I'm not much of a football fan, or a sports fan in general, but I have been participating in the Coast Casinos' and M Resort's free football contests this year. Both are easy to enter and the Coasts make it particularly easy to check for winning entries. In both cases, entries are handled at kiosks, and it's possible to pick your winners using a quick pick feature, as in lottery games. In the Coast contest, you also have a pick a "tie breaker" for each entry, a prediction of the total score of the Monday night game. I always use the quick pick feature for both contests, and for the tie breaker, I just type in a number more or less randomly.
Each week I press the "winning entries" button on the screen on a Coasts kiosk, and each week I've been told "no winning entries" -- until this week. On Tuesday when I hit the button at the Gold Coast, the message said something like "Winner $10000." There was no comma in the number so I had to look twice to make sure it was what I thought it was -- $10,000, and not $1,000. The kiosk spit out a ticket. I couldn't concentrate well enough to read the fine print, so I stepped over the the players' club counter and asked the woman there, "What do I do with this?" She read the small print, gave me a high five and told me to take it to the sports book.
There a supervisor handled the paper work and explained to me that I was one of nine people who "picked" the winner of all 12 games that week. Further, I was the big winner because my tie breaker came closest to the actual point total for the Monday night game. The other contestants who picked all the winners got only $2,500 each.
In my entire gambling "career," including the 3-1/2 years I've been living in Las Vegas, this $10,000 win was my biggest single hit.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Barely off the Strip
This post is directed to serious blackjack and/or video poker players who are coming to Las Vegas and staying on or near the Strip, but looking for better games than the Strip casinos offer.
When it comes to blackjack, there are good games on the Strip, but the double-deck games are often available only at minimums of $25 and higher. There is little good video poker on the Strip, defined as games with 99.5 percent payback or better. Some Strip casinos do offer 9/6 jacks or better, but rarely at less than $5, unless you're willing to forgo comps (New York New York offers 9/6 Jacks at $1 and $2, but those machines don't accept a players club card).
This may come as a surprise, but Hooters offers some of the best video poker near the Strip. The good video poker is all on two banks of machines in front of the cage. Games include jacks or better (99.54 percent payback), "not so ugly" deuces wild (99.73 percent) and, on one machine only, double bonus deuces wild (99.81 percent). Slot club points for video poker accrue at a rate of one for every $3 coin in, but each dollar of free play costs only 100 points.
Hooters also offers $10-minimum double deck blackjack with typical locals casino rules and a 0.40 house edge. This game is not open all the time and is never on more than one table. Penetration varies by dealer.
This casino is a very short walk from the Strip at Tropicana, just east of the Tropicana hotel. It is easily accessible by the Monorail, which stops just across Tropicana Avenue at the MGM Grand.
Moving north, a longtime favorite of Strip casino workers and other locals is Ellis Island, a few minutes’ walk east of the Strip on Koval Lane just south of Flamingo Road. This casino, which got its name from founder Gary Ellis, features shoe and double deck blackjack games at $5 and video poker including “not so ugly” deuces at 25 cents and 9/6 jacks or better at up to $2. The casino building also houses a microbrewery, karaoke bar, restaurant, barbecue and Metro Pizza outlet. The casino and karaoke bars serve very generous drinks at moderate prices. Expect a wait at the restaurant (open 24 hours every day) and barbeque (open 4-10 p.m. every day). The restaurant is famous for its off-the-menu steak special, a 10-oz. filet-cut sirloin for $7.99, including an Ellis Island beer.
Farther east at Flamingo and Paradise Road, a fair walk or short bus or taxi ride from the Strip, is Terrible’s (named after founder “Terrible” Herbst, so-called by his competitors in the gas station business for undercutting their prices). The only video poker that meets the 99.5 percent criterion here is 9/6 jacks or better, at up to 50 cents, near the cashier. Double-deck blackjack is consistently offered at $10, based on my experience.
On the other side of the Strip, a long walk or short bus or taxi ride away, are the Palms and Gold Coast, directly across the street from each other. The Palms has one of the best and biggest selections of good video poker in Las Vegas, including a 25-cent full pay deuces wild (100.76 percent) progressive and a $1 full-pay double bonus (100.17 percent) progressive with progressives on the straight flush and quads as well as the royal flush. “Not so ugly” deuces and 9/6 jacks or better are available at pretty much all denominations, including on Triple Play/Five Play machines. Slot club points are worth a generous 0.25 percent.
