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Bob Dancer writes a video poker column for beginners to experts. He also writes a column with Jeffrey Compton, "Player's Edge", featuring information on promotions at various Las Vegas casinos. Player's Edge is published each Friday in the Neon section of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Click here to send Bob Dancer an e-mail.

For more details and a schedule of Bob's free classes, visit www.bobdancer.com.

March 3, 2009

Eastside Cannery Certified Best on Boulder Video Poker

A few months ago I wrote a "Part I of II" article about the Eastside Cannery. I told you the Part II follow-up would be coming soon. It's taken a little longer than expected, but this is the article I promised.

I was asked by Eastside Cannery management to certify, for a fee, that that casino had the best video poker on the Boulder Strip. I told them I would tell them what they had to do to earn that designation. They've done it, so I've allowed them to advertise my name certifying they're the best.

There's always a definitional problem of what does it mean to be best? Are we looking at the best games only? Are we looking only for quarter games or only for $5 games? Are we looking at averages? Are we looking at the number of machines returning over a certain percentage? Or are we looking for something else? There is certainly no unique universally-accepted definition.

I somewhat arbitrarily decided that what "best" means in this context was some combination between the number of games and the number of different types of games that returned at least 99.50% when played perfectly. Since the slot club at Eastside Cannery returns 0.50% on 3x point days (of which they had eight in February and a similar number planned for March), this was the number chosen that gave players an over-100% game