“Without thinking too much
about it in specific terms, I
was showing the America I knew
and observed to others who
might not have noticed.” —
Norman Rockwell
It’s October so I’m thinking
about frost on the pumpkins,
scarecrows and Norman
Rockwell. What could video
poker possibly have in common
with Norman Rockwell? After
all Rockwell’s slice of
America illustrations for the
Saturday Evening Post
pre-dated the first video
poker machine by years.
Ironically, Rockwell passed
away in 1978, the same year
that IGT founder Si Redd was
placing the first video poker
machine in a Vegas casino.
Still, connecting the two
seems a stretch.
Rockwell’s paintings are
nostalgic; they make people
want to go back to long ago
times when things seemed much
simpler. The same is true of
some video poker games, which
are becoming extinct,
especially in full-pay
versions. Rather than just
lamenting the demise of your
favorite games, there are some
things that players can do to
keep the classics around for a
long time. I call these Norman
Rockwell games, even though
they’re still here, because
they’re becoming scarcer and
many would like to play them
for years to come.
Norman Rockwell Games
Anybody who’s been to a casino
lately knows that there are
dozens of different video
poker games and even many
versions of the same game.
Most aren’t around too long
because either they’re very
difficult to play correctly or
so volatile (risky) that your
bankroll disappears too fast.
Players don’t have much fun
when their money goes quickly
and most won’t return.
On the other hand, there are
some games that have been
around for years and people
will continue to play them if
the casino doesn’t ruin it for
everybody by downgrading
paytables. Hopefully, casino
decision makers won’t replace
the most popular games with
new gimmicky ones created by
non-players. It’s nice when
the devices housing the games
are improved, making the
screens wider or the seats
more comfortable, so long as
the classic games can still be
found within the glitzy
apparatus.
Characteristics
Video poker games with staying
power have some commonalities
that keep them on the casino
floor. Popular options include
both adrenaline-rush choices
for the thrill-seeker, as well
as conservative games for
those who like playing in the
safe lane. In other words,
those with a Rockwell label
accommodate a broad range of
preferences. Here are some
things that games with
longevity have in common. (For
paytables go to
www.midwestgamingandtravel.com,
see the “Name Game” article.)
Strategy Available/Worth
Learning
If it’s an oddball game only
found in a few casinos, most
people don’t want to spend
time practicing, that’s if
they can even find/create the
game on their software. Each
option requires an individual
strategy card that takes a
great deal of time to write
since it must be easy to use
and have an ER close to
computer-perfect play. If the
card is too complicated or it
takes too long to find a dealt
hand, people won’t even try to
use it. All of this translates
to players not having even a
basic strategy for rare video
poker games. Strategy is often
counterintuitive so even those
with strong math skills will
make mistakes without home
practice. Casinos understand
this problem and have tried to
fix it by having automatic
holds on some devices. The
auto-hold feature, however,
has been a can of worms
because there are mistakes on
the auto holds (game
developers are not expert
players) and gamblers may be
suspicious of help from the
casino. Mainstream games will
be available on most software
programs and worth the time it
takes to practice and learn to
play.
Versions with Good Expected
Returns (ER)
Nothing will chase people away
faster or be sure to keep them
from coming back than
extremely poor video poker
paytables. It’s true that some
casinos have a captive
audience in that there’s no
nearby competition; however,
most players have a limited
gambling budget. If they have
not been “entertained” by
losing too fast, then most
will find something else to do
with their disposable income.
Casinos don’t want problem
gamblers since they give the
industry a black eye and are
bad for business. This means
it makes sense to offer some
games that people will be able
to play for a longer period of
time and still stay within
their allocated budget.
Rockwell games, then, allow
for some success stories.
Available in Many Casinos
People tend to gravitate to
games that are familiar. For
example, if they like Double
Double Bonus (DDB) and they
find the game while traveling
through the Midwest, then
they’re likely to play. You’ll
find some of the classics in
every casino that offers video
poker.
Few Quirky Jackpots
When manufacturers come up
with games that pay for odd
combinations, say aces and
eights, players become
frustrated and make mistakes.
The ER may be 99%, although
most of these games have
poorer ERs, but there will be
so many player errors that the
real return will be closer to
95% or less. Part of the
problem is a big chasm between
those creating the new games
and the players. That’s why
most management teams take a
wait and see attitude once a
new game hits the casino
floor. If you’re playing for
free at the G2E (Global Gaming
Expo, an annual convention
introducing new games and
products), it’s a different
experience than playing for
your own real money inside a
casino. That’s the reason why
some game developers are left
scratching their heads when a
game they loved is a bust on
the floor.