The Palms also offers a range of blackjack games, including the variation Blackjack Switch. In the past double deck has been offered at $10, but I haven’t seen that for a while. Expect a minimum for double deck of $15 or even $25. Card counters would do better elsewhere; double deck penetration is set at 50 percent with a notch.
The Palms is a big, high-end property with lots of dining and entertainment options. On weekends it is filled with young club goers; during the week it draws an older crowd heavy with locals there for the good video poker and promotions.
The Gold Coast, across the street, has lots of $5 blackjack at all times with good Vegas rules (but consistently lousy penetration) and lots of good video poker, including 9/6 jacks, “not so ugly” deuces and double bonus deuces, at denominations of up to $2. A favorite of Chinese Americans, the Gold Coast has two Chinese restaurants among its dining options. Another nearby casino, the Orleans, is also part of the Coast group owned by Boyd Gaming. A free shuttle connects two and goes to the Strip at Flamingo as well.
Bracketing Las Vegas’ Chinatown area to the north, at Sahara Avenue at Interstate 15, is Palace Station, which offers blackjack with excellent rules and, usually, good penetration at as little as $5 for shoes and $10 for double deck. The selection of positive video poker games (found on machines labeled “Optimum Play” is less than at most other Station properties. To my recollection, no such games are offered at more than 50 cents, but like all things casino-related, that could change at any time.
Finally, the property most like a major Strip resort, but with much better games, is the Las Vegas Hilton, on Paradise Road east of the Strip and south of Sahara Avenue. The Hilton is a major property famous for its entertainment offerings and with excellent restaurants and full major-resort amenities.
The only downside concerning video poker at the Hilton is that all the good games are in the sports book area, which can be crowded, loud and smoky. The upside is the games themselves, including “not so ugly” deuces, loose deuce deuces wild (100.15 percent) and 9/6 jacks. All are offered at 25 cents and $1; the jacks are also offered at $5.
Blackjack at the Hilton is also excellent, with surrender offered not only on shoe games but also on double deck. Shoe games are sometimes offered at $5, usually at $10; double deck is offered at $25. Penetration for both is set by a notch, with about a deck and a third cut off for the six-deck game and about a third of the pack cut off the double-deck game.
The Hilton is a short walk from the Sahara or Riviera, and is accessible by the Monorail, which stops right at the hotel.
When it comes to blackjack, there are good games on the Strip, but the double-deck games are often available only at minimums of $25 and higher. There is little good video poker on the Strip, defined as games with 99.5 percent payback or better. Some Strip casinos do offer 9/6 jacks or better, but rarely at less than $5, unless you're willing to forgo comps (New York New York offers 9/6 Jacks at $1 and $2, but those machines don't accept a players club card).
This may come as a surprise, but Hooters offers some of the best video poker near the Strip. The good video poker is all on two banks of machines in front of the cage. Games include jacks or better (99.54 percent payback), "not so ugly" deuces wild (99.73 percent) and, on one machine only, double bonus deuces wild (99.81 percent). Slot club points for video poker accrue at a rate of one for every $3 coin in, but each dollar of free play costs only 100 points.
Hooters also offers $10-minimum double deck blackjack with typical locals casino rules and a 0.40 house edge. This game is not open all the time and is never on more than one table. Penetration varies by dealer.
This casino is a very short walk from the Strip at Tropicana, just east of the Tropicana hotel. It is easily accessible by the Monorail, which stops just across Tropicana Avenue at the MGM Grand.
Moving north, a longtime favorite of Strip casino workers and other locals is Ellis Island, a few minutes’ walk east of the Strip on Koval Lane just south of Flamingo Road. This casino, which got its name from founder Gary Ellis, features shoe and double deck blackjack games at $5 and video poker including “not so ugly” deuces at 25 cents and 9/6 jacks or better at up to $2. The casino building also houses a microbrewery, karaoke bar, restaurant, barbecue and Metro Pizza outlet. The casino and karaoke bars serve very generous drinks at moderate prices. Expect a wait at the restaurant (open 24 hours every day) and barbeque (open 4-10 p.m. every day). The restaurant is famous for its off-the-menu steak special, a 10-oz. filet-cut sirloin for $7.99, including an Ellis Island beer.
