It's a well-known fact downtown beats the pants off the Las Vegas Strip when it comes to player-friendly casino odds. It's true for video poker, too. (On average, slots downtown are about 10% 'looser' than slots on The Strip.)
At one point, downtown Las Vegas was THE place to go for the best odds on slot machines, video poker and table games. That has changed somewhat in recent years. It's still a better option than ‘The Strip' but as the downtown has been upgraded in quality it's started to attract tourists and locals downtown for other reasons. SLOT & POKER MACHINES - SLOT & POKER MACHINESALL Real Las Vegas Slot machine!Real machines DIRECTLY from the casinos, totally SHOPPED OUT!Slot mac Call Us 1-855-203-5859 Home.
According to a popular video poker expert who goes by 'Coach Kitty,' downtown boasts some of the best machines and odds in all of Las Vegas.
She'd know. Coach Kitty estimates she plays an average of 850 hands an hour, or about 14 hands a minute. That's 14 decisions a minute, and we can barely decide what to have for lunch.
We prodded Coach Kitty to reveal some of her favorite video poker bars and machines, and she was up to the challenge.
There are a number of factors that make certain video poker bars 'better' or 'worse' (many serious players value casino freebies like food 'comps' nearly as much as the money they make from their video poker wins), we asked our expert to name her favorite video poker spots with an emphasis on the most appealing odds of winning.
Vue Bar at The D
Among the benefits of this second floor watering hole at The D is the quality of the drinks, says our expert. We have independently verified this assertion.
Vue Bar happens to serve up some very good video poker odds as well.
Our video poker coach says, 'You not only have the best chance of getting the best quality drinks, there's also a good full-pay game with a progressive, in quarters.'
To be specific, the best game is Bonus Poker in quarters.
The ultimate goal of many video poker players, of course, is to try and find games that give as close to 100% payback, or 'full-pay,' as possible.
Casino Bars at Four Queens
Happily, Coach Kitty names the casino bars at Four Queens as having great video poker. We say 'happily' because we play there often and had no idea why. (Hint: It was mostly the liberal comps and long liquor pours.)
Coach Kitty says, 'At both the casino bars at Four Queens, they have almost full pay Double Double Bonus video poker in 50 cents.'
Remember, the denomination is multiplied by five, so that's $2.50 a hand. For the most part, the higher the denomination, the better the payback.
The two bars are Kings Bar (near the casino's west entrance, pictured below) and Palace Bar (near Wana Taco).
Among the other attributes of these bars, our expert says the bartenders are among the friendliest in town.
Boar's Head Bar at Main Street Station
Our expert not only loves the video poker at Boar's Head Bar, but also the beer.
'It's a very nice bar, especially because they have microbrews from the nearby Triple 7 [Restaurant and Brewery] on tap. The bartenders are very nice there, too.'
Ultimately, though, it's the gamble that makes Boar's Head one of the best places to play video poker in Las Vegas.
Coach Kitty says, 'They have 9-6 Jacks or Better, which is really the best game with the lowest variance, in quarters, 50 cents and $1.'
The '9-6' refers to the payout for full house and flush. It's kind of a shorthand for video poker players to tell if a game gives them more bang for the buck.
Now You Know the Best Video Poker Bars Downtown
Now you know some insider secrets about downtown's best video poker bars!
Video poker is unique in casinos because, unlike a shot machine, skill plays a big part in how your session goes. The more you know about the game you're playing, the better your chances of winning.
Each video poker game has nuances in strategy, so bone up on the game you'd like to try with an app.
The WinPoker app ($9.99 in the Apple store) is popular among aspiring video poker players looking to get an edge.
If you find the right game, and the right bartender, video poker can be fun and lucrative, and offers some of the best odds for players in the casino.
According to a popular video poker expert who goes by 'Coach Kitty,' downtown boasts some of the best machines and odds in all of Las Vegas.
She'd know. Coach Kitty estimates she plays an average of 850 hands an hour, or about 14 hands a minute. That's 14 decisions a minute, and we can barely decide what to have for lunch.
We prodded Coach Kitty to reveal some of her favorite video poker bars and machines, and she was up to the challenge.
There are a number of factors that make certain video poker bars 'better' or 'worse' (many serious players value casino freebies like food 'comps' nearly as much as the money they make from their video poker wins), we asked our expert to name her favorite video poker spots with an emphasis on the most appealing odds of winning.
Vue Bar at The D
Among the benefits of this second floor watering hole at The D is the quality of the drinks, says our expert. We have independently verified this assertion.
Vue Bar happens to serve up some very good video poker odds as well.
Our video poker coach says, 'You not only have the best chance of getting the best quality drinks, there's also a good full-pay game with a progressive, in quarters.'
