I just don't understand why so many casinos are taking out 9/6 jacks - as
though this were a positive game for players - it just isn't. With player
errors and bankroll considerations, even the best players are going to lose
probably lose around 1% with this game, and most players are not 100%
accurate at all -- I see many Video Poker players playing who have no idea what
to hold, even on the simplest jacks or better games. I also see lots of
people playing less than 5 coins, even on progressive machines, so those
people are also going to lose more than the theoretical amounts.
Admittedly, where there is good cashback, and games where excellent players
can put through a lot of money, such as $5 and up machines, or $1
multi-lines, a few excellent skilled players can make a profit. But there just
aren't that many excellent players. And those people are looking for those
high money making opportunities. They just aren't looking for quarter games
or nickel 50 plays or whatever.
So I just don't believe casinos such as Harrahs, which doesn't offer much
in the way of comps or cashback, was losing money with the nickel 50 play
9/6 in Laughlin that were recently taken out.
But by having them, they were drawing in players who thought they WOULD
LOSE LESS - this is different from professional video poker players. These
people brought with them wives and husbands who play REELs, friends,
relatives, and then they told people about Laughlin, which also brought in people.
In olden days casinos had low cost buffets (and they still do so today) as
"loss leaders" - to bring people in. The buffet may have lost money, but
the people stayed and played. Similarly, having some quarter or nickel 9/6
JB or NSU machines are going to BRING people in. The casinos just aren't
going to lose money at these machines, in my opinion. Maybe they don't
make money, but they really shouldn't be losers. So they take up 1 or 2 or 5
machines with these "loss leaders" - so what if they bring in people who
play other games as well.
And I know for certain that many people who play 9/6 JB, also occasionally
play the much worse Double Double Bonus machines or plunk some money
through Megabucks, or play table games, or occasionally play reels. I know this
because I do it and I have friends who I have seen do it. My friends and I
are knowledgable players, we know something about correct strategy, but we
are not professionals, and we play 9/6 JB or NSU to lose less, but we
sometimes play other things too. And we tell our friends and relatives about
the casinos we enjoy, and encourage them to visit those casinos, or
sometimes have them come with us, even though they are not Video Poker players at
all, and are "regular" casual gamblers.
When casinos take away all the decent games, even the lowly quarter 9/6 and
NSUs, then people like us stop going to those casinos. We don't
exclusively play those machines when we visit, but we enjoy playing them sometimes,
so when they are gone, we are gone too, from the casino. Now our
significant other who doesn't even play VP, stops going to your casino too. We
stop bringing friends with us to your casino. We stop telling friends (and
even strangers) about how much we liked the casino, and in fact, we might
tell people not to go to that casino anymore. Instead we go to other casinos
which do have those 9/6 and NSU machines, and we play there and bring the
business of our friends and relatives with us. And by the way, without our
business, the casino no longer has us (and our non-9/6 playing friends mind
you) paying for food, rooms, shows, gifts, etc too -- the whole casino
suffers.
So this is why it makes economic sense for casinos to put in a few decent
(not 100% machines, but 99% machines like 9/6 JB and NSU deuces). If they
are smart, they will post signs around, like the Gold Coast does, saying we
have X amount of 99%+ VP. They can even post signs right on top of the
machines to let the average person know they are there. The result is great
publicity. And a bunch of people who know absolutely nothing about correct
strategy will sit at these machines along with the tiny minority of players
who do know something about correct strategy. Maybe those machines do
earn nothing for the casino - they are "loss leaders" - but if they are not
really losing anything or very much - the casino shouldn't really care,
because by bringing in customers and their friends and relatives, in the long
run they are going to make money.
With the huge number of casinos out there causing increasing competition,
and the bad economy, why alienate gamblers and lose gamblers because of
lowly 9/6 JB? It doesn't pay out 100%, casino people!! Maybe some of them
have gotten a wrong idea about 9/6 because they hear it is a FP (Full Pay)
machine. That just means it pays out the most for any of that type of
machine (in this case Jacks or Better). But FP does not mean it is a positive
game for the players. It just isn't in the case of 9/6 or NSU.
I can see why a casino would want to remove $5 and up machines, but not
crummy nickel, dime, quarter 9/6 (and probably not $1 either). It just
doesn't make sense! Another suggestion to casinos who are "worried" about these
machines. Don't put a whole bunch together - instead alternate them, and
also make them multigame machines, and you will find people playing Keno,
DDB, Triple Double Bonus, and other games too, and no one will be able to sit
and play 2 at one time either. The professionals will stay away from
these low denominations, but you will bring in customers who think that the
casino is a nice one willing to give people a fair shake.
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