Video Poker Las Vegas Strip
Tourists often have a hard time finding good returns on video poker when visiting Las Vegas. This is mainly because most of the games on the Las Vegas Strip have a house edge of at least 2%. On top of that, the games at McCarran Airport are far worse than any of the games you’ll find at many Vegas casinos. Serious video poker players will want to stay away from the Strip all together when visiting Las Vegas, or at least take a short taxi ride to find the better games with a higher RTP.
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For a local video poker player, the motto was play big, win bigger. Playing a five-coin, $125 hand on the $25 video poker machine, the bettor hit a royal flush to win $100,000 at The Orleans.
While that is the case, there are still many options available to casino advantage players; you just have to know where to look. Below we’ll go into further detail on how you can find the best casinos to play video poker when visiting Las Vegas.
Reviews on Best Video Poker in Las Vegas, NV — Bellagio Hotel, Vue Bar, Bighorn Casino, Stage Door Casino, The Ridge Bar & Grill, Circa Resort & Casino, Village Pub & Poker, The D Casino Hotel, O’Sheas, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Downtown you can find 9/6 everywhere except The D, Golden Gate and Golden Nugget. My value suggestion on the strip is Bellagio bartops have 7/5 Bonus Poker Progressive at the dollar level. Thats a 98% and higher machine. Figure in comps and prompt drink service and it is a decent play. Most bars on the Vegas Strip offer 6/5 Bonus Poker where a full house pays six for a full house and five for a flush. Returns on the 6/5 Bonus Poker game are 96.87 percent.
#1 The D: Best Video Poker Game in Las Vegas
The single best video poker machine in Las Vegas is located at one of my personal favorites; The D. The casino at The D is located downtown on the Fremont Street Experience, which you’ll recognize by the infamous red “D” logo. The game we are talking about is called Loose Deuces Wild and it returns 101.6% on five coins (with perfect play).
There is just one single machine with this game on it at The D, and it’s located on the second floor. All machines found on this level operate on coins. The denomination for this Loose Deuces Wild machine is a measly $.05. If that machine is taken, there is also a 10/7/5 Double Bonus game available in quarters just a few steps away.
Honorable Mention: Video Poker at The M Resort & Casino
We recently decided to add in The M Resort & Casino as an honorable mention. As of 2018, The M has one of the best overall video poker offerings for players among casinos in the Las Vegas area. When considering the 99% payback games available at machines around the resort, including at the bars, The M casino in Henderson is a great choice for video poker players.
There are many 99% machines available in the high limit room as well, with denominations as low as $1. This casino is about 20 minutes off the strip, but is one of the newest properties in Henderson and has one of the most modern layouts among Las Vegas Casinos.
Other Great Video Poker Games in Downtown Las Vegas
The D is not the only place on Fremont Street to find good video poker games that return over 100%. While the Vegas Strip’s positive payback video poker machines are few and far between, Fremont Street has a lot to offer in this regard. Below we have outlined the casinos with positive payback on video poker.
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#2 El Cortez Video Poker
The El Cortez offers several $0.25 full pay Deuces Wild machines which have a 100.76% payback. Aside from this, they also spread 10/7/5 Double Bonus Poker in several locations on the casino floor. With this abundance of great options, it is one of the best casinos to visit for playing video poker.
#3 Las Vegas Club Video Poker (Now Closed)
The casino at Las Vegas Club in downtown Las Vegas spreads full pay Joker Poker which has a 100.64% return. All of these games operate on coins and return over 100%, which is much better than those located on the strip. This casino has since been sold, closed and a new property will take its place. For posterity and reference, we have left this in our guide.
#4 Boyd Gaming Video Poker
Two of the three Boyd Gaming properties in downtown Las Vegas offer video poker machines that return over 100%. In downtown Las Vegas, California and Main Street Station have 10/7/5 Double Bonus. These casinos also have a variety of full pay games that return 99.5% or better. Main Street Station has full pay Jacks or Better at the bar as well.
#5 Plaza Las Vegas Video Poker
It is also worth noting that Plaza Las Vegas recently upgraded all of its video poker machines, many of which now return over 100%. Its best game is 10/7/5 Double Bonus, which returns 100.17%. It also has 9/6 Bonus Poker Deluxe and 9/6 Jacks or Better. Both of these games are located at the bar, which is an added plus.
Vegas Locals’ Casinos with the Best Video Poker
If you are looking to get away from Fremont Street and the Las Vegas Strip, there are many locals casinos that offer 100%+ return video poker machines. All major Station Casinos properties offer video poker games that return over 100%. Red Rock, Santa Fe Station, Green Valley Ranch, Boulder Station and Texas Station are among the casinos that offer these games. Not all machines at these properties have the great returns. The ones that do will be clearly advertised, so they are fairly easy to spot.
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The best game on these video poker machines is full pay Deuces Wild. Other great options include 10/7/5 Double Bonus and 10/6 Double Double Bonus. Some of the machines also offer full pay Joker Poker. All games are available in quarters. The Double and Double Double Bonus games are also available in $.50 and $1 denominations.
