Which casino has better video poker?

4 February 2017

By Jerry Stickman

All casinos today have some sort of slot player’s club. By joining the club and inserting your player’s card when you play video poker, points are added to your balance. These points typically are redeemed for food, drink, merchandise, free play or cash. Players who earn enough points in a set period of time (usually six months to one year) might earn elite status good for additional amenities, including the ability to earn two or three times the points earned per dollar as the base players club member.

When these programs started many years ago, each casino offered their own individual program with their own set of rules. Over time, corporations acquired independent casinos. In the hope of drawing additional customers to their brand of casinos, corporate management combined individual slot clubs under one corporate umbrella. Gamers could now earn points at a local casino and use them at another anywhere in the country.

Most video poker players are unaware of the specifics of the players club at the casinos where they play. This can be a mistake. Video poker players can add up to a percentage point or even more to their return by playing at the right casino.

If you are a typical knowledgeable recreational video poker player who goes to a casino and plays several times a year, you tend to go to the same few casinos that are owned by the same corporation. You know the games and machines that offer the best payback. You typically play only one or two different video poker game types.

Consider the following two actual players club benefits. Both are from casinos owned by the same corporation. Both casinos offer full pay Jacks or Better (99.54% payback with perfect play).

Casino One:
Points earned per dollar played - 1
Points required for one dollar cash back - 1,000
Points required for top tier benefits - 250,000
Point multiplier at top tier - 3 times
Additional casino video poker offers – 4-of-a-kind bonus – Scratch card good for $2 to $5,000

Casino Two:
Points earned per dollar played – 2.5
Points required for one dollar cash back – 1,000
Points required for top tier benefits – 350,000
Point multiplier at top tier – 2 times
Additional casino video poker offers – None


Let’s analyze these two casinos. As you can readily see, even though they are a part of the same corporation, they have very different rules.

Casino One:

Cash back adds one tenth of a percent. At the top tier it becomes three times that, or three-tenths of a percent.

To reach the top tier, you must play $250,000 through the machines in six months. On a dollar machine, that is 50,000 hands – or 100 hours of play at 500 hands per hour.

The 4-of-a-kind bonus scratch card adds approximately one tenth of one percent, assuming that you win $2 each time.

Total cash back percent benefit – 0.4%.

Casino Two:

Cash back adds 0.25%. At the top tier it becomes double that, or half a percent.

To reach the top tier, you must play $140,000 through the machines in six months. On a dollar machine that is 28,000 hands – or 56 hours of play at 500 hands per hour.

Total cash back percent benefit – 0.5%.

Comparing the two results, Casino Two is the clear winner, offering 20% more cash back than Casino One. Payback on full pay Jacks or Better is 99.54% with perfect play. Including cash back, payback for full pay Jacks or Better is:

Casino One – 99.94%
Casino Two – 100.04%

Casino Two’s more generous cash back actually makes the game positive!

When deciding to commit your hard-earned dollars to video poker play, it is wise to consider all aspects of the casino where you choose to play them. Your bankroll will thank you.
May all your wins be swift and large and all your losses slow and tiny.

Jerry “Stickman”


Jerry “Stickman” is an expert in craps, blackjack, video poker and advantage slot machine play. He is a regular contributor to top gaming magazines. He 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 stickmanjerry@aol.com.