Farther east at Flamingo and Paradise Road, a fair walk or short bus or taxi ride from the Strip, is Terrible’s (named after founder “Terrible” Herbst, so-called by his competitors in the gas station business for undercutting their prices). The only video poker that meets the 99.5 percent criterion here is 9/6 jacks or better, at up to 50 cents, near the cashier. Double-deck blackjack is consistently offered at $10, based on my experience.
On the other side of the Strip, a long walk or short bus or taxi ride away, are the Palms and Gold Coast, directly across the street from each other. The Palms has one of the best and biggest selections of good video poker in Las Vegas, including a 25-cent full pay deuces wild (100.76 percent) progressive and a $1 full-pay double bonus (100.17 percent) progressive with progressives on the straight flush and quads as well as the royal flush. “Not so ugly” deuces and 9/6 jacks or better are available at pretty much all denominations, including on Triple Play/Five Play machines. Slot club points are worth a generous 0.25 percent.
The Palms also offers a range of blackjack games, including the variation Blackjack Switch. In the past double deck has been offered at $10, but I haven’t seen that for a while. Expect a minimum for double deck of $15 or even $25. Card counters would do better elsewhere; double deck penetration is set at 50 percent with a notch.
The Palms is a big, high-end property with lots of dining and entertainment options. On weekends it is filled with young club goers; during the week it draws an older crowd heavy with locals there for the good video poker and promotions.
The Gold Coast, across the street, has lots of $5 blackjack at all times with good Vegas rules (but consistently lousy penetration) and lots of good video poker, including 9/6 jacks, “not so ugly” deuces and double bonus deuces, at denominations of up to $2. A favorite of Chinese Americans, the Gold Coast has two Chinese restaurants among its dining options. Another nearby casino, the Orleans, is also part of the Coast group owned by Boyd Gaming. A free shuttle connects two and goes to the Strip at Flamingo as well.
Bracketing Las Vegas’ Chinatown area to the north, at Sahara Avenue at Interstate 15, is Palace Station, which offers blackjack with excellent rules and, usually, good penetration at as little as $5 for shoes and $10 for double deck. The selection of positive video poker games (found on machines labeled “Optimum Play” is less than at most other Station properties. To my recollection, no such games are offered at more than 50 cents, but like all things casino-related, that could change at any time.
Finally, the property most like a major Strip resort, but with much better games, is the Las Vegas Hilton, on Paradise Road east of the Strip and south of Sahara Avenue. The Hilton is a major property famous for its entertainment offerings and with excellent restaurants and full major-resort amenities.
The only downside concerning video poker at the Hilton is that all the good games are in the sports book area, which can be crowded, loud and smoky. The upside is the games themselves, including “not so ugly” deuces, loose deuce deuces wild (100.15 percent) and 9/6 jacks. All are offered at 25 cents and $1; the jacks are also offered at $5.
Blackjack at the Hilton is also excellent, with surrender offered not only on shoe games but also on double deck. Shoe games are sometimes offered at $5, usually at $10; double deck is offered at $25. Penetration for both is set by a notch, with about a deck and a third cut off for the six-deck game and about a third of the pack cut off the double-deck game.
The Hilton is a short walk from the Sahara or Riviera, and is accessible by the Monorail, which stops right at the hotel.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
The joys of low volatility
Let’s say you’re a video poker player who normally plays moderately to highly volatile games, such double double bonus or “not so ugly” deuces at $1 or higher. Let’s assume further that you’ve run into a rough patch and are concerned about your dwindling bankroll. You know that if things continue to go south, you’re going to have to drop down in denomination, and you don’t want to do that.
That was the situation I was in a few months ago and I decided to take a different tack, which worked out well for me. I usually play NSU, “pseudo” NSU, double bonus deuces wild and loose deuce deuces wild at $1, sometimes on triple play machines.
As I wrote on this blog, a while ago I took the plunge and started playing what for me was a new game, jacks or better. The game has a lower long-term maximum payback than some of the other games I was playing, but it has the advantage of very low volatility. That means the fluctuations in amounts won and lost are relatively small. Unless you hit a royal flush, you’re generally not going to win much when you win, but compared with most other games you’re not going to lose much when you lose.
The downside to jacks is that the maximum long-term payback to the player is less than for the games I usually play (except for “pseudo,” but I play that mostly on progressives, when the jackpot adds significantly to the player’s return). But I found that because of the low volatility of jacks, I could comfortably play it at $2. My plan was to do just that, particularly when a good point multiplier would bring the return to about 100 percent. My hope was to hit a royal for $8,000, twice the amount I would get playing for $1, and solve my problem in one fell swoop.
