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.
