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Ask the Slot Expert: A video poker machine with a 100-coin max bet5 September 2018
Answer: I think you're about half right. The casino calculates theoretical wins for players based on game played and action given. A host is usually empowered to issue comps up to a certain percentage of that theoretical win — win for the casino, that is. In years past, a host was allowed to exceed the comp guideline when players' losses were much greater than their theoretical losses. I once overheard a conversation between a player and her host. She wanted a comp of some amount, but the host said she didn't have that much left in her comp account. But, he continued, I see that you've been having a rough time on the machines this trip and I can write the comp for you this time. These discretionary comps seem to be a thing of the past. Many players say their hosts have told them that they are constrained by the comping guidelines and they have no ability to exceed them now. Each player has a comp allowance, but it has nothing to do with host compensation. Hosts don't make less when they write comps. Your new host at GVR may be dealing with tightened comp guidelines. At one time, we (players, writers) speculated that denomination may have made a diffierence in comps, with dollar players getting bigger comps than quarter players. Denomination may have made a difference years (and years) ago before there was slot club software that tracked every penny bet and won or lost by the players. Today the casino knows how long you played, how much you bet, the type of games you played, and maybe even the individual games you played. Slot club benefits are all based on points earned and host comps are based on theoretical wins. In addition to slot club software, penny slots and multi-hand video poker are two more reasons why denomination is irrelevant today. A penny slot player making max bets is playing more per spin than a dollar slot player betting one coin per spin. Quarter video poker players playing multi-hand machines or SpinPoker, moreover, are betting more per hand than dollar, two-dollar, and sometimes even five-dollar single-hand video poker players. I don't think denomination makes a difference today, just how much you play. If it's any consolation, you're far from the only player commenting that comps are much harder to get today.
Answer: Who would have a dollar machine with a max bet of 100 coins? I know of another casino. About 10-20 years ago, when Treasure Island still had decent video poker, it had a bank of dollar machines with 9/6 Jacks with a max bet of 100 coins. Fortunately, you didn't have to bet the max to get the bonus for a royal. The royal jumped to 800/coin with five coins played. Every coin after that was just a straight multiple of the five-coin per-coin payoff. The $100-machine should have given the little old ladies a clue that something wasn't right. The Bet One button should not have been lit. Of course, they would have had no way to know whether the bulb was out or the button was not lit because the option was not yet available. A quick story about $100 video poker. Years ago I was friends with the slot director at the Desert Inn. I mentioned that I noticed they had a $100 video poker machine in the high limit area now. He said someone has already hit a royal on it. "I was on the golf course when I got a call from the supervisor on duty. He was in a panic. 'A man hit a royal on the $100 machine,' he said. 'That's $400,000.' He wanted to know what he should do. "I said, 'Pay the man.'" Send your slot and video poker questions to John Robison, Slot Expert™, at slotexpert@slotexpert.com. Because of the volume of mail I receive, I regret that I can't reply to every question.
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