Best Video Poker

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With the best full-pay video poker machines Las Vegas—at our casinos, the odds are always in your favor. Your Favorite Games in Spades Widely regarded by locals as the best destination for video poker, our properties offer a wide array of the latest video poker machines and some of the highest payouts in Las Vegas. Find the best Video Poker games anywhere Browse Pay Tables for hundreds of Video Poker games BTW, Our site is maintained by a cadre of volunteer casino monitors and an active community of video poker players like you, who help keep our video poker inventory up-to-date (and free) by sending us updates. Steve and Matt Bourie, from the American Casino Guide, give their five best tips for winning at video poker. Topics covered include: getting a player's club. Video poker bonuses at online casinos are actually quite rare, as the game has such a low edge. So, although El Royale offers a number of generous bonuses, none of them can be used for playing video poker games. However, that at doesn't stop this being the top US online casino for real money video poker players.

  1. Best Video Poker Training Software
  2. Best Video Poker Machines
  3. Best Video Poker Odds

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. 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.

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.

Best Video Poker


Obviously, casino gambling enthusiasts all over the country consider Las Vegas to be their home away from home. The Strip alone is home to 30 casino resorts, spanning the spectrum from the opulence of Bellagio and Venetian to the gritty, old-school gambling halls like Casino Royale and O'Shea's.

Branching out away from The Strip offers dozens of additional options, so its no wonder why so many video poker fans flock to Las Vegas every single year.

On the flip side though, I know many players who only make it out here once or twice a year. For them, visiting Las Vegas offers just a few days to experience the country's best video poker options.

So what about the other 360 or so days during the year?

Hopefully folks have a quality local casino – either commercial or tribal – where they can enjoy their favorite video poker variants. And that's a fair bet, based on the map marking casino presence in all 50 states that you can check out down below:

As you can see, only nine states in the U.S. – Utah, Hawaii, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina, Vermont, and New Hampshire – are casino no-go zones. Las Vegas style casino resorts can be found from coast to coast, in California and New Jersey and everywhere in between.

But here's the big question for video poker grinders – how do these non-Vegas venues compare with the real thing?

Examination of Las Vegas Casino Pay Tables for Comparison

As you well know, video poker pay tables are becoming increasingly hostile for low-stakes players. The trend definitely started in Las Vegas, where casinos aren't shy about offering the inferior pay tables shown below for a game like Jacks or Better:

Jacks or Better Pay Table Comparison

TABLEPAYBACK
9/699.54 percent
9/598.45 percent
8/698.39 percent
8/597.30 percent
7/596.15 percent
6/595.00 percent
Unless you're willing to bet big, you just won't find very many of the old 9/6 full pay Jacks or Better machines in Sin City any longer.

It's the same sorry situation for other popular versions of video poker too. As the tables below show quite clearly, any game – even the strategic gambler's fan favorite Deuces Wild – can be turned into a money pit when the casinos start tinkering with pay tables:

Deuces Wild Pay Table Comparison

TABLEPAYBACK
25/15/9/5/3/2100.76 percent
25/15/11/4/4/399.96 percent
25/16/10/4/4/399.73 percent
25/15/9/4/4/398.91 percent
20/12/10/4/4/397.58 percent
20/12/9/4/4/397.06 percent
25/16/13/4/3/296.77 percent
20/10/8/4/4/395.96 percent
25/15/10/4/3/294.82 percent

Double Bonus Poker Pay Table Comparison

TABLEPAYBACK
10/7100.17 percent
9/7/599.11 percent
9/6/597.81 percent
9/6/496.38 percent
8/594.19 percent
7/593.11 percent

Double Double Bonus Poker Pay Table Comparison

TABLEPAYBACK
10/6100.07 percent
9/6/498.98 percent
9/597.87 percent
8/596.79 percent
7/595.71 percent
6/594.66 percent

If you're a video poker player who doesn't get out to Las Vegas as often as you'd like, but you still want to find the best pay table options near you, look no further than the vpFREE2 database. This invaluable video poker resource allows you to search your region (just use the 'FILTER' tab to get started) for every machine and pay table in the area.

I'll let you play around with the vpFREE2 search tool on your own, but the list below has been compiled to highlight the five best video poker venues in every corner of the country. Leaving aside Nevada and its various gambling zones, vpFREE2 breaks things down into five key regions – East, Midwest, Gulf Coast, West, and Canada.

On that note, I'll take the top contender for best video poker provider in each of the five regions.

1 – Fort McDowell Casino in Fountain Hills, Arizona


The vpFREE2 database reveals 10 casinos in the West region where 99.9 percent payback rates can be found.

