Ask the Slot Expert: Once inside a casino cheery, I played a paytable dull and dreary

Question: I know you like to play multiple games and that’s part of your job, but I prefer the dull and dreary “Jacks or Better.” I hit my first Royal on a cruise ship last year for 4k and that was exciting.

I’m still chasing another Royal and have come close a few times. I don’t like the pay schedule on the other games.

Love your column. Good luck to you.

Answer: Thanks for the kind words and good luck to you, too.

As a Las Vegas tourist twenty-something years ago, I played 9/6 Jacks almost exclusively. At that time, fortunately, it was pretty easy to find on the Strip.

I played it at Treasure Island, at Caesars Palace, at The Venetian, and at what became my home away from home The Desert Inn. Let me point out that these games were available at mass-market denominations, quarters and dollars, that is.

Maybe it was a good thing that the DI closed when it did. Shortly before, the slot director there told me that I wasn't going to be happy with the video poker changes they had planned.

For my first year or so as a Las Vegas resident, I played 8/5 Bonus Poker. It was the best paytable available at The Suncoast, where I played often because of its proximity.

Well, I lie. It wasn't the best paytable there. Suncoast also had (and still has) a Triple Double Bonus paytable that has a higher long-term payback. I looked at the Wizard of Odd's strategy for the paytable and saw how long it was and that he had almost as many exceptions to the basic strategy as there were lines in the basic strategy.

I wasn't planning to play hundreds of thousands of hands on this paytable, so I decided it wasn't worth my time to learn the strategy. I only played it a few times for fun.

Once I had won some free play so I played it on one of these machines. I played quarters to make it last. One hand ended with four Aces. Woohoo! That's 800 credits.

The Win Meter hit and passed 800. I took a closer look at the hand. It was four Aces with a kicker. That's 2000 credits.

That's the last time I played Triple Double Bonus. Although I like the excitement of those big payouts, I don't like the big bankroll swings. Well, I should really say that I don't like the big downward bankroll swings. Like you, "dull and dreary" is more my speed.

I switched to Deuces Wild (NSU, specifically) after I joined Jean Scott's posse. She and her friends had already figured out the best games to play in various casinos and how to work the slot clubs there, so I just followed their lead.

At the time, I had to switch between NSU and 9/6 Jacks. Sam's Town and The Palms did not have NSU, but they did have 9/6 Jacks, so that's what I played in those casinos.

Even though NSU is more volatile than 9/6 Jacks, Jean pointed out an advantage it has over 9/6 Jacks. She said that hitting four Deuces a couple of times can get you out of a hole, but sometimes you need a Royal on 9/6 Jacks to recover.

Today I stick with Deuces Wild as much as possible. I just don't trust myself to remember the strategy changes needed to switch games.

Many video poker gimmicks are not available with a Deuces Wild paytable. For example, 5 Cards Plus 2. I play the Jacks or Better paytable and continually say to myself, "Hold high cards. Hold high cards."

Jean Scott mentioned something similar in one of her blog posts. Playing a non-wild paytable on a gimmick machine, she had to constantly remind herself that she wasn't playing a Deuces Wild paytable and that she should hold high cards.

I've been dabbling with Deuces Wild Double Double Bonus Poker (DWDDBP) after another reader recommended it. That's kind of strange because I never played any of the other Deuces Wild Bonus variations. DWDDBP doesn't require doubling my bet and I like that. I've been playing it a little on my casino visits when I want a little more spice than NSU.

Before I can play DWDDBP, though, I have to play some NSU, which is almost breakeven on normal days or slightly positive on a multiple points day. After that, I can play some lower-paying video poker or slots. Have to eat my vegetables to have my desert.

There are at least three DWDDBP paytables. The machines I checked at Red Rock have one of the lower-paying paytables at quarters and one of the higher-paying paytables at halves and above. I wanted to play quarters because I was winging the strategy, but it rankles me to not play a better-paying paytable when I don't have to increase my bet by a lot.

I ended up playing quarters for two reasons.

First, as I just mentioned, I'm winging the strategy.

Second, I was not going to play many hands. Luck was going to determine my results, not payback.

Although I had been dealt four Jacks playing NSU earlier that day, I didn't get any natural quads this time. I did get natural quad Jacks one of the first times I played DWDDBP, though.

Congratulations on your Royal. There's only one way to hit another one.

Keep playing.

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