Is video poker becoming extinct?

29 March 2025

By Jerry Stickman

From Worried

Mr. Stickman,

This could sound ridiculous, but I am serious. When I started playing video poker, there were lots of machines. Not only that, but they had good pay tables. On a recent trip to a casino, I had to look very hard to find any video poker machines. Instead the floor had rows upon rows of slot machines. And most of those were the new tall extra fancy new games.

I enjoy playing video poker. The casinos have changed pay tables to increase their take, and now I am having trouble even find video poker games?

Are they going the way of the buffalo?

Worried in Minnesota

Hi Worried,

Well, you are right about one thing – slot machines are taking more and more casino floor space. I do not visit all casinos throughout the United States, but based on those that I do visit, slots machines are taking over table game space as well as video poker space.

Casinos will be casinos.

By that, I mean casinos are in business to make money. Gone are the days where people who ran casinos understood what make gamblers return. When they were in charge, they knew that returning customers were the best way to make money.

Some gamblers may have won (and won big) at times, but management knew that they would return and lose all that they had won and more by returning. Management based their business model on treating the customer right so they would return.

Over time, large corporations took over most casinos. They had to answer to their shareholders. Profit and loss statements are prepared quarterly and shareholders wanted to see improvements with each new statement. The business model is now different. It is now based on getting as much as they can as often as quickly as they can.

Casino management today is not that concerned about repeat business. They want to get everything now and prefer finding new gamblers to replace the tapped out or disheartened former customers.

Casinos today will do whatever will boost the bottom line in the short term. The business model forces that thinking. If the fancy new slots are what adds to the bottom line and table games or video poker do not, more fancy new slots will be put on the casino floors.

If table games are not bringing in enough revenue, rules will be changed to increase the revenue. If action at the table games drops too much because of the changes, the rules may be changed in the player’s favor. Just as likely, however, the table game presence will be reduced. The space will be filled with something that produces more revenue in today’s gambling market.

The same is true for video poker. When casino management sees that video poker was not producing enough revenue, management changes pay tables to increase the casino’s share. If action drops off too much because of those changes, management will either change pay tables to lower the house edge or eliminate some of the underperforming games to be replaced by something more profitable.

There is still a healthy demand for video poker games. Even with less favorable pay tables, diehard fans play them. Many of them have no idea what the actual return of the game is. They just know that there is come player interaction that is more exciting than simply pulling a lever or pushing a button on a slot machine.

As long as there are players who will play, video poker, as well as table games, are going to be around for a long time. They may not pay as well, and there may not be a wide a selection, but they will be around for a long time to come.

As always, may all your wins be swift and large, and your losses be slow and tiny.

Jerry “Stickman”

Jerry “Stickman” is an expert in craps, blackjack and video poker and advantage slot machine play. He is a regular contributor to top gaming magazines and 888casino.com. H authored the video poker section of Everything Casino Poker: Get the Edge at Video Poker, Texas Hold'em, Omaha Hi-Lo, and Pai Gow Poker! You can contact Jerry “Stickman” at stickmanjerryg@gmail.com