Palms spreads full pay Deuces Wild, Double Bonus and Double Double Bonus. Sam’s Town also offers these games. All are available in quarters.
Never Use Players Card in Full Pay Machines
When many Video poker players start out, they learn that they should always use a players card when giving video poker action. The games listed above are one of the only exceptions. The reason for this is that casinos will often assume players that play on these devices are experts who are giving up no edge on the game. This can stop all mailers from casinos which means no more free play or hotel offers. For this reason it will do you well to avoid using a players card on these types of machines; even if you have a players card at the casino.
How Can Casinos Make Money Off 100% Video Poker?
Casinos still make money from video poker games that return more than 100%. That is because many players will not play all five coins required for the extra royal flush bonus. Most of the games available require a complicated basic strategy that differs from Jacks or Better. Many players do not put in the time to learn these strategies, and the casinos know this. The Deuces Wild games found on these machines should not be played like a normal game with a lower pay table, since it has a completely different strategy.
For these reasons, casinos still manage to make money from the games we mentioned in this article. Always make sure to play five coins every hand and learn the proper strategy so that you can play at an advantage on full pay machines. This will result in a theoretical 100%+ return on your play.
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Kevin King is a former professional gambler and casino expert from Las Vegas who now shares his expertise in the form of casino guides and reviews. Best online poker tips.
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Video poker is perhaps my favorite casino gamble of all time — full pay Deuces Wild if you want the particulars — but the game’s popularity with recreational players always leaves me a bit queasy.
On the one hand, most of the more well-known versions of video poker — your Jacks or Better, Double Double Bonus, Joker Poker, and Deuces Wild among others — rank right up there with the best bets on any casino floor. I’m talking juicy payback rates like 99.54 percent on 9/6 full pay Jacks or Better, and even the fabled player edge produced on full pay versions of Deuces Wild and Double Bonus Poker.
The increasingly prevalent online video poker platforms found on the internet also make sure to offer players a fair shake via payback rates that seldom dip below 99 percent.
Throw in the ever-present elements of skill and strategy, and all things considered, gamblers could do a lot worse than video poker.
But on the other hand, you’ll notice I used the phrase “full pay” a few times in that positive preamble — and for good reason.
An Introduction to Video Poker Pay Tables
As you can see below, every video poker variant can be played against a full pay table that creates the highest possible payback percentage, or inferior pay tables that put players in a big hole:
Jacks or Better Pay Table Comparison
TABLEPAYBACK9/699.54 percent9/598.45 percent8/698.39 percent8/597.30 percent7/596.15 percent6/595.00 percent
Deuces Wild Pay Table Comparison
TABLEPAYBACK25/15/9/5/3/2100.76 percent25/15/11/4/4/399.96 percent25/16/10/4/4/399.73 percent25/15/9/4/4/398.91 percent20/12/10/4/4/397.58 percent20/12/9/4/4/397.06 percent25/16/13/4/3/296.77 percent20/10/8/4/4/395.96 percent25/15/10/4/3/294.82 percent
Double Bonus Poker Pay Table Comparison
TABLEPAYBACK10/7100.17 percent9/7/599.11 percent9/6/597.81 percent9/6/496.38 percent8/594.19 percent7/593.11 percent
Double Double Bonus Poker Pay Table Comparison
TABLEPAYBACK10/6100.07 percent9/6/498.98 percent9/597.87 percent8/596.79 percent7/595.71 percent6/594.66 percent
You read the numbers right… even a beautiful game like full pay Deuces Wild and its 100.76 percent payback rate can be bastardized by virtue of inferior pay tables.
If you find a particularly awful version of Deuces Wild, you can actually go from a player edge of 0.76 percent to facing a house edge of 5.18 percent.
That’s highway robbery if you ask me, and considering you found your way here, you basically are.
This dichotomy between what video poker should be, and what it can be when merciless corporate casinos start tinkering with pay tables to pad their pocketbooks, is what gives me pause over video poker’s popularity. Casino consolidation on the Las Vegas Strip has led to a decided lack of full pay video poker in the world’s gambling capital. And as a result, millions of unsuspecting visitors to Sin City sit down to play against substandard pay tables each and every year.
But while I personally love staying somewhere Off-Strip — the crowds make me claustrophobic and being overcharged for watered down cocktails isn’t my thing — I realize that many gamblers visiting Las Vegas are visiting specifically to see The Strip for themselves. Neon lights and glittering hotel towers, roller coasters and dueling knights on horseback, magic shows and stripteases on demand — what’s not to love, right?
Well, casinos on The Strip aren’t exactly known for offering topline video poker payouts. To wit, you won’t find a single full pay Deuces Wild machine with that sweet 100.76 percent payback rate anywhere along Las Vegas Boulevard.
Nonetheless, I’ve scoured the most recent Las Vegas video poker surveys to put together a guidebook listing the best places to play on The Strip. The casinos shown below are right in the heart of the action, and if you’re willing to bet a little higher than the Off-Strip venues require, you can score full pay odds that make video poker the thinking player’s game it should be.