Well, it worked! A few weeks, if that, into the “plan,” I hit for $8,000, bringing my bankroll most of the way back to where I wanted it to be. A few weeks later, I hit again, this time holding only two cards. Coincidentally, both of the big royals were in diamonds, my new favorite suit.
This was somewhat of a gamble, because you can lose quite a bit of money playing even jacks for $2. But it worked this time, and I have kept $2 jacks in my repertoire, playing it when point multipliers and/or other considerations make it a break-even play or better.
Another low volatility play I like: South Point has 50-play machines with NSU deuces in nickels in front of the oyster bar. (There are also 100-play machines with this game elsewhere in the casino). This is by far the best pay table I have seen anywhere on 50- or 100-plays; in fact, it’s the only playable pay table I’ve seen on these machines anywhere.
The bad news about this game is, if you hit the deuces, it’s $50. A royal flush without deuces is $200. The good news is that losses tend to be similarly small, especially considering the huge amount of money you’re putting through (which means you're earning lots of slot club points, particularly on point multiplier days). I can’t remember ever losing more than $500 in a session, and I usually play for at least an hour. On the other hand, you’re not likely to win a lot, unless you are dealt the deuces ($2,500) or a royal flush ($10,000). But if you’re more of a tortoise than a hare, this can be a very good game.
That was the situation I was in a few months ago and I decided to take a different tack, which worked out well for me. I usually play NSU, “pseudo” NSU, double bonus deuces wild and loose deuce deuces wild at $1, sometimes on triple play machines.
As I wrote on this blog, a while ago I took the plunge and started playing what for me was a new game, jacks or better. The game has a lower long-term maximum payback than some of the other games I was playing, but it has the advantage of very low volatility. That means the fluctuations in amounts won and lost are relatively small. Unless you hit a royal flush, you’re generally not going to win much when you win, but compared with most other games you’re not going to lose much when you lose.
The downside to jacks is that the maximum long-term payback to the player is less than for the games I usually play (except for “pseudo,” but I play that mostly on progressives, when the jackpot adds significantly to the player’s return). But I found that because of the low volatility of jacks, I could comfortably play it at $2. My plan was to do just that, particularly when a good point multiplier would bring the return to about 100 percent. My hope was to hit a royal for $8,000, twice the amount I would get playing for $1, and solve my problem in one fell swoop.
Well, it worked! A few weeks, if that, into the “plan,” I hit for $8,000, bringing my bankroll most of the way back to where I wanted it to be. A few weeks later, I hit again, this time holding only two cards. Coincidentally, both of the big royals were in diamonds, my new favorite suit.
This was somewhat of a gamble, because you can lose quite a bit of money playing even jacks for $2. But it worked this time, and I have kept $2 jacks in my repertoire, playing it when point multipliers and/or other considerations make it a break-even play or better.
Another low volatility play I like: South Point has 50-play machines with NSU deuces in nickels in front of the oyster bar. (There are also 100-play machines with this game elsewhere in the casino). This is by far the best pay table I have seen anywhere on 50- or 100-plays; in fact, it’s the only playable pay table I’ve seen on these machines anywhere.
The bad news about this game is, if you hit the deuces, it’s $50. A royal flush without deuces is $200. The good news is that losses tend to be similarly small, especially considering the huge amount of money you’re putting through (which means you're earning lots of slot club points, particularly on point multiplier days). I can’t remember ever losing more than $500 in a session, and I usually play for at least an hour. On the other hand, you’re not likely to win a lot, unless you are dealt the deuces ($2,500) or a royal flush ($10,000). But if you’re more of a tortoise than a hare, this can be a very good game.
My favorite Vegas sign
What’s great about this sign is that the Gold Coast, the favorite casino of local Asian players, does function as sort of a cultural center, in that gambling is very important in East Asian societies. The Gold Coast has two excellent Chinese restaurants, Ping Pang Pong and the Noodle Exchange, and is always full of Asian players. It has a massive table games area for a casino its size to accommodate the Asian players’ interest in baccarat as well as other table games.
Below is another sign, this one behind the Gold Coast off Valley View. It’s all in Chinese except for one word -- comps. It’s hard to believe there’s no Chinese equivalent, but there you have it. If anyone can translate the rest of the sign, I’d love to know what it says.
