East Coast Gambler -

Doing a check of video poker inventory in Atlantic City on vpFREE doesn’t show much.  Harrah’s hasn’t been updated this year, while Borgata still has plenty of good machines to play.  Here are some of my findings.

If you’re not familiar with vpFREE, it is a database of video poker pay tables that are updated by video poker players.  It’s a great resource if you play a specific game like me.  I always check to see where the Jacks or Better machines are.

Bally’s (last updated: Feb 10, 10 04:35 AM UTC)

99.54% JoB 1-2-3-4-6-9-25-50-800 JoB (FP)
(2) 25¢ Up in Park Place Video Poker area
(4) 25¢ Up near poker area, towards cashier
(4) $1 Prog Up in Park Place to the right of the big six wheel
(3) $1 3 Play Slant in Diamond Pointe immediately to the left after entering
(1) $1 3 Play Slant in Park Place Video Poker area
(4) $1 1 Play Slant in Park Place Video Poker area
(4) $1, $2 Slant in Park Place Video Poker area
(1) $10 Up in Diamond Pointe
(1) $25 Up in Diamond Pointe

99.17% BP 1-2-3-4-5-8-25-40-80-50-800 BP (FP)
(3) $1 3 Play Slant in Diamond Pointe immediately to the left after entering
(1) $1 3 Play Slant in Park Place Video Poker area
(4) $1, $2 Slant in Park Place Video Poker area
(3) $5 Slant in back of Diamond Pointe
(1) $5 Up in Diamond Pointe
(1) $5 1/3 Play Slant in Diamond Pointe against opposite wall from doorway entrance
(1) $10 Up in Diamond Pointe
(1) $25 Up in Diamond Pointe
(1) 25¢ Slant in Park Place Video Poker area
(9) 25¢ Prog Slant in Park Place to the right of the Big Six Wheel
(7) 25¢ 3 Play Prog Slant in Park Place near Big Six Wheel
(4) $1 Prog Slant in Park Place Video Poker area

99.11% DB 1-1-3-5-7-9-50-80-160-50-800
(4) $1 Slant in Park Place Video Poker area
(1) $5 Up in Diamond Pointe

(3) $5 Slant in the back of Diamond Pointe
99.00% JWD 1-1-4-6-8-10-25-50-100-1000
(5) 25¢ Slant Game King bank in Little Joe’s (WWW) 2nd Row from back wall
(3) 25¢ Up non-smoking section of Park Place Poker just opposite the casino host desk

Borgata (last updated: Feb 10, 10 04:35 AM UTC)

99.54% JoB 1-2-3-4-6-9-25-50-800 JoB (FP)
(14) 25¢ Slant (Panel says Joker Poker) near the buffet
(6) 25¢ Up (Panel says Joker Wild Poker) between buffet & box office by the ATM
(4)  25¢ Slant in video poker area near the buffet
(8) 25¢ Up by high energy slots (one side of bank is 8/5, other side is 9/6)
(13) 25¢, 50¢, $1 Slant (various names on them – including Either way Royals, Triple Bonus Plus, Draw Poker) These are the next bank up from a huge sign that says Joker Poker – that bank is all 8/5’s between B-bar and the new section of the Borgata
(14) 25¢, 50¢, $1 Slant near buffet
(6) 25¢ Up just into new section of casino by change booth
(10) 25¢, 50¢ Slant (2 panels say draw poker, 8 say Joker Wild Poker) just outside of B-bar entrance
(11) 25¢, 50¢, $1 @ the B-bar
(6) 50¢ Slant (panel says Draw Poker) 2 Banks into the new section going from B-bar to Wolfgang Pucks
(10) $1, $2, $5 @ the B-bar
(4) $1, $2 Slant near the high-limit area
(6) $2, $5 Slant in high-limit area
(6) $5, $10 Slant in high-limit area
(4) $10, $25 Slant in high-limit area99.17% BP 1-2-3-4-5-8-25-40-80-50-800 BP (FP)
(3) $1, $2 Slant outside high-limit area next to roulette tables

98.98% DDB 1-1-3-4-6-9-50-80-160-160-400-50-800 DDB (FP)
(4) 25¢ Slant in video poker area near the buffet
(6) $1, $2 next to main cashier at ends of $1 bank

97.25% DJW 1-2-3-3-3-5-8-10-25-800-2000(11) 25¢, 50¢, $1 @ the B-bar
(10) $1, $2, $5 @ the B-bar
(5) 25¢, 50¢, $1 located between the Italian restaurant and The Salon ( High Limit Table Area )

Caesars (last updated: Dec 07, 09 03:39 AM UTC)

