We Play 50-play Video Poker at $62.50 Per Spin at a Lake Tahoe Casino!

Steve Bourie, from the American Casino Guide book, and his wife, Michelle, show video from one of their video poker sessions at Harrah's Resort and Casino in Lake Tahoe, Nevada in June 2021. They were playing 50-play, 25-cent, jacks or better, with a 9/6 pay table. They were making max bets at $62.50 per hand (50 hands at $1.25 per hand) and their starting balance on the machine was $523.75.
Their three-day weekend stay (Fri/Sat/Sun) at the hotel was free and their goal was to put about 500 points on their players club card to keep getting more free room offers, as well as any other benefits offered by the casino for their video poker play. Michelle plays the game and Steve gives commentary on the session as it is played.
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[@brokebastage]

Enjoyable. I would like to see this type of content more often

[@Doing_it_right_the_first_time]

Really??… You can watch the video and the other ones like it while you’re watching the grass grow and the paint dry! 🥱

[@steveverdick2632]

I love Tahoe. Fish by day, play by night. Had to come home to get sleep. Love your video. No ego involved. Great strategy and explanation on what you were doing. Looking forward to seeing more. Thanks.

[@jeri8853]

This looks fun! We were at Tahoe Harrahs last week! Didn’t see this machine but will look for it next time!

[@TheJackpotGents]

It's in the high-limit room. There are four of them.

[@Mansini77]

I can tell you’ve played thousands if not millions of hands if VP. You played every hand by the book. I never played this variant of VP before, looks fun! Thx for uploading

[@fareshajjar1208]

God, you have lost so much money.

[@Mansini77]

@@fareshajjar1208 Who asked you anything

[@JusNoBS420]

@@fareshajjar1208 I don’t think so. This guy has written the book on VP

[@johnandrews9433]

@@fareshajjar1208 god you don’t understand anything do you

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Why do I love watching this so much?! It doesn’t seem logical. 😄

[@kevinklugow6476]

I enjoy it as well.

[@ocpd23]

Fun video. A rookie question: Was your 500 point goal based on concrete knowledge of what is necessary to receive future offers in the mail? It doesn't seem like something you would do arbitrarily, but how do you know what is necessary? Can you ask the casino, or do you calculate the number based on how much you were comped this time? ($175 per night x 3 = roughly 500) Thanks

[@TheJackpotGents]

It was a guess on our part. The Caesars Rewards system will only give you $1 in rewards for each $100 put though the machine on video poker. It would be $2 in rewards for each $100 put through the machine on slots. Our play would be equal to $5,000 worth of play on a slot machine and the theoretical loss on that slot play would be about $500, so the casino should be happy. On a video poker machine we had to put $10,000 through to get 500 points and the theoretical loss would be less than $100. Keep in mind that that our play will generate future room offers, plus other casino benefits. A room in Lake Tahoe for a weekend would be about $200 per night, plus a daily resort fee. We did not have to pay any of those fees based on the level of our players club membership. From our perspective, if we lost $700 for the three-day trip we would have been even. We did play later and lose some but, overall, we came out a bit ahead and we had a lot of fun! That's what you want you your casino experience to be: fun.

[@ocpd23]

@@TheJackpotGents Very helpful, thanks for the reply. I will look at things in terms of theoretical loss. Since you won this time you made it all look very easy.

[@TheJackpotGents]

I actually just realized my math was wrong and you have to cut all those numbers in half. 2500 for the play on slots with a 250 loss, and the play we did was only 5000 through on VP and an expected loss of around $50

[@caddothegreat]

I was there on those 50 hand VP back maybe 5 years ago when older lady next to me got dealt royal flush on 20 hands. She was only playing 20 hands. Still $20,000 is a nice hit !

[@bradh8530]

I’m a video poker player and I’m just discovering your videos. You’re videos are answering so many questions that I’ve had for years. One question that maybe you could answer in a future video is: I play mostly spin poker because is doesn’t require any additional bet and I enjoy the spin part of it. I seem to do better playing spin poker too. Is there any statical benefit to playing spin poker? Or is there any statical benefit to even playing multiple lines of poker instead of just one? Keep up the good work!

