The wizardofodds states that it's extremely difficult to get a new
game put into a casino. We do however see new incarnations of
classic JOB video poker. Before I waste my time with this, I just
thought I'd throw this out to you first: it's just a basic JOB game
with a different paytable, thereby allowing existing hardware to be
used with minimal changes in software and cosmetics. The purpose is
to create the lowest variance game for avid regular VP players at a %
amenable to both the house and player, especially at the dollar level.
Straight Flush (including royals): 239 (200 at short coin)
Four of a Kind 25
Full House 7
Flush 6
Straight 5
Three of a Kind 3
Two Pairs 2
Jacks or Better 1
Total Return=99.85%
The lowering of the full house is partially mtigated by raising of
the straight. Royal money is thrown into the straight flush which
allows for almost a five-fold increase. There will be some strategy
variations like playing to inside straights and upping the rank of 3
card SF's but nothing too alien to a JOB player.
The variance is a very low 13.49 which is lower than PKM at 15.01,
JOB at 19.51, JWD at 22.1, and DB at 28.26. But variance is one
catch-all number that does not tell the whole story. The jackpot
cycle in PKM is 352,000 hands. Many will play a million hands in a
lifetime and never get that top prize. (I went over 5 quad cycles
before I got my first quad.) The jackpot cycle in my game (the
straight flush) is a mere 5530 hands -- one good weekend of play. In
other conventional VP games, the royal cycle is about 40,000-50,000
hands and the straight flush cycle in normal JOB is 9150 hands. PKM
was a game designed for high volume VP players who require a good
return and where variance becomes a stumbling block; it is also
perhaps the most boring game around.
Like PKM, 239 in 5 coins yields $1195 in a $1 game which eliminates
the need to wait to get hand-paid and fill out an income tax form.
$1195 is substantially higher than the $250 one receives`in normal
JOB. Also in PKM, where an SF pays the same amount, a player has to
wait 38,500 hands instead of 5530!
This game would be marketed to avid high volume VP players like us;
as opposed to the vacationing tourist. The game could be called "Low-
Variance Poker" which would have more meaning for us. A regular
player truly knows how much of a long-shot getting a royal is
anyways. The lack of a high jackpot would actually be a plus for the
casino because it could be placed near lower paying games with the
higher royal jackpots which would are more attracted by the tourists
and vacationers who do not know better and look for a dream win.
The payback fills the void of the dearth of machines that fall
between 99.7 and 99.9 %. It is clearly better than full-pay JOB at
99.54% yet almost to the level of PKM at 99.95%, however 99.85% will
yield 3 times more profit to the casino for those who play perfect.
It's a managable concession considering it's extremely rare to get a
casino to maintain a positive $1+ game w/o decreasing comps; and even
many casinos like Mohegan Sun got rid of their full-pay $1 PKM's
because they did not yield enough. Yet at 99.85%, the player is at a
high enough % to play for comps and might even play for a
denomination higher given the very low variance and cycle period;
this can be a win/win situation for both the casino and the
discriminating player. High variance hurts the casino as well as the
player when a player has to slow way down or stop playing because of
bankroll limitations. I myself would rather sacrifice .1% point to
play this low-variance low-cycle game over full-pay PKM or JWD where
my bankroll might get busted.
Any thoughts on this paytable game will be appeciated before I show
it to a larger audience.