Stalking the Elusive Royal Flush

Is 95.5 percent so expensive?

$250 profit for 111 hours of play may seem paltry, but compare it with a $2,250 loss. That's the cost of the same $1.25 per hand play on a 95.5 percent machine.

Do you play video poker more than one day per year? If you take two annual trips to Vegas, a once-week trip to Atlantic City, or an occasional afternoon on a riverboat, then your aggregate numbers will inevitably begin to resemble the average.

Maximum quarters and 360 hands per hour produces a positive average return of $2.25 per hour on a 100.5 percent machine and a cost of $20.25 on a 95.5 percent machine. Four sessions of four hours each is $36 profit on a 100.5 percent machine compared with $324 cost when playing 95.5 percent.

Remember, this is an average over time and it includes winning the royal. The numbers are worse without the royal.

Once again the question is price for fun. How much are you willing to pay? Finding a higher pay machine is sometimes easy, sometimes it's a hassle. An unfavorable or unfamiliar pay table may be the only game available. If you'd rather just play and payfor the pleasure then go right ahead. Just be sure you have a handle on the cost. We'll give you some suggestions for calculating that at the end of the chapter.

the type of strategy

includes winning the royal

the pay schedule