The best video poker game in terms of return-to-player and limits was downgraded by Skyline Casino this week.
There were about 20 quarter full pay Deuces Wild machines at the Boulder Highway casino. About half of these machines at Skyline Casino accepted 10-coin bets. This made them equivalent to half-dollar games. It was the only casino that offered full pay Deuces Wild with a bet over $1.25.
All operated on coins but also accepted bills. Players would have collect bucket of quarters to cash out. Skyline Casino built trays into the cabinets that made this much easier than at other Las Vegas casinos that still offer coin slots and video poker machines.
All were dropped below 100 percent payback by reducing the payout of a wild royal flush from 25 coins to 20 coins for every one bet. VPFree2 first reported the change.
VPFree2 still reports two full pay Deuces Wild machines at Skyline Casino. I believe this is in error. I went to the location listed by the bar and those machines have the new lower payout on a dirty royal flush.
Customers seemed to have stopped playing
I dropped by Skyline Casino on Thursday. The Deuces Wild Corral in the back of the casino is where most of the machines were. It was deserted. This area would normally be packed with players, even on a weekday afternoon.
I asked an employee if the change had affected business. The employee confirmed that players were not happy with the change and the action had dwindled on the machines in the days after the move.
I believe advantage players abusing games and players caused this
I noticed new players in Deuces Wild Corral at Skyline Casino in recent months. These players were younger than the typical player there. They did not seem liked by others. One reason is that these new players would hog two or three machines at a time, refusing to give one up if a different player wanted them. Meanwhile, these players constantly looked at strategy cards to ensure perfect play.
This is a terrible look and a great way to ruin your action. If you find a good play, do not use more than one machine at a time if others want to play. This sends a signal that you are not playing for fun. Constantly checking strategy cards is another way to tip off that you are there on an advantage play and not there for recreation. It also helps to be polite to the other players and staff, something lacking there towards the end.
The situation must have been terrible for Skyline Casino to make this move. Full pay Deuces Wild was in its branding. There is now less to draw players. The coin games do not qualify for players club perks, and those are typically the best games in the house.
Good games still left to play
The best remaining game is 10/7 Double Bonus. It is available by the bar and in the Deuces Wild Corral area for quarters. These are also coin video poker machines.
The old game had the pay table on the glass. Standard Deuces Wild glass replaced it on all machines. The games still return 99.89 percent. Add in the drawings and you may still get over 100 percent.
New players club seemed to be the beginning of the end
Skyline Casino launched a players club last year. All machines were included at first. Most hours of the day saw multipliers for points, putting it around 0.2 percent. A nightly graveyard special offered ten times points. Players that earned one million points, which would require $100,000 in coin-in on the graveyard special, received $1,000 in cash.
This promotion originally packed the full pay Deuces Wild machines. Some players opted for the $1 10/7 Double Bonus. Within a few weeks, the coin games were dropped from the players club. The 100% $1 machines were downgraded.
Thank you John based on my time spent there I would say your article is spot on. Very sad as this was a great stop away from all the action.