The Gold Coast is the nearest casino to Las Vegas’ linear, strip-mall Chinatown, which runs west from Valley View along Spring Mountain Road, a few blocks north of the Gold Coast. Two other locals’ casinos popular with Asian players are Palace Station, on Sahara Avenue just west of I-15, and the Orleans, on Tropicana a little farther west of I-15. Like the Gold Coast, the Orleans is part of the Coast chain owned by Boyd Gaming.
Mailer mystery solved
For several months my wife and I have played at a particular locals’ casino that offers 16/10 “not so ugly” deuces as well as a relatively obscure game that my wife plays and that pays back slightly more in the long run with perfect play than NSU. With point multipliers and other considerations, both these games can be positive for skilled players.
I was playing the NSU deuces exclusively, and she was playing the other game (I’m intentionally omitting details to avoid tipping off the casino to what has become an advantage play for us and apparently at least one other person). If anyone was playing more money through, it was me.
A couple of months ago she got a mailer from this casino that made our eyes bug out -- three $40 dining credits, $45 in free play several times a month, entry in a slot tournament, two free room nights. I got $5 in free play twice a month and a coupon for $2 off the buffet.
We couldn’t figure out why she was getting so much more until I realized that the games we were playing were on different machines. The machines with NSU also have other relatively good games on them, such as 9/6 jacks or better. The machines with the game she plays have a bunch of obscure games on them. I haven’t looked up the pay tables, but I assume they are not very good for the players. Also, this casino has a different version of the game my wife that pays back less to the players. It is on machines near the ones she plays.
According to the video poker author and teacher Bob Dancer, NSU deuces has become a favorite of players who make a living off the casinos. With point multipliers and other considerations, the game has a positive payback for skilled players, and the casinos obviously know this is a good game and one that can cost them money. I was being “punished” (by not being rewarded nearly as much as my wife) for playing this game.
But she was playing a game that actually returns more money to the player. I finally realized that the casino must be mistaken about the value of her game. We figured this casino groups games with similar paybacks on the same machines, and gives them all the same value for marketing purposes. Perhaps the casino thinks the game on the machines my wife plays is the inferior version; perhaps whoever set the machines up just didn’t know how good this game is.
At any rate, my wife appears to be benefiting from some kind of casino error. I have started playing her game at this casino and stopped playing the NSU deuces. I am looking forward to getting a much better mailer from this casino.
Incidentally, I knew my thinking was on the right track when, on a recent visit to this casino, I saw Dancer playing on the bank of machines that my wife (and now I) play there. I unobtrusively walked behind him to see what game he was playing and, sure enough, it was the same one my wife plays.
Mystery solved!
I was playing the NSU deuces exclusively, and she was playing the other game (I’m intentionally omitting details to avoid tipping off the casino to what has become an advantage play for us and apparently at least one other person). If anyone was playing more money through, it was me.
A couple of months ago she got a mailer from this casino that made our eyes bug out -- three $40 dining credits, $45 in free play several times a month, entry in a slot tournament, two free room nights. I got $5 in free play twice a month and a coupon for $2 off the buffet.
We couldn’t figure out why she was getting so much more until I realized that the games we were playing were on different machines. The machines with NSU also have other relatively good games on them, such as 9/6 jacks or better. The machines with the game she plays have a bunch of obscure games on them. I haven’t looked up the pay tables, but I assume they are not very good for the players. Also, this casino has a different version of the game my wife that pays back less to the players. It is on machines near the ones she plays.
According to the video poker author and teacher Bob Dancer, NSU deuces has become a favorite of players who make a living off the casinos. With point multipliers and other considerations, the game has a positive payback for skilled players, and the casinos obviously know this is a good game and one that can cost them money. I was being “punished” (by not being rewarded nearly as much as my wife) for playing this game.
But she was playing a game that actually returns more money to the player. I finally realized that the casino must be mistaken about the value of her game. We figured this casino groups games with similar paybacks on the same machines, and gives them all the same value for marketing purposes. Perhaps the casino thinks the game on the machines my wife plays is the inferior version; perhaps whoever set the machines up just didn’t know how good this game is.
At any rate, my wife appears to be benefiting from some kind of casino error. I have started playing her game at this casino and stopped playing the NSU deuces. I am looking forward to getting a much better mailer from this casino.
Incidentally, I knew my thinking was on the right track when, on a recent visit to this casino, I saw Dancer playing on the bank of machines that my wife (and now I) play there. I unobtrusively walked behind him to see what game he was playing and, sure enough, it was the same one my wife plays.
