/5 Double Bonus Poker and 10/6 Double Double Bonus Poker. These games are available in quarters and half-dollars.
Downtown Las Vegas video poker
Some video poker players prefer downtown Las Vegas.
El Cortez offers Full-Pay Deuces Wild. Downtown gamblers will also find 10/7/5 Double Bonus Poker at Main Street Station, Plaza and El Cortez at the $.25 denomination. Las Vegas Club spreads $.25 and $.50 Full-Pay Joker Poker that returns 20 on quads, 7 on a full house, and 5 on a flush.
When to play games that offer lower returns
It can be better to play a lower return game due to the quality of the players club.
For example, games that return less than 100 percent at Station Casinos pay 0.3 percent in cash back or free play.
Regular players receive mailers that include multiplier days that can push the game above 100 percent. Seniors receive multipliers every Wednesday at Station Casinos.
Players visiting from other states may want to consider mailers and comps over immediate returns. Playing the 100 percent machines at places like Palms and Station Casinos are certain to damage the quality of mailers that are sent out.
Some players that exclusively give action to 100 percent video poker machines will likely stop receiving any offers by mail.