Rockwell Games
Keeping the characteristics,
above in mind, here are some
true classics. They’ll be here
for a long time to come unless
casinos remove or downgrade
all playable versions.
Jacks or Better (JOB): This
oldie is the patriarch of
video poker and you’ll even
find IGT founder Si Redd
pictured in front of a JOB
machine, labeled “Draw Poker.”
The green Kryptonite for Jacks
or Better is downgrading from
9/6 to 7/5 or 6/5 JOB. In the
long run people just won’t
stand for versions that are so
poor they aren’t worth
playing. A compromise would be
to have 8/5 JOB progressives;
that way the casino has made
their money and they’re
allowing “profit sharing” for
players as the royal jackpot
grows.
Bonus Poker (BP): Use the same
strategy as the one for JOB;
even though BP’s slightly more
volatile, it’s also more
exciting. You will want to
make sure it’s 8/5 BP, which
shorts you a coin for the Full
House and Flush (compared to
9/6 JOB), compensating with
extra payouts for four 2s, 3s
or 4s (40 for 1, instead of 25
for 1) and Aces (80 for 1,
instead of 25 for 1). The ER
for 8/5 BP is 99.17%, slightly
less than the 99.54% ER for
9/6 JOB. The house doesn’t
need to worry because even
though it’s an easy game few
play perfectly.
Double Bonus (DB): Popular
with players even though its
strategy is both different
from and more difficult than
either JOB or BP. The full-pay
version, 10/7 DB (100.17% ER),
is good for skilled players,
but also profitable for
casinos. Very few play it
close to perfect since there
are several counter-intuitive
plays: holding some 3-flushes
without straight-flush/royal
potential, for example,
something you’d never do in
JOB. Casinos may have 9/7 DB
(99.11% ER) or even 9/6 DB
(97.81% ER), and both are good
games for them to keep, even
though these versions aren’t
so hot for players. Casinos
that offer the 10/7 DB can
boast of games paying over
100% and still have an edge
over most players.
Double Double Bonus (DDB):
Here’s a game that should be
prominently featured in every
casino; it’s the wild one that
can take you for a ride, but
still so much fun you’ll keep
coming back for more
punishment. 10/6 DDB (100.07%
ER) is the full-pay version,
but that’s rarely found
outside of Nevada and getting
scarce there as well. Casinos
don’t have to offer the full
pay version to have every seat
filled and more waiting in
line. 9/6 DDB (98.98% ER) is
an excellent deal for the
casino, especially considering
the high risk. The strategy is
really easy, similar to JOB,
except you have to remember to
hold just the pair of Aces if
dealt two pair, and dealt a
full house with Aces, hold
just the Aces. If you want to
play close to perfect either
use software or a strategy
card. I think that casinos
should have six-way
progressive meters on all 9/6
DDB and 8/5 DDB, that way
they’d share the profit and
increase the volume. Make
everybody happy.
Not-So-Ugly Deuces Wild (NSUD):
I don’t think a list of
keepers would be complete
without a wild card game. I
chose NSUD (99.73% ER) over
full pay deuces wild (FPDW,
100.76% ER) which is becoming
extinct even in Nevada for
several reasons. First, FPDW
is not legal in many Midwest
jurisdictions, since most have
maximum payback mandates under
100% (Missouri has no max, but
the state tax rate is high,
making FPDW unreasonable).
Once more, the game is lots of
fun and most don’t play even
close to computer-perfect,
leaving lots of room for
casinos to make a profit.
Other Classics: I’ll briefly
mention a few other great
games that will be missed if
they vanish from the casino
floor. Illinois Deuces
(98.91%, higher ER for
progressives), Loose Deuces
(99.2%, 12/8 version), 9/6
Bonus Poker Deluxe (99.64%),
and Full-Pay Pick’em (99.9%)
are other Rockwell games.
You’ll find many of these
golden oldies available in
Midwest casinos.
Keeping the Games: Once the
games are gone, especially if
they’re replaced by slots,
it’s difficult to get them
back. That’s because it’s
expensive to buy slots,
especially newer ones with
bonus rounds and lots of
special features. Even if the
devices are leased, the casino
will have a contract and can’t
just remove the machine on a
moment’s notice. So it’s
important to take steps
towards making sure the games
you want to play remain in
your favorite casino.
