Video Poker: RIP

I find it amazing that nobody has noticed, but the biggest trend today is the almost total elimination of video poker in favor of penny slots. It is absolutely striking to see the percentage of slots to video poker shift from 70/30 to more like 90/10.

When I visited Cherokee (NC), I was struck by the preponderance of slots. The mix has to be well over 90/10, and maybe closer to 95/5.

Then I noticed at Primm, the percentage of vp is lower than in the past, and with a clear pattern -- that is, the machines near entrances or high-traffic areas have the highest slot ratio.

Walking through the new "D" in downtown LV, reality finally hit home. Downtown, once a video poker stronghold, has this new place with virtually no video poker in the front half of the first floor. It's all slots.

If a 95/5 slot/vp ratio isn't the end, it's damn near the edge of the cliff.

Like my beloved craps. Casinos here that had 6 or 8 tables are down to 2. Casinos don't want any risk anymore. Just grind you up with the penny slots.

About ten years ago, Caesars had 6 craps tables in the Palace Casino, one table in a private room in the Palace Court high limit tables game area, and at least four tables in the Forum casino. There are no more craps tables in the Forum casino. One table was moved into the Palace casino where there are now 7. I have never seen the table in the Palace Court high limit room used except for one time when I was in there for a small craps tournament.

Redietz: I totally agree with you. 10 years ago I imagine the ratio of slots to VP in the midwestern casinos was 70/30 slots/VP (with 100%+ VP games actually scattered in some places)
Five years ago it was 80/20 slots/VP. (no more 100% games)
Now it's 90/10 or less. (99% games getting scarce, too!)

Does this mean someday soon we'll have to use Rob's system on slots? Maybe in the end there will just be one VP machine left in the entire country named after the inventor of VP. It will be a clunky 6/5 Jacks or Better machine called the "Si Redd" machine. Everything else will be slots from sea to shining sea!

I don't think that the number of "video poker" machines has been reduced. I think the number of slot machines specifically "penny slots" has been increased dramatically. Remember that until a few years ago, casinos had perhaps 1500 machines of all types. Then the mega casinos started in Connecticut and California some of which are bigger than anything in Vegas and these mega casinos has 2,500 or more machines. Penny slots are the most popular games (even if does take $2 or $3 for maximum bet) and their growth has made it appear that video poker has "shrunk."

I think the number of video poker machines has actually increased. it's just that they appear to be small in number when you look at the overall slot floors.

So what you're suggesting, Alan, is that the slots are gobbling footage previously used by table games and that, although the slot/vp ratio disparity is growing, the actual number of vp machines is holding steady? If true, that the table games are being bumped worse than vp, that actually bothers me more, because it redefines the casino floor and what a casino is in a more dramatic and, to me, negative fashion.

This may be partially correct, but it doesn't explain the (to me) dramatic exclusion of video poker from the front half, the high traffic half, of the first floor of D, which just opened. It actually shocked me a bit to see no video poker in my field of view as I entered the casino.

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Originally Posted by redietz

This may be partially correct, but it doesn't explain the (to me) dramatic exclusion of video poker from the front half, the high traffic half, of the first floor of D, which just opened. It actually shocked me a bit to see no video poker in my field of view as I entered the casino.

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You should learn something about casino design. About five years ago a dramatic shift started in casino design. They started to put the "better games" in the back of casinos rather than the front. This forces knowledgeable players to walk thru the casino to reach the "better games" and the idea is to have them walk through more of the casino to see the newer games and the more profitable ones.

In the old days the "better games" were very visible -- in the front of casinos, at the front of gaming areas, near main doors and on walkways. But what the slot directors found was that there was a lack of traffic through the casinos. So they moved the "good stuff" so you had to walk through the casino to get to it.

Again this started about five years ago, and it's easy to use this strategy in new casinos. In older casinos it takes time to rearrange the slot floor.

