First off, I readily admit I can't do the math here, I'm just not that smart and am looking for help. If you want to troll me because of that, I can take it so mods be liberal, it really isn't a big deal if I get flamed here because a gambler probably should know such things.

Having said that I am looking for the math on some video poker. I don't play it, but I had an interesting conversation (at least to me) about which version is the least variance and what it would take to move up in player tier status at the local casino. Player points earned playing real poker don't count towards tier status.

Again, I don't know much about video poker but I'm assuming if one were trying to tier up it would be the least expensive way to do it because the percentage payback is much better on video poker here than it is regular slots. I know the pay schedule dictates the actual percentage payback, but it has to be higher than the 85% Pennsylvania allows on regular slots, right?

Also, this casino only give you 1 point per $2 played through on video poker as opposed to 1 for every $1 on regular slots.

Here are my questions:

1. Which form of video poker is the lowest variance? Assume I am looking for max play through per $1000 put in the machine and this place offers pretty much all versions of video poker I have seen (normal, Ult X, 100 Play, etc...)
2. If you need 25,000 points to tier up how much on average would it cost you?
3. Am I right this would be less expensive than normal slots given you have to run twice as much through to acquire the same points?

So yea, I probably should be able to figure this out, but I probably should have finished high school as well. It is what it is.

Flame away, but maybe throw in a decent answer along the way as well!

Thanks

This is probably a good starting point

https://wizardofodds.com/games/video-poker/

1: Jacks or Better / Bonus Poker (Games that pay double for two pair)

2: It depends on the denomination you are playing and game. If you are talking Total Rewards where every $10 earns you 1 point this would be $250,000 through the machine... If you played on bonus days where 2.5K points you earn 5K points, or 5K points earn you 10K bonus credits you can do this in 3 days.

3: Potentially yes. However on a slots you usually earn more points per bet... $5 bet gets 1 point in total rewards. However slot variance is higher...


One thing to look out for is some full pay machines do not award full tier points... Full Pay $5 JOB / 8/5 Bonus will reward 1 point for ever $25 wagered for example...


IMHO the FASTEST way to earn the most points with the least amount of variance is to find a decent paying 100 play machine with Jacks or Better or Bonus Poker. It will allow you to bet the most possible with less of a chance to lose it... Example... Betting $25 a hand on a $5 machine, you either lose it all or win something... Betting $25 on a $0.05 100 play machine you most likely will not lose the entire bet stretching out your bankroll.

Jacks or Better is the most popular game so best to stick to that. It also gives you the best chance of winning, or at least reducing the house edge.

You can practise here to see if you are getting plays right or wrong. Otherwise if you are playing online then you'll want to play with a bonus to give yourself an advantage.

So in short you might not need to know your math but you might want to get yourself a basic strategy list and memorize it if you want to get good at video poker. No math needed but might take you 10 to 20 hours of practising and memorizing the list of plays.

You can check good payouts without even going to the casino if you just look at the casino location here: http://www.vpfree2.com/casinos/by-region/east.html

Jacks or better is definitely lowest variance assuming equal payout percentages, but if it's more than 1% difference the higher payback is almost always going to be the right choice.

Assuming 1% house edge on game, it requires 25k points to move up to a higher tier and $2/point, then that's 50k coin in at 1% edge which is $500 in EV you're paying.