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Are there any drawbacks for 9/6 nickel video poker machines?

John,

I was in Vegas last week and came across some nickel vp machines at the Hilton. Asides from smaller payouts, if they are 9/6 machines for the sake of this question, are there any drawbacks? It seems on 50 or so dollars you could play for hours trying to hit a royal and winning 400. Yes, a smaller payday, but I am not there to get rich, I want to have some fun and play well.

Thanks,
Jay

Dear Jay,

On video poker machines, the only way to change the long-term payback is to change the paytable. All 9/6 Jacks or Better machines pay back 99.5% with perfect play in the long run regardless of denomination.

I doubt the machines you saw were truly 9/6 Jacks or Better machines. They may have paid 9 for a full house and 6 for a flush, but they probably paid less than 9/6 Jacks on other hands and therefore had a lower payback than 9/6 Jacks.

With so many different machine variations on slot floors today, if you want 9/6 Jacks you have to check every hand on the paytable to ensure you truly have a 9/6 Jacks or Better machine.

Best of luck in and out of the casinos,
John

Send your slot and video poker questions to John Robison, Slot Expert, at slotexpert@comcast.net. Because of the volume of mail I receive, I regret that I can't reply to every question.