Play Your Favorites: This one
sounds obvious, but often
people spend their bankroll on
games they know nothing about
and there’s no money left to
play the ones where they’ve
had fun and sometimes won
money.
Limit Bets on Unknown Games:
Most people like to take a
shot at something new, either
slots or video poker. I
recommend that you strictly
limit the amount you wager on
twilight zone choices. If you
know nothing about the ER or
strategy you might as well
play the lottery. Save the
lion’s share of your budget
for a game you understand.
Don’t Play Hunches: If you’ve
taken the time to learn the
basic strategy for a game,
then use it instead of playing
hunches. True that sometimes
you’ll lose a hand by playing
correctly, but over time
you’ll be ahead. One reason
that you like the game is
sometimes you go home a
winner; that will change if
you start playing according to
superstitions.
Let Others Know: You may think
that keeping a game you enjoy
to yourself is a good idea
since you won’t have to wait
for a seat, but in the long
run it’s not. Casinos are in
business to make money, and if
machines are vacant, then they
will have to go.
Management: If casino
management or any other staff
member was nice enough to
order more of your favorites
then let them know you noticed
and appreciate it. This is
especially true if they give
you a decent paytable, like
9/6 JOB or add a progressive
meter to a game like Illinois
Deuces.
Regular Players: If you’re a
local at a favorite haunt,
then you probably know lots of
other frequent players. If
there’s a new bank of say DDB
and that’s their game, then
let them know. The more action
classic games get, the more
likely they are to stay
around.
Recommend Games for Casino
Expansions: Nowadays you’ll
see that many casinos have
major expansion projects going
on. The time to request games
is before the expansion has
been completed and the casino
is ordering machines. Keep in
mind that you can’t assume the
person knows the exact game
you’re talking about.
Find the Right Person: Instead
of wasting the time of your
slot club host or somebody
else who has nothing to do
with ordering the machines
find out who’s in charge. The
best way to do that is to ask
the casino manager who you
would go to in order to
request the video poker games
you hope to find when the
expansion opens.
Be Specific: If you ask for
JOB and don’t specify 9/6 JOB
you may be disappointed. To be
sure write down the paytable
and other details when you
make your request.
Follow Up: When the time for
the grand opening of the
expansion approaches, make
sure you contact the person in
charge of ordering the
machines and ask if the games
you want will be there. Of
course, this works best if
you’re polite.
A Fond Adieu: Sometimes a
casino removes very popular
games and people just stop
going there. Somebody from the
management team will
eventually notice the echo,
but they may not know why.
Farewell Speech: Although this
is hyperbole, it’s not far off
the mark. If you’re leaving,
make sure you let management
know why.
Find the Right Person: Telling
the security guard that you
won’t be back, so no more
walks to your car, will have
no impact. Make sure it’s a
member of management and
further ask them if they’re
the right person to tell. Of
course be respectful,
otherwise they’ll be glad
you’re gone.
Be Specific: It’s probably
best if you take a few minutes
to write down the specifics of
the game/games that you
normally play, but are
suddenly missing. If you just
say deuces wild, for example,
then they’ll point to some
Coyote Uglies when you want
Not-So-Uglies.
Keep the Door Open: You may
want to leave contact
information and ask them to
let you know when/if they get
your video poker games back.
If it’s just a matter of
changing paytables, like an
8/5 JOB back to a 9/6 JOB you
have a better chance than if
they replace video poker games
with expensive slots.
Final Thoughts: Whether you’re
using a washing machine
instead of a scrub board or
pushing a ticket-dispensing
button rather than scooping
coins from the bin, technology
that makes life easier is a
good thing. People aren’t
yearning to chop the wood, but
for the resulting white picket
fence. Few will long for being
molded to an immovable
straight-backed chair;
however, many will mourn the
loss of video poker classics
with fair payout tables.
Finding and playing classic
games and, in Rockwell’s
words, letting “others who
might not have noticed” know
about them is a good way of
keeping them around. That is
much better than getting
nostalgic once they’re gone.
— Linda Boyd turned to the
more profitable game of video
poker after years of playing
blackjack and live poker. Boyd
spent many years as a
mathematics educator, a career
that proved invaluable in
helping her design the
statistical tactics featured
in her book, “The Video Poker
Edge.” Free strategy cards are
included with her book.
Purchase at
www.squareonepublishers.com
