Don't quit your day job

5 May 2000

By Mark Pilarski

Dear Mark,
In a past column, you stated that video poker has a return of 99% to the smart player and can be mathematically one of the best bets in the casino. My question is this. If I combine my passion for the game, a low house advantage and jackpots that run more than $1,000, is there any possibility that I could make a living playing video poker? Ted L.

Assuming, Ted, you were to do all the right things like finding full-pay (9/6) Jacks or Better machines and play perfect basic strategy, I would still recommend the following advice. Don't quit your day job! Even though your expected payback is more than 99%, actually 99.544%, you must take into account that those high returns are based on you hitting the royal flush. And why a royal flush? Because a royal on a full pay (9/6) Jacks or Better machine accounts for 1.981% of your total return. Also of note, Ted, plan on playing video poker an average of 60 hours, with rapid play, before hitting a royal flush. Even a straight flush can be expected only once every six hours, and four-of-a-kind hands occur just once an hour. Those hands are significant because they represent another 5% of a player's return.

What this all means to the video poker player, Ted, is that the casino has a 10% advantage while you're waiting for the big payoff. Finally, Ted, your bankroll. It's going to take you, again on average, a wad of cash about as large as the royal flush itself to survive long enough to hit it.

Is a Friday paycheck starting to sound good about now?

Dear Mark,
By reading your column and listening to your tapes "Hooked on Winning," you've got me trained to look for the best value on 8/5 progressive video poker machines. What are the key jackpot figures I'm looking for to at least break even against the house? Susan, L.

Susan, to be even against the house you need to find a machine with a progressive jackpot that is larger than 1,750 maximum bets ($440 for $.05 machines, $2,200 for the $.25 machines, and $8,750 for the $1 slots). Want a mathematical 2% edge? Look for jackpots of $625 on your nickel, $3,125 on the quarter, and $12,500 on the dollar machines. Tough to find, but do they exist. Good luck.

(When Susan was referring to 8/5, and I, 9/6 in the Q&A above, we meant the payoff for a full house and a flush with one coin inserted.)

Dear Mark,
How would you go about identifying a good-paying Deuces Wild video poker machine versus a bad one? Angela C.

The key to evaluating the potential return on a "Deuces Wild" machine, Angela, is the payoff on fours-of-a-kind. If your local casino has little competition, that hand is paid 20 for 5, rather than 25 for 5. Since fours-of-a-kind occur frequently, this lower payoff drops the percentage return by well over 6%. Some machines, though, will give you a little extra by paying more for the full house. But overall, if you're playing on a machine which pays just 20 for a four-of-a-kind, you're playing less than a full-pay version of Deuces Wild.

Dear Mark,
Is it important in video poker to play the full number of coins? Jerry R.

Yes, because if you look at the pay table closely you will notice a non-symmetrical progression on the royal flush payline. Your typical royal flush payline looks like this; 250, 500, 750, 1,000, 4,000. Note the jump with the fifth coin inserted. Not playing that fifth coin, Jerry, will cost you 12% over the long haul.

Don't quit your day job is republished from CasinoCityTimes.com.

Language: English Location: Currency: > edit my preferences Home Online Slots Live Dealer Games Online Casinos Online Poker Online Bingo Games Lotteries Sports & Racebooks Fantasy Sports Forex Betting Exchanges Spread Betting Binary Options Exclusive Bonuses Weekly Newsletter Online Gaming News Payment Methods Gaming Software Gaming Site Owners Gaming Jurisdictions		Bonuses! New games! Gossip! And all the player news you can handle. Sign up NOW! View the current issue Mark Pilarski Mark Pilarski survived 18 years in the gambling trenches, working for seven different casinos. He now writes a nationally syndicated gambling column, is a university lecturer, author, reviewer, and contributing editor for numerous gaming periodicals, and is the creator of the best-selling, award-winning audiocassette series on casino gambling, Hooked on Winning. More about Mark Pilarski More articles by Mark Pilarski
	Don't quit your day job 5 May 2000 By Mark Pilarski <a href='https://ad.casinocity.com/adclick.php?n=a21efcd1'><img src='https://ad.casinocity.com/adview.php?what=-site:vendors/width:250/RON&n=a21efcd1' border='0' alt='' /></a> Dear Mark, In a past column, you stated that video poker has a return of 99% to the smart player and can be mathematically one of the best bets in the casino. My question is this. If I combine my passion for the game, a low house advantage and jackpots that run more than $1,000, is there any possibility that I could make a living playing video poker? Ted L. Assuming, Ted, you were to do all the right things like finding full-pay (9/6) Jacks or Better machines and play perfect basic strategy, I would still recommend the following advice. Don't quit your day job! Even though your expected payback is more than 99%, actually 99.544%, you must take into account that those high returns are based on you hitting the royal flush. And why a royal flush? Because a royal on a full pay (9/6) Jacks or Better machine accounts for 1.981% of your total return. Also of note, Ted, plan on playing video poker an average of 60 hours, with rapid play, before hitting a royal flush. Even a straight flush can be expected only once every six hours, and four-of-a-kind hands occur just once an hour. Those hands are significant because they represent another 5% of a player's return. What this all means to the video poker player, Ted, is that the casino has a 10% advantage while you're waiting for the big payoff. Finally, Ted, your bankroll. It's going to take you, again on average, a wad of cash about as large as the royal flush itself to survive long enough to hit it. Is a Friday paycheck starting to sound good about now? Dear Mark, By reading your column and listening to your tapes "Hooked on Winning," you've got me trained to look for the best value on 8/5 progressive video poker machines. What are the key jackpot figures I'm looking for to at least break even against the house? Susan, L. Susan, to be even against the house you need to find a machine with a progressive jackpot that is larger than 1,750 maximum bets ($440 for $.05 machines, $2,200 for the $.25 machines, and $8,750 for the $1 slots). Want a mathematical 2% edge? Look for jackpots of $625 on your nickel, $3,125 on the quarter, and $12,500 on the dollar machines. Tough to find, but do they exist. Good luck. (When Susan was referring to 8/5, and I, 9/6 in the Q&A above, we meant the payoff for a full house and a flush with one coin inserted.) Dear Mark, How would you go about identifying a good-paying Deuces Wild video poker machine versus a bad one? Angela C. The key to evaluating the potential return on a "Deuces Wild" machine, Angela, is the payoff on fours-of-a-kind. If your local casino has little competition, that hand is paid 20 for 5, rather than 25 for 5. Since fours-of-a-kind occur frequently, this lower payoff drops the percentage return by well over 6%. Some machines, though, will give you a little extra by paying more for the full house. But overall, if you're playing on a machine which pays just 20 for a four-of-a-kind, you're playing less than a full-pay version of Deuces Wild. Dear Mark, Is it important in video poker to play the full number of coins? Jerry R. Yes, because if you look at the pay table closely you will notice a non-symmetrical progression on the royal flush payline. Your typical royal flush payline looks like this; 250, 500, 750, 1,000, 4,000. Note the jump with the fifth coin inserted. Not playing that fifth coin, Jerry, will cost you 12% over the long haul. Don't quit your day job is republished from CasinoCityTimes.com.