99.54% JoB 1-2-3-4-6-9-25-50-800 JoB (FP)
(7) 25¢ Prog Slant behind escalator near the Emperor’s Club
(3) $1, $2, $5 Slant about 3 rows past BJ tables as you walk towards Pacific Avenue
$2 Slant $2 Game Kings in high-limit room

99.11% DB 1-1-3-5-7-9-50-80-160-50-800
(2) 25¢ Up on the rear right wall near the race book. Some on this row are short pay

98.98% DDB 1-1-3-4-6-9-50-80-160-160-400-50-800 DDB (FP)
(5) $1, $2, $5 Slant in middle of casino near mens rooom on left

Harrah’s (last updated: Sep 14, 09 08:14 PM UTC)

99.54% JoB 1-2-3-4-6-9-25-50-800 JoB (FP)
(4) $1, $2 Slant in Diamond Cove
(3) $5, $10 Slant in Diamond Cove
(2) 25¢, 50¢, $1 Up near the Xhibition Bar (2 of three in group)
(1) 25¢, 50¢, $1, $2 Up near the Xhibition Bar (1 of three in group)

98.98% DDB 1-1-3-4-6-9-50-80-160-160-400-50-800 DDB (FP)
(8) $1 Prog Up around a circle to the left of Xhibition Bar (with your back to women’s bathroom)
(2) 25¢, 50¢, $1 Up near the Xhibition Bar (2 of three in group)
(1) 25¢, 50¢, $1, $2 Up near the Xhibition Bar (1 of three in group)
(10) 25¢, 50¢, $1 Third carousel down from Total Rewards booth w/”World Series of Poker” sign

97.30% JoB 1-2-3-4-5-8-25-50-800
(8) $1 Prog Up around a circle to the left of Xhibition Bar (with your back to women’s bathroom)

These are the casinos that I will probably visit on my next trip.  To see all of the pay tables at the east coast casinos, head over to vpFREE.

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I played a lot of video poker on this trip to Las Vegas.  My sleeping habits have me starting my day with slots.  That’s usually followed up with video poker after my first cup of coffee, when I can think a little.

One of the first emails I received when I landed in Las Vegas was a warning that the Palazzo and Venetian no longer had 9/6 Jacks or Better video poker games.  That is my game of choice, so I was disappointed.  Checking vpFree’s database I knew that these machines would come and go.  Unfortunately, they went away when I arrived.  I’ll call that sketchy. 

Poor pay tables don’t deter me too much, but I’ll usually play less.  I mostly played the $1/$2 8/5 Jacks or Better games outside of the high limits area at Palazzo.  This trip was fulls of ups and down in gambling as usual, but Video Poker at Palazzo was probably what made me the most money throughout the whole trip.  Let’s take a tour…

Early in the trip I was hitting a handful of medium sized jackpots like this full house.  Jacks or Better seems to be a slow grind and multiple Full House’s is where the profits really come from.  That’s why the “9″ in 9/6 matters so much.  In one session I hit about 3 Full House’s in about 5 hands.  Overall, these machines seemed to have a boatload of Full Houses.

Video Poker at Palazzo made up for a lot of my gambling losses.  I only played video poker one other time and that was at Wynn.  I think I won $20 after putting $20 in.  I don’t recall much as this was after a bad run at black jack and after a little too much wine at dinner.

I was down a little for the trip, when I sat down for my final session of gambling for the trip.  The session lasted about an hour and I was unstoppable.  This session erased all of my losses for the trip.  I count every dollar spent as a loss, since I spent the money.  Losses include tips, drinks, coffee, etc.

After grinding about 30 minutes to double my money, I finally had some big hits.  Four of a kind…

Four of a Kind is a great hand.  When playing the $1/$2 games these hands can make up a lot of distance, but they aren’t game changers like a Royal Flush and even a straight flush.  With about 5 minutes left on my trip I hit my first straight flush ever!

All of this brought me back to even for the trip.  NICE!  Even though the pay tables were not in my favor, I was able to make the best out of what I was given.  If I wasn’t winning, I wouldn’t have played but my luck was such that I didn’t feel so bad playing.

Unfortunately, it looks as if any hotel I’d want to stay at in Las Vegas has poor video poker pay tables so this won’t be the last time I deal with this.  As a result I see less video poker in my future trips, but I’ll keep checking the awesome vpFree to see what games are available where.

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**UPDATE**

The day I landed in Las Vegas I was given a heads up that there was no more 9/6 Jacks or Better video poker at either Venetian or Palazzo.  That was lame.  Details to follow as I write up my trip.