[@TheJackpotGents]

So the difference between spin poker and multi-hand poker like 3/5/10/50/100 play is that on multi-hand games, the redraw on each hand comes from a new deck while spin poker is only played with one deck of cards. I'm not actually sure HOW it affects the volatility of the game without looking it up, but Steve and I both prefer multi hand games over spin poker but I guess it comes down to personal preference.

[@moreeze4775]

On the 2, A, 8, K, Q. Why is the ace not kept? 4:56 on the video. You keep the K, Q. Would odds be the same if you kept the A and K? Ty.

[@TheJackpotGents]

the reason you dont keep the ace is because AKQ is a double inside straight draw. keeping just the KQ gives you one more chance to pair up on the K or Q. The chances of you drawing a J AND a 10 are much lower than being able to pair up the K or Q. I don't have the program in front of me to analyze it but I believe KQ has a higher EV than AK because you do have better chances to fill in a straight.

[@moreeze4775]

@@TheJackpotGents ty for the info

[@moreeze4775]

@@TheJackpotGents great content. These are fun and informative. Great Channel 💥💥

[@TheJackpotGents]

@@moreeze4775 Thanks, we always love to hear that!

[@DocBrown1438]

What does it mean when it says “Capping May Be Restricted”.

[@Casinopedia]

Capping is when a player requests for a slot attendant to hold the machine while the player goes on a break (whether it be to the bathroom or get a bite to eat), Some players abuse this system and are gone much longer, or never return, so the casino limits how long a machine can be capped

[@jeremyeckhause1747]

Congrats, Steve. Sorry I missed you when I was out there the past few weeks. While I didn't play a 50 draw, I was DEALT a royal on a 3 draw spin poker, which was great (I have never been dealt one--just drawn them). Needless to say, I was up after the entire trip after hitting that royal

[@madaboutvegas2622]

Nice hit on the two-pair when you got 7 full houses! Great video, enjoyed watching!

[@jdog804]

Great Video! question i've always wanted to ask, so the American Casino guide books, gives casino sq. ft. size. How does a Casino determine their sq. ft size Gaming Floor?

[@TheJackpotGents]

Yes, our stats are for strictly gaming floor sizes!

[@jdog804]

@@TheJackpotGents thanks for the reply !

[@TheJackpotGents]

@@jdog804 Any time!

[@waynescoops9865]

Great video on VP. This how I watch your videos stop and pick the hand this good training for me. I do well been on the lookout for something new.

[@realdeal_money]

I never knew that there was a tunnel that went from Harrah's Lake Tahoe to Harvey's. I go back in September, but will stay in Reno... I may trek to Lake Tahoe, but it would have to be during the day... don't like driving out there at night...

[@marcinasia1731]

boston playing in the back ground cool !!!! in about 1979 a young lady yelled out at me and im like what the heck! oh my god you look like the drummer in the band boston she said... made my night lol

[@LaphroaigFan]

Wow what a fun looking variation. I've played a lot of jacks or better, but never this version. I'm not even sure if my casino has it. Is there any advantage playing this over single play 9/6 JoB?

[@rosemarylorine3461]

New to the game, please explain your choice of cards!

[@Rationalific]

Nice! I watched the whole video. It can be mesmerizing at times. That's why I just watched this video instead of actually going there! :)

[@shirlenet8529]

Excellent strategy! Very entertaining!🌷

[@TriforceOfCourage]

Fun video, I never saw one of these 50 plays before.

[@bryanwith_a_why]

There are even 100 hands a play

[@noahtaylor6750]

This guys voice isn’t annoying

[@oceanridr]

Love this video and getting to watch you play. I was also at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe around this same time and played the same machine. The HL room was surprisingly empty a lot.

[@caddothegreat]

This looks like the 9/6 machine in Hi-D. I like playing one of those machines there in Hi-D.

[@TheJackpotGents]

Yes. We saw four machines and two were locked up by a couple that were playing all weekend.