I look at the changes at Rincon: about a year or so ago they created a video poker room. Now, from what I understand, video poker is being moved off of the regular gaming floor into the video poker area which is literally buried deep inside the casino and far away from the main entrances. You really have to "walk" to get to it. And if you notice, the buffet and the restaurants are also deep inside the casino -- far from the entrances -- forcing you to walk through the casino to get to them.

If it's "good" it's in the back.

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Originally Posted by Alan Mendelson

I look at the changes at Rincon: about a year or so ago they created a video poker room. Now, from what I understand, video poker is being moved off of the regular gaming floor into the video poker area which is literally buried deep inside the casino and far away from the main entrances. You really have to "walk" to get to it. And if you notice, the buffet and the restaurants are also deep inside the casino -- far from the entrances -- forcing you to walk through the casino to get to them.

If it's "good" it's in the back.

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Rob has talked about the "fat video poker belly" from time to time, so being forced to "walk" to get to the machines buried deep in the back of a casino can only be a positive long-term development for the player, isn't it?

I don't see any reduction in vp machines. And if you go to the right places, there's still plenty of those "positive EV" machines around. I counted 18 of the 25c thru $5 machines with 8/5 ACES BP w/progressive royal on 5 quarters, 9/6 JoB, 10/7 DBP, 10/6 DDBP, 9/7/5 TDBP, & 9/7 TBP+ at the Eldorado in Reno, where I've never lost (mostly because I play either RTT & ARTT strategies on them). Stay away from the dumps red. They put all those penny slots in there to trick all those on Obama's payroll into thinking they're "gambling responsibly".

I had thought the Palms was at a disadvantage having placed their food court and movie theater at what I perceived to be very front of their casino, but then I realized that I had been using the side/main entrance because it was nearest the sports book, and what, to me, was the main entrance, really wasn't. So they had actually placed the theater and food court as far from the valet entrance as they could. My perceptions were just wrong.

I'm not sure the D is a dump, Rob, but point taken.

By the way, the El Cortez has an interesting anti-Singer promotion. If you use their ATM, you get 5% of what you withdraw back in free play up to $50. I had to do it just to do it. Cost me $6.50 in ATM fees, but it paid for dinner.

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Originally Posted by redietz

By the way, the El Cortez has an interesting anti-Singer promotion. If you use their ATM, you get 5% of what you withdraw back in free play up to $50. I had to do it just to do it. Cost me $6.50 in ATM fees, but it paid for dinner.

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What is the daily limit on this and what is their actual ATM fee? I have to pay Bank of America $2 when I use a "foreign ATM" but if the ATM fee at this casino is reasonable this could be one heck of an "advantage play." The highest ATM fee I've seen in Vegas is $4.99. If El Cortez also charges $4.99 (and I doubt they do) plus $2 from BofA it's $6.99 total to get $50 of free play on each $1,000 withdrawal or a profit of $43.01. I have a daily ATM limit of $2,500. Can I hit the machine three times ($1,000 + $1,000 + $500) for a total "profit" of $107.53 after fees?

If you can do that then you should if you're willing to go into a joint like that. Plus if you have a sense of smell and decent eyesight, then it won't take much discipline to get up and leave whenever you planned to. I expect this promo is a big winner for the Cortez because most patrons will do a good job gambling away all or most of the cash they got from the ATM.

Calm down, guys. I believe it's a 1K a month deal. You can withdraw just 1K a month and get the 5%. The actual El Cortez ATM fee was $3.50. Now it would be great if other places adopted the same promo -- then we'd really have something.

Rob, the El Cortez is the first place I ever stayed in LV -- back when I was early 20-something, so it has a place in my heart, despite the smoke, which is considerably better than a couple of years ago. Palace Station is much worse these days, smoke-wise, than the EC. The Rio may actually be worse.

Too bad about the once a month limit for the ATM promo. Anyone still have those promos for a free play bonus when you cash your paycheck at a casino? But I don't get paychecks anymore... and I thnk most employees get direct deposit. Oh well.