** ORIGINAL POST BELOW**

I’ve been doing some preparation for my trip to Las Vegas as always.  I did so much prep last time that I don’t feel the need to do so much this time.  I really only play video poker at my home casino so I kept my research to the Palazzo and Venetian.  A friend is staying at Caesars Palace, but I know there aren’t any good paying games there.

Sources: vpFREE2 and @palazzolasvegas

Palazzo

99.54% JoB 1-2-3-4-6-9-25-50-800 JoB (FP)
(?) $2/$5 1 Play Slant just inside and outside high limit room

98.44% JW 1-1-2-3-5-7-17-50-100-200-940
(8) 25¢, 50¢, $1 1 Play Up between walkway to Venetian and Laguna Bar

98.01% BP 1-2-3-4-5-7-25-40-80-50-800
(1) 25¢ 3/5/10 1 Play STP Up between slot club and Grand Lux Cafe
(?) 25¢, 50¢, $1 1 Play SP Slant scattered around casino
(?) 25¢, 50¢, $1 1/3/5/10 Play MG Slant scattered around casino

97.87% DDB 1-1-3-4-5-9-50-80-160-160-400-50-800
(?) 25¢, 50¢, $1 1/3/5/10 1 Play MG Slant scattered around casino
(10) 25¢ 1 Play Prog Up between slot club and Grand Lux Cafe

Venetian

99.54% JoB 1-2-3-4-6-9-25-50-800 JoB (FP)
(?) 1 Play Slant Location unknown

98.73% TB+ 1-1-3-4-5-8-50-120-240-100-800
(14) $1, $2, $5 1 Play Slant near food court

98.45% JoB 1-2-3-4-5-9-25-50-800
(3) $1, $2 1 Play SP Slant in the high limit room
(3) $1, $2 10 Play Slant in the high limit room
(3) $1, $2, $5 3/5 Play Slant in the high limit room

98.01% BP 1-2-3-4-5-7-25-40-80-50-800
(?) 25¢, 50¢, $1 1/3/5 Play Up and slant-tops scattered around casino
(7) $1 1 Play Prog Slant near food court
(10) $1 3 Play Prog Slant near poker room
(4) $5 1 Play Prog Slant in high-limit room

97.87% DDB 1-1-3-4-5-9-50-80-160-160-400-50-800
(10) 25¢ 1 Play Prog Slant location and game details are unknown

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Typically I play Jacks or Better when I’m playing video poker, but recently I’ve decided to dabble with Bonus Poker.  Bonus Poker is a little more volatile than Jacks or Better.  That volatility brings more losses, but also more big payouts.

On my last trip to Harrah’s in Atlantic City one morning I hit for a royal flush and I hit for 4 Aces with a deuce kicker one evening!

I was at the Poker Bar and enjoying a (way too strong) Grey Goose and Soda when I was dealt this fantastic hand.  I think this is the best four of a kind hand one can have and it was dealt to me!  However, you can see the unfortunate part of things in the picture…

As you can see I was only playing 3 credits, which is a no-no but that’s how I play when I’m at the bar.

When I go to the bar it’s to get away from the tables and to have a drink or three.  Since my focus is usually not on gambling and because pay tables tend to be a little worse than usual at the bars I usually only play 2 or 3 credits.  I know this decreases my odds, but it’s how I play.

Whatever, I threw my arms in the air and then threw a high five over to my friend next to me and went back to drinking!

As I mentioned I went on this trip with a good friend.  He also hit for a royal flush!  Our tradition is that if someone wins big they buy a steak dinner.  Since we were staying at Harrah’s we decided to walk up to The Steakhouse.

I’ve visited The Steakhouse a couple times before and haven’t been too excited by the steaks.  They cook the steaks well, but the results are unspectacular.  This time was not much different, but I did have the best steak of my three visits.

I ate at the bar, so I could watch the Yankees play the Twins while enjoying dinner.  I asked the bartender what she recommended and was told to get the cowboy rib eye.  Having had under-seasoned steaks in the past I figured this wouldn’t be a bad option.

Dinner started with a nice Philadelphia favorite – pretzel bread!  This isn’t something that I see very often, but it was pretty good and went well with my initial drink.

After a nice lamb appetizer came the main course: Cowboy rib eye with a side of mashed potatoes.

The bartender said this was the best steak in the steakhouse and she was right.  The fat around the cowboy kept the juices and flavor in the steak and for the first time in three visits I could taste a hint of salt and pepper.  The meat was cooked perfectly, which made the steak easy on the tongue.

Overall I had a really good steak and excellent service at The Steakhouse.  I rarely sit at a bar for dinner, but I enjoyed it and everything seemed to move quickly.  This capped off our winning video poker sessions nicely!