[@markawesome439]

Do you think 500 tier credits is enough to satisfy them for one day's play

[@TheJackpotGents]

@@markawesome439 it depends on what you are trying to achieve with your play. That is just what we chose to play to for this session because we thought it was a nice round number to get to.

[@pete5668]

Do the video poker machines pay less if you play early in the morning? I like to get up early, get a cup of coffee and play.

[@TheJackpotGents]

no it does not matter what time you are playing, all machines (slots and VP) have the same payback

[@pete5668]

@@TheJackpotGents I wondered about that, if all huge payouts hit on Saturday night after 9 when I was in bed. :)

[@BeachBumZero]

If you have any free slot play find a video poker game like this and play around the proportion he does on this video. You will in just about 12 spins play through your freeplay and cash out an amount pretty close to what you had to start, maybe even more of you hit something! I had $40 in freelance and turned it into $57 in cash in less than 3 minutes.

[@QUEENDAGGER]

How do you know what games put points onto your players card?

[@TheJackpotGents]

virtually all games give players club points for playing. If it is a game that doesn't then 9/10 times there will be a sign saying you don't get points. However, every casino I know of with the exception of one has a different rate to earn comps for slots as they do for video poker. Casinos know that video poker has a much lower house edge than slots so you need to put more money through to earn a point on VP than on slots.

[@andygarside2948]

Last time I played one of these 50 play machines I was dealt 4 to an open ended straight flush draw. I got exactly 0 straight flushes. ACG, What number of straight flushes should I have expected?

[@TheJackpotGents]

There are 47 cards remaining and you needed one of two cards to complete your straight flush. So, your odds were 2 out of 47. Since you were playing 50 hands, in the long run, you should average two straight flushes in that situation.

[@LuckyScratchersSlots]

Amazing video poker session. High betting 20 minutes of play and only starting with 500 bucks

[@anthonyhartzog8391]

I always wondered how the multi hand video poker games worked. I’m going to give one of these a try my next Vegas trip.

[@jdog804]

hey another question ACG, Do you believe those YT slot users who always win hand payouts and big jackpots are legit? I don't believe so but what is your opinion?

[@TheJackpotGents]

Yes, all those hand pays are legit. I think what they do is only post the winning sessions though. I am sure there are a LOT more losing sessions than the ones you see online. But also from what I've seen, they tend to bet a lot more than most people so a hand pay is a lot easier to get when betting that much money

[@jdog804]

@@TheJackpotGents ok thanks for the response. Would make sense they replay the winning sessions. Looking forward to next years ACG edition. Take Care.

[@TheJackpotGents]

@@jdog804 well I don't think they are replaying old videos, I think they just don't post many videos of the losing sessions. Like they probably only post like half of what they record

[@userac-xpg]

Nice session! Can you please explain mathematically why it's better to keep a non paying pair say 99 instead of an open ended straight or flush draw? It seems to me that the higher odds payouts for hitting a straight or flush outweighs hitting a 2 pair or 3 of a kind which doesn't hit very often anyway and pays less. Thanks and sorry for being dumb.

[@TheJackpotGents]

In jacks or better, if you have four non-high cards to an open-ended straight you should keep the high pair. However, if you have any four-card flush you should go for the flush. Keep in mind that these rules can change for other types of games: double bonus, double double bonus, deuces wild, etc. For any given video poker hand there is always one best way to play it mathematically. Computer programs do the math to determine the expected amount of coins you will win, in the long run, for holding various combinations of the cards you are dealt. The highest expected return (ER) determines which cards you should hold. A video poker strategy chart will show you which cards you should hold. We have free jacks or better video poker strategy charts on our site that you can print out for free. Just go to - www.americancasinoguidebook.com/video-poker/free-video-poker-strategy-charts.html

[@PariahGrimm]

My favorite. Problem is my casino only has 6 machines and they're all taken when I get there.

[@kowanmcgarry]

Great video as always. You should try to play one video poker game a day and record it. Seven videos a week, either Jacks or Better or Bonus Poker, that would be good to watch.

[@deniseluther5037]

That was fun to watch!! Thank you

[@charliepearson1678]

Nice run . ive probably walked right by that machine a few times while in Tahoe .