To be specific, the best game is Bonus Poker in quarters.
The ultimate goal of many video poker players, of course, is to try and find games that give as close to 100% payback, or 'full-pay,' as possible.
Casino Bars at Four Queens
Happily, Coach Kitty names the casino bars at Four Queens as having great video poker. We say 'happily' because we play there often and had no idea why. (Hint: It was mostly the liberal comps and long liquor pours.)
Coach Kitty says, 'At both the casino bars at Four Queens, they have almost full pay Double Double Bonus video poker in 50 cents.'
Remember, the denomination is multiplied by five, so that's $2.50 a hand. For the most part, the higher the denomination, the better the payback.
The two bars are Kings Bar (near the casino's west entrance, pictured below) and Palace Bar (near Wana Taco).
Among the other attributes of these bars, our expert says the bartenders are among the friendliest in town.
Boar's Head Bar at Main Street Station
Our expert not only loves the video poker at Boar's Head Bar, but also the beer.
'It's a very nice bar, especially because they have microbrews from the nearby Triple 7 [Restaurant and Brewery] on tap. The bartenders are very nice there, too.'
Ultimately, though, it's the gamble that makes Boar's Head one of the best places to play video poker in Las Vegas.
Coach Kitty says, 'They have 9-6 Jacks or Better, which is really the best game with the lowest variance, in quarters, 50 cents and $1.'
The '9-6' refers to the payout for full house and flush. It's kind of a shorthand for video poker players to tell if a game gives them more bang for the buck.
Now You Know the Best Video Poker Bars Downtown
Now you know some insider secrets about downtown's best video poker bars!
Video poker is unique in casinos because, unlike a shot machine, skill plays a big part in how your session goes. The more you know about the game you're playing, the better your chances of winning.
Each video poker game has nuances in strategy, so bone up on the game you'd like to try with an app.
The WinPoker app ($9.99 in the Apple store) is popular among aspiring video poker players looking to get an edge.
If you find the right game, and the right bartender, video poker can be fun and lucrative, and offers some of the best odds for players in the casino.
You're Not Going to Believe This, But…
Here's an update to our story!
Following our chat with Coach Kitty, we started playing at her recommended video poker bars, and just a few weeks later, our very first royal flush! That's a $1,000 win.
That's right. We got our first royal flush after nearly two decades of playing video poker, and we got it at the video poker bar at Four Queens. Thanks, Coach Kitty!
While winning in casinos has a lot to do with luck, the more you know about the games, the luckier you'll be!
I've been taking a look at the best video poker from Atlantic City to Las Vegas recently. Today I decided to look to see which casinos offered the best video poker on the Las Vegas Strip. The Vegas strip does NOT include places just off the strip like Palms and Hard Rock Casino.
Most casinos offer good video poker games in their high limit rooms with games starting at $5 so I decided to look at the best video poker games under $5 since that's what more people play.
Best Las Vegas Video Poker
The good video poker games listed here are between 10 cents and $2 with max bets from 50 cents to $10. The pay table percentages are all based on max bets. Once again casinos are listed from best video poker to worst.
- Circus Circus 100.25% Aces and Eights
- Excalibur 99.58% Triple Double Bonus
- Luxor 99.54% Jacks or Better (JoB)
- New York-New York 99.54% JoB
- Treasure Island 99.54% JoB
- Mandalay Bay 99.20% Loose Deuces Wild
- Aria 99.17% Bonus Poker (BP)
- Casino Royale 99.17% BP
- Riviera 99.17% BP
- Tropicana 99.17% BP
- MGM Grand 99.11% DB
- Mirage 99.11% Double Bonus (DB)
- Wynn 99.11% DB
- Caesars Palace 98.45% JoB
- Flamingo 98.45% JoB
- Palazzo 98.45% JoB
- Planet Hollywood 98.45% JoB
- Venetian 98.45% JoB
- Bally's 98.01% BP
- Cosmopolitan 98.01% BP
- Encore 98.01% BP
- Harrah's 98.01% BP
- Paris 98.01% BP
- The Quad 98.01% BP
- Monte Carlo NA
- Stratosphere NA
Best Video Poker Machines In Vegas
The biggest surprises from this research is that there are positive returning machines on the Vegas strip (Circus Circus) and that the Stratosphere has absolutely no playable video poker games according to vpFREE. Monte Carlo has playable video poker but all are $5 machines.
All information from vpFREE2, the best place to research video poker. Each casino links to their respective page on vpFREE.
Also see: Best Video Poker Downtown Vegas. Best Video Poker in Atlantic City.
I practice video poker with the WinPoker app on my iPhone. It's $9.99 and worth every penny. It's the best way to practice video poker.
The following two tabs change content below.Full Pay Video Poker Vegas
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