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I don’t play too much video poker when I visit a casino, but I have two specific times when I do play: when I wake up and when I want to have a drink (or two) at the bar.

I’m an early riser but usually not ready to socialize at 8am.  This is a good time to seek out the 9/6 Jacks or Better video poker machines.  There aren’t too many people around so I don’t feel as though I’m interrupting anyone.  I use my notes from vpFREE to locate the machines the best paying options.

Unfortunately, I still haven’t been able to find the 25 cent 9/6 video poker machines at Harrah’s which I’ve been told are still around.  Fortunately, I was able to find the $1 9/6 video poker machines which are located in the Diamond Cove opposite the $5 9/6 games I played on my last trip.

On my first morning at Harrah’s, while wandering the casino floor,  I happened upon a beautiful $1 9/6 game.  I was playing while I sipped on my latte and listened to a couple of older ladies behind me yuck it up when I was dealt four three cards to a Royal Flush.  I haven’t seen a Royal Flush in just over a year so I didn’t expect anything special and didn’t try to will the final card….

As you can see above I pulled the 10 of diamonds for a Royal Flush!!  I yelped a little and threw my hands in the air.  This was my biggest win of the year in video poker and I was stoked!  The Diamond Cove is small so I didn’t have to wait long to get paid, unlike most areas of the casino.  In fact the attendant was next to me in minutes.  I was fumbling with my iphone trying to take the above picture when she first came over.  I calmed down after a few moments of excitement and cashed out.

Needless to stay dinner at Bobby Flay Steak was on me.

The night at Flay started off with a drink at the bar.  After reading Bill Simmons’ column about not being too old for Las Vegas I decided not to have wine.  Instead, I ordered a Grey Goose and Soda.

This was one of the best drinks I’ve had anywhere in Atlantic City.  It seems as if it’s impossible for the bartenders in Atlantic City to get a perfect mixture of club soda and vodka, but this was perfect.  See…

Still savoring the drink, I headed to the table where I decided not to have any bread or appetizers.  Just bring me a steak!  The waiter recommended the bone in rib eye and that’s what I ordered.  Who am I to argue?

It was a very good steak, but not amazing and not what I was expecting.  I haven’t been to Flay in a while and in the past the steaks sometimes have had a little too much seasoning.  I like the seasoning of the rub and was expecting it again and was expecting it overpower the steak since I was having a rib eye and the fat usually keeps the flavors in.  There was barely a hint of the spice rub and it tasted as if the steak was seasoned with just salt and pepper.  That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

I really enjoyed the creamed corn with roasted chili’s and black pepper French fry sides and another Grey Goose and soda rounded out my meal.  There was no room or need for dessert.

Overall dinner at Flay was good but unspectacular.  The steak was cooked perfectly and I enjoyed it.  Although I was surprised by the lack of punch I was not complaining.  The service, drinks and sides were very good and even though I couldn’t finish the steak and I was happy with dinner and ready to head out to the casino for some gambling.

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Trump recently added a slew of video poker machines at Taj Mahal.  At first glance they look like full pay 9/6 Jacks or Better or 8/5 Bonus Poker games.  However, according to American Casino Guide’s Atlantic City blog the games aren’t full pay machines.

We were playing for a bit, and then I hit a 4-of-a-kind playing Bonus Poker. My friend looked at the screen, and saw I got only 100 credits for the score, not the usual 125. I double-checked the top of the paytable, and sure enough, you got only 100 credits for 4-of-a-kind instead of 125, with a bonus for queens, kings and aces. Oops! I switched back to Jacks or Better, played along a while, and then saw that a 5-coin royal flush pays only 2,500 coins instead of 4,000. So if you’re lucky enought to hit the royal, you get ripped off.

Better paying video poker games are disappearing regularly so the sight of new full pay machines would surprise me.  What makes for full pay games is that 4,000 spike when you get a royal flush.  I’m not a math guy, but I’m sure that brings the payback percentage down a little.

While this doesn’t seem unethical, Trump lowering the jackpot is certainly deceptive since that isn’t the norm.  I don’t always look at the top line because I look for the 9 next to Full House and 6 next to Straight.  Always be aware of a good thing and always remember that casinos are always looking for a way to make a buck.

Thanks to ACG for the heads up.  Check vpFREE for video poker pay tables.  See below for a refresher on a full pay table.

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August’s edition of Atlantic City video poker research showed both new and old information.  Video poker makes up about half of the gambling I do at a casino so I like to do my research while preparing for a trip.

vpFREE hasn’t had an update to most of the Harrah’s properties (Ballys, Harrahs, Caesars) since March so there isn’t anything surprising.  However, things were different when I looked at the Tropicana and Trump boardwalk properties.

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