[@TheJackpotGents]

It's in the high limit room.

[@spiffinz]

how much did it cost to get those 500 points and how much would it have cost to merely purchase the equivalent rooms and participate in the same activities?

[@TheJackpotGents]

Our play would be equal to $5,000 worth of play on a slot machine and the theoretical loss on that slot play would be about $500, so the casino should be happy. On a video poker machine we had to put $10,000 through to get 500 points and the theoretical loss would be less than $100. Keep in mind that that our play will generate future room offers, plus other casino benefits. A room in Lake Tahoe for a weekend would be about $200 per night, plus a daily resort fee. We did not have to pay any of those fees based on the level of our players club membership. From our perspective, if we lost $700 for the three-day trip we would have been even. We did play later and lose some but, overall, we came out a bit ahead and we had a lot of fun! That's what you want you your casino experience to be: fun.

[@spiffinz]

@@TheJackpotGents thank you for your candid reply and insight - cheers

[@Nvr7out]

Great vid! Points & profit, very nice combo!

[@CastleCastleC]

Is this still 1 TC per $10?

[@davidlinehat4657]

why is it so soothing to watch this?

[@phuckhugh2698]

Cool video. What do you get for 500 points again?

[@TheJackpotGents]

nothing in particular, that's just what we were shooting to get for that playing session.

[@VincentDucci]

Truly great strategy to get points. Played it fairly safe, im sure w some expectations of a minor loss.. If you do that on a cruise 1.5x you'll be offered free cruises from there on, not having to pay for anything if you live by a port (they will also give 200$ vouchers for use on the cruise sometimes)

[@donmanning5149]

I like your positive attitude!

[@wildfoodietours]

Why I LOVE full pay Jacks or Better video poker!

[@Hintonbro.]

Why was 500 points the goal?

[@TheJackpotGents]

The 500 points was a guess on our part. The Caesars Rewards system will only give you $1 in rewards for each $100 put though the machine on video poker. It would be $2 in rewards for each $100 put through the machine on slots. Our play would be equal to $5,000 worth of play on a slot machine and the theoretical loss on that slot play would be about $500, so the casino should be happy. We had to put $10,000 through to get 500 points and the theoretical loss on a 9/6 Jacks or better video poker machine is less than $100. Keep in mind that that our play will generate future room offers, plus other casino benefits. A room in Lake Tahoe for a weekend would be about $200 per night, plus a daily resort fee. We did not have to pay any of those fees based on the level of our players club membership. From our perspective, if we lost $700 for the three-day trip we would have been even. We did play later and lose some but, overall, we came out a bit ahead and we had a lot of fun! That's what you want you your casino experience to be: fun

[@Oheeeoh]

I'm impressed you found a 9/6 JoB game at a Harrah's.

[@TheJackpotGents]

That game has been there for many years. I have written about it for a long time and we finally had a chance to play it. The best jacks or better game that I can find at the Caesars Entertainment casino near our home is 8/5.

[@alansmithee183]

@@TheJackpotGents I'm old enough to remember when I turned 21, playing a pitched game of BJ for $2 a hand with the dealer standing on all 17s. Guess that's gone forever :(

[@troyx9459]

Interesting game. What's 500 pts worth?

[@TheJackpotGents]

The Caesars Rewards system will only give you $1 in rewards for each $100 put though the machine on video poker. It would be $2 in rewards for each $100 put through the machine on slots. However, the play will generate future room offers, plus other casino benefits. A room in Lake Tahoe for a weekend would be about $200 per night, plus a daily resort fee. We did not have to any of those fees based on the level of our players club membership.

[@troyx9459]

@@TheJackpotGents looks like it was a pretty successful and entertaining night for the both of you. I also had fun watching this video all the way through. felt kind of like playing along (rooting for you to win).

[@tupapi6989]

Nice gameplay session😁😁😁

[@TheJackpotGents]

Thanks 😁

[@krigney9189]

Sorry I'm new here. But dude sounds like Howard Stern right? I'm assuming that's been said? I apologize. Great video!