Mystery solved!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
A suprising development at the Las Vegas Hilton
First, a little background. Traditionally the game of blackjack is based on a payout of 3-to-2 for a player's two first cards of ace, ten (unless the dealer also has ace, ten). Such a hand is called a blackjack, indicating its singificance to the game.
A few years ago someone, probably an MBA, got the idea that you could pay less -- 6-to-5 -- for blackjack if you give players something in return for the lower payout. At first, that something was a single-deck game, which had disappeared from most casinos because it was too advantageous to good players.
More recently the 6-to-5 payout has spread to shoe games and games with rules that are less advantageous to the playes. In some cases the tradoff was entertainment, often in the form of sexy young women dealing and/or dancing. This was the case at the Las Vegas Hilton, which in the past few months installed a large pit with stages inside for young women to dance on. On recent visits I saw lots of players at these tables, which were all 6-to-5 games, some shoes, with minimums as high as $25. The players seemed happy and the money surely must have been rolling in.
Some imagine my surprise the other day when I walked through the main casino at the Hilton and saw empty carpet where the party pit had been. I decided to ask a floorman at the remaining pit what had happened. Surely, I said, the party pit was making money. Yes, he said, but many of the hotel's older customers didn't like it, and the casino decided to get rid of it.
I'm not sure exactly what to think of this development. I'm not a big fan of the party pits and would never play a blackjack game that pays 6-to-5. But I suspect that the bad games in casino subsidize the good ones, and I'm worried about what the Hilton might do to make up for the lost revenue.
I also don't know whether the Hilton did the right thing in respect to the customers who didn't like the party pit, or just made a business decision.
Whatever the motive behind it, the decision leaves a big hole on the Hilton's casino floor. I'll be interested to see what fills it.
A few years ago someone, probably an MBA, got the idea that you could pay less -- 6-to-5 -- for blackjack if you give players something in return for the lower payout. At first, that something was a single-deck game, which had disappeared from most casinos because it was too advantageous to good players.
More recently the 6-to-5 payout has spread to shoe games and games with rules that are less advantageous to the playes. In some cases the tradoff was entertainment, often in the form of sexy young women dealing and/or dancing. This was the case at the Las Vegas Hilton, which in the past few months installed a large pit with stages inside for young women to dance on. On recent visits I saw lots of players at these tables, which were all 6-to-5 games, some shoes, with minimums as high as $25. The players seemed happy and the money surely must have been rolling in.
Some imagine my surprise the other day when I walked through the main casino at the Hilton and saw empty carpet where the party pit had been. I decided to ask a floorman at the remaining pit what had happened. Surely, I said, the party pit was making money. Yes, he said, but many of the hotel's older customers didn't like it, and the casino decided to get rid of it.
I'm not sure exactly what to think of this development. I'm not a big fan of the party pits and would never play a blackjack game that pays 6-to-5. But I suspect that the bad games in casino subsidize the good ones, and I'm worried about what the Hilton might do to make up for the lost revenue.
I also don't know whether the Hilton did the right thing in respect to the customers who didn't like the party pit, or just made a business decision.
Whatever the motive behind it, the decision leaves a big hole on the Hilton's casino floor. I'll be interested to see what fills it.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Hello, Old Buddy
When the M Resort opened a little over a year ago, it had a video poker game I had never seen before. It was the same as 16/10 "not so ugly" deuces, except that it paid 15 instead of 16 for the five of a kind and 11 instead of 10 for the straight flush. These seemingly small changes bring the game's return with max coins bet and optimal play to 99.96 percent, compared with 99.73 percent for the 16/10 deuces. (The higher payout for the straight flush, which occurs more often, more than offsets the lower payout for the five of a kind.)
This game was available for a while at the M at quarters on triple play machines. That casino also had full pay deuces (100.76 percent payback) at the time, but only in single line quarters, and at one quarter the points awarded for playing most other games. The 15/11 or "almost positive" deuces were wildly popular. Then one day they were gone, to be followed by the M's 16/10 deuces.
Tonight I came across the 15/11 deuces at 50 cents at the Skyline, a small casino on Boulder Highway in Henderson. What's more, it's on a progessive. This game is break-even when the jackpot hits a whopping $2,054, as opposed to the base $2,000 for the 50 cent game.I expect to be playing this one a lot.
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