1 — Palms Casino Resort
This joint isn’t technically located on Las Vegas Boulevard, but if you head to Caesars Palace or Bellagio and take Flamingo Road westbound, it only takes five minutes to make the one-mile distance to the Palms.
Based on that close proximity, and the rare appearance of full pay Deuces Wild anywhere near The Strip, the Palms makes this page’s cut in my book.
You can see how the Palms’ best video poker offerings stack up in the table below:
Palms’ Best Video Poker Options
VARIANTFULL PAYBACKCOIN DENOMINATION(S)Full Pay Deuces Wild100.76 percent25¢Double Bonus100.17 percent25¢, 50¢, $1Loose Deuces Wild100.15 percent25¢Double Double Bonus100.07 percent25¢, 50¢, $1Bonus Poker99.17 percent25¢, 50¢, $1, $2, $5 and upDouble Bonus Poker99.11 percent25¢, 50¢, $1, $2, $5 and upDouble Double Bonus Poker98.98 percent25¢, 50¢, $1, $2, $5 and up
Having full pay Deuces Wild onsite is definitely a treat, but you’ve probably noticed by now that Jacks or Better video poker is nowhere to be seen. That’s an odd choice by management to be sure, but if I can sacrifice the 99.54 percent payback rate on Jacks or Better for a foursome of player edge games, that’s a no-brainer.
2 — Circus Circus on North End of Strip
The carnival-themed Circus Circus has surely seen better days, but this rundown clown show is the only casino on Las Vegas Boulevard proper where player edge video poker can be found:
Circus Circus’ Best Video Poker Options
VARIANTFULL PAYBACKCOIN DENOMINATION(S)Aces and Eights100.25 percent50¢Bonus Poker99.17 percent25¢, $1Double Bonus Poker99.11 percent$1
Only having three variants to choose from at Circus Circus may put some players off, but if you enjoy Aces and Eights, it offers a full pay player edge of 0.25 percent — at the relatively low fifty-cent coin denomination to boot.
3 — Westgate Resort & Casino on Paradise Rd.
Another venue that’s just close enough to The Strip to qualify, the Westgate is famous for housing the SuperBook — which holds the honor of world’s largest sportsbook.
To get here, drive north on The Strip until you get to Elvis Presley Boulevard just before Circus Circus. Hook a right and you’ll run right into the Westgate’s immaculately groomed golf course, and its eclectic collection of 99.5+ percent payback low-stakes video poker machines:
Westgates’ Best Video Poker Options
VARIANTFULL PAYBACKCOIN DENOMINATION(S)Loose Deuces Wild100.15 percent25¢2 Pair Jokers Wild99.92 percent25¢Not So Ugly Ducks (Deuces Wild)99.73 percent25¢Bonus Deluxe99.64 percent25¢Jacks or Better99.54 percent25¢
4 — The Cromwell Hotel and Casino in the Central Strip
Originally known as the Barbary Coast, and later Bill’s Gambling Hall, the Cromwell was completely renovated in 2014 to create The Strip’s newest luxury resort.
Everything here just feels expensive, and the word “boutique” is thrown around quite a bit, but the video poker selection at the Cromwell does right by sharp players:
The Cromwell’s Best Video Poker Options
Best Video Poker Las Vegas
VARIANTFULL PAYBACKCOIN DENOMINATION(S)Not So Ugly Ducks (Deuces Wild)99.73 percent25¢Triple Double Bonus99.58 percent25¢Jacks or Better99.54 percent25¢Bonus Deuces Wild99.45 percent25¢One Pair Joker Wild99.29 percent25¢Bonus Poker99.17 percent25¢Double Bonus Poker99.11 percent25¢
5 — Encore on North End of Strip
A sister casino to Wynn, the aptly named Encore caters to the high-rolling video poker crowd.
That means a minimum coin denomination of $1 for a few games, and $5 for most variants:
Video Poker In Vegas
Encore’s Best Video Poker Options
VARIANTFULL PAYBACKCOIN DENOMINATION(S)Not So Ugly Ducks (Deuces Wild)99.73 percent$5, $10, $25, $50, $100Triple Double Bonus99.58 percent$5, $10, $25, $50, $100Jacks or Better99.54 percent$5, $10, $25, $50, $100Bonus Poker99.17 percent$5, $10, $25, $50, $100Double Bonus Poker99.11 percent$1, $5, $10, $25, $50, $100
These stakes can admittedly be rather steep, but if you have the bankroll to spare, Encore’s video poker parlors are among the most beautiful and comfortable on The Strip.
Best Video Poker Bars In Las Vegas
Conclusion
Best Video Poker Las Vegas Strip
The Strip has earned its reputation as a tourist trap and money pit designed solely to separate suckers from their dough. I hate to say that, but it’s a fact, and it will be until the corporate overlords like MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment stop punishing players by pinching pennies. Even so, sharp video poker enthusiasts who know where to look — and that means you if you’ve made it this far — can still enjoy their favorite game in full pay fashion as the gambling gods intended.
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