[@NefariousEnough]

This is great..."When you're going for inside straight flushes, yer gonna expect to lose most of the time."

[@kool7763]

Awesome watching your skills at work 👍🇺🇸

[@swolecole]

love this content and i love lake tahoe!

[@CVSoprano]

That was surprisingly mesmerizing.

[@joeruger5858]

Great way to gamble, thanks for sharing

[@travisbyrum3665]

ENJOYED THE VIDEO

[@PanzerAce760]

Going to harveys next week. I take my family every summer.

[@mr_gamble_good]

If I was only listening, I think you were playing Ducks in a Row!

[@terryb5803]

Great session! I would take that all day!!

[@chrismunoz999]

Nice session 👍

[@desmondcastro3679]

Great job, bud !🤓👍

[@indianapatsfan]

If a lucky player hit a $50000 jackpot by getting a royal with the first five cards dealt, what would the tax implications be?

[@TheJackpotGents]

You would be given a W-2G by the casino and would have to just claim it as income on your taxes. The IRS allows players to deduct gambling losses against winnings, but only if you itemize your taxes. We have a video that goes more in-depth where we interviewed an accountant who specializes in gambling. If you are interested you can watch it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hmqlY2utoL6Lf68

[@stevensnolimitvideopoker]

Good session!

[@MrTeeye]

Very nice video. You have a nice speaking voice, Steve.

[@TheJackpotGents]

Thank you kindly!

[@timothyhood5738]

862.50 exactly i would've had to spin the last 62.50

[@TheJackpotGents]

Yeah but 99% of the time it bites you in the ass. You end up with like 825 after the next spin then spin again to try and get to 900 and end up under 800 then keep spinning to get back to 800 lmao

[@themountainwanderer]

Got very lucky not to lose it all betting so big. It would be nice to show a few losing sessions to balance things out. If people just watch these videos and build expectations to win (or at least not to lose) they will be in for a rude awakening. These streaks of crappy dealt hands can last a long time! Even in a relatively low variance game that is JOB you can get absolutely slaughtered in any one session.

[@TheJackpotGents]

No problem - here's a losing session for you! kzbin.info/www/bejne/iqi0ZX6ErMl3lcU We do try to tell people that in the long run you are expected to have many more losing sessions than winning ones. Also, that you will lose at a rate of about 2% until you hit a royal.

[@alansmithee183]

"Due" for a 4 of a kind? Tsk, Tsk Steve you know better than that

[@TheJackpotGents]

I can dream can't I? At least I wasn't banging on the screen!

[@alansmithee183]

@@TheJackpotGents Lol that is very true. At least you guys walked away winners which is more than most of us can say. Love the channel Steve and Matt thanks for all the great info.

[@richardespinosa5998]

Just played this exact machine recently. Got my ass handed to me lol

[@PariahGrimm]

Can't get 4 of a kind when you keep JQ or anything other than a pair.

[@gski546]

Very nice. Enjoyed watching

[@MrRMT1986]

Nice!

[@gavegas7043]

So you had 2 to the royal (face card and ten of same suit) yet you dumped the ten and held 2 face cards of different suits. Automatically killed the royal. WHAT are you expecting to get with 2 face cards of a different suit? 🙄🙄 How can you call yourself an “expert” ??? More like quackery.

[@TheJackpotGents]

Well, you would have to be a bit more specific as to what the cards were in that hand before I can answer that question. Keep in mind, however, that you don't always keep two cards to the royal flush because it depends on the two cards. For example, if you have an ace and a 10 that are suited, you NEVER hold those two cards. You can see the strategy we use by looking at this FREE video poker strategy card from our website - www.americancasinoguidebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/9-6-video-poker-charts.pdf We don't always play perfectly, but any errors we make are usually very minor.

[@gavegas7043]

@@TheJackpotGents I’ve been playing VP since 1986. Worked on the floor in a casino paying out jackpots and also bartended for years (all bars have 15 VP machines so I’ve paid a lot of jackpots). YES you hold ANY two cards to the royal whether it’s ace ten or king queen (same suit). Otherwise you automatically kill the royal. WHAT are you going to get by holding 2 face cards of a different suit!? Two pair or a straight? 🙄🙄🙄 That is senseless. And I’ve actually seen a guy get a royal by holding a ten. Not something I would do but … Anyway COMMON SENSE is not so common anymore.