But it's Fort McDowell that has the most, as this tribal casino located to the Northeast of Phoenix, Arizona house three variants which reach the 'golden' number video poker players crave:

Fort McDowell's Best Video Poker Options

VARIANT DENOMINATION(S)FULL PAYBACKCOIN
Deuces Wild 4499.96 percent25¢, $1
Double Double Bonus99.96 percent25¢, $1
Super Aces99.94 percent25¢
Deuces Wild99.81 percent$1
Double Bonus Deuces Wild99.81 percent25¢, $1
Triple Bonus Plus99.80 percent$1
Not So Ugly Ducks (Deuces Wild)99.73 percent25¢, $1
Triple Double Bonus99.58 percent25¢, $1
Jacks or Better99.54 percent$1

The centerpiece of Fort McDowell's video poker lineup is Deuces Wild 44, which takes its name from the following pay table:

Deuces Wild 44 Pay Table

HANDPAYOUT
Natural Royal Flush800
Four of a Kind (with 2s)200
Royal Flush (w 2s)25
Five of a Kind15
Straight Flush11
Four of a Kind4
Full House4
Flush3
Straight2
Three of a Kind1

You'll also find 9.6 full pay Jacks or better at the Fort, and low limits of $0.25 make the games accessible for everybody.

2 – Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan


With hundreds of machines offering nine different variants – eight of which meet the minimum 99.0 percent payback rate – Soaring Eagle Casino in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan is like a little slice of Las Vegas meets Midwestern charm.

And as you can see below, this venue's video poker lineup is top-notch:

Soaring Eagle's Best Video Poker Options

VARIANT DENOMINATION(S)FULL PAYBACKCOIN
Double Double Bonus99.96 percent25¢, 50¢, $1
Triple Bonus Plus99.80 percent$1
Not So Ugly Ducks (Deuces Wild)99.73 percent25¢, 50¢, $1
Bonus Poker99.66 percent25¢, 50¢, $1
White Hot Aces99.57 percent25¢, 50¢, $1
Jacks or Better99.54 percent5¢, 25¢, 50¢, $1, $5
Pick'em (Pick a Pair)99.24 percent25¢, 50¢, $1
Double Bonus99.11 percent25¢, 50¢, $1

With coin denominations ranging from a nickel to a five-spot, nobody is left out of the premium pay table party at Soaring Eagle.

3 – Silver Slipper Casino Hotel in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi


Of all the casinos found in the Gulf Coast region, only the Silver Slipper in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi has four different variants offering a full pay table.

Well, the Deuces Wild game isn't 100.76 percent payback, but the Not So Ugly Ducks version and its 99.73 percent rate is the best you're going to get outside of Las Vegas:

Silver Slipper's Best Video Poker Options

VARIANT DENOMINATION(S)FULL PAYBACKCOIN
Not So Ugly Ducks (Deuces Wild)99.73 percent$1
Bonus Deluxe99.64 percent$1
Jacks or Better99.54 percent$1
Bonus Poker99.17 percent25¢

4 – Mohegan Sun Casino Resort in Uncasville, Connecticut


One of two massive mega-resort casinos in Connecticut (along with Foxwoods), the Mohegan Sun Casino holds a special distinction among East Coast video poker venues.

As the only place back East offering a player edge game – albeit at the high-limit $10 coin denomination – Mohegan Sun has the best pay tables around:

Best Video Poker Training Software

Mohegan Sun's Best Video Poker Options

VARIANT DENOMINATION(S)FULL PAYBACKCOIN
Double Bonus Double Jackpot100.09 percent$10
Pick'em (Pick a Pair)99.95 percent25¢, $1, $5, $10, $25
Double Bonus Deuces Wild99.81 percent$1
Jacks or Better99.54 percent25¢, 50¢, $1, $5, $10, $25
Double Double Bonus98.98 percent25¢, 50¢, $1, $5, $10

5 – Pure Casino Calgary in Calgary, Alberta, Canada


Unfortunately for the canucks out there, Canada's video poker scene is as sparse as the Great White North landscape in winter.

You won't find a single 9/6 full pay Jacks or Better machine, for example, and ditto for most popular variants.

With that said, Pure Casino Calgary in Alberta has an array of low-stakes options that make the weaker pay tables much more palatable:

Casino Calgary's Best Video Poker Options

VARIANT DENOMINATION(S)FULL PAYBACKCOIN
Double Double Bonus98.98 percent50¢, $1
Jacks or Better98.45 percent50¢, $1
Triple Double Bonus98.15 percent$1
Bonus Poker98.01 percent50¢, $1

Best Video Poker Machines

And in an honorable mention, check out Casino de Montreal for quarter-stakes machines.

Best Video Poker Odds

Conclusion

Playing video poker against an inferior pay table leaves sharp gamblers feeling a little empty inside – just like 6 to 5 blackjack or watered down 3x-4x-5x on the Odds bet in craps. When you know the casino could offer a game at standard odds that give players a chance, only to see the house pad their edge with substandard pay tables, the blood can start boiling in a hurry. Fortunately, the vpFREE2 database makes it easier than ever before to avoid the sucker machines and confine your action to the best video poker venues around.





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