[@TheJackpotGents]

Ask any professional, or even just a savvy, video poker player about keeping Ace-10 suited in jacks or better and they will all tell you to NEVER keep those two cards. You need to check out video poker strategy cards to learn to play your hands properly,

[@gavegas7043]

@@TheJackpotGents 😆😆😆😆😆 Sounds like projection to me.

[@TheJackpotGents]

This article explains why you never hold Ace, 10 suited in video poker - www.casinocitytimes.com/jerry-stickman/article/video-poker-strategy-ace-10-suited-66878

[@VisualizeHealing]

A little slow, but otherwise enjoyed the video.

[@enzoferrari88]

Points on your card lol… the amount of money you bet is more value than those points

[@TheJackpotGents]

You do realize those points are directly tied to...the amount of money you bet.

[@enzoferrari88]

@@TheJackpotGents I do you faired well with a $300 win. I guess I’m saying with the logic of we’re just playing to add points right now or this session. Say you were to lose the initial $500 you would’ve earned $50 bucks in points.

[@TheJackpotGents]

@@enzoferrari88 We sort of just did that so we knew when to stop for the video. We are still trying to figure out what to do for these videos. Not sure if we should play for a set period of time no matter how much we lose or do a "we play till we lose x amount or win y amount." Only problem with that last idea is that if we hit a big hand early it will be a very short video.

[@Kocobutter]

Does Michelle even exist

[@TheJackpotGents]

Yes. We have been married 37 years. You can see her in this video - kzbin.info/www/bejne/bWeWp2l6l8lkbZY

[@kenosavage_tx6551]

Eww jacks or better, double double is where it’s at.

[@TheJackpotGents]

Steve prefers his low volatility games like JoB, makes likes more volatility but he prefers deuces. Not sure why but neither of us really like playing double or double double.

[@gavegas7043]

Points on your card? For $500 you may get $25-50 dollars. 🙄

[@TheJackpotGents]

What about 12 free room nights we already got? Plus, the other seven free room nights in Las Vegas that are waiting for us when we go there? That's worth at least $2,000 if you had to pay for it.

[@gavegas7043]

@@TheJackpotGents 😆😆😆😆 And how much did you lose?

[@TheJackpotGents]

What we lost on one session is irrelevant. You need to look at the sum total of all your play. And then you need to look at the benefits you got for it. There are millions of people who go to casinos each year and lose billions of dollars. Mostly, by playing slot machines. If you are a smart video poker player you can learn to play a near break-even game with the casinos and enjoy the benefits of the players clubs.

[@themountainwanderer]

@@TheJackpotGents People make this mistake a lot. $2000 worth of hotel nights? So would you spend the $2000 (if not comped)? Unlikely. Those are theoretical values. It's not worth zero, but certainly not $2000.

[@TheJackpotGents]

@@themountainwanderer well many other people may not spend 2k on hotels if they weren't free but when you travel to casinos for a living any comped stay is great

[@nexusprime2006]

Slot machines are better

[@TheJackpotGents]

Your expected loss would be much higher on a slot machine. Our 500 points would be equal to $5,000 worth of play on a slot machine and the theoretical loss on that slot play would be about $500. On a video poker machine we had to put $10,000 through to get 500 points and the theoretical loss would be less than $100.

[@nexusprime2006]

@@TheJackpotGents true im just a born slot player I don't play anything else but the slots I do better at them

[@richardposna3223]

nice vid but let’s cut down the Blaa Blaa

[@TheJackpotGents]

The blaa blaa is the fun part. I am always talking to my wife to encourage her to get some good hands. It would be kind of boring to just sit there and play hand after hand without ever saying anything.

[@sandralansing980]

@@TheJackpotGents lst time watching ! I love your interaction with your wife and explaining why your holding the cards your holding ! Don’t change anything !

[@TheJackpotGents]

@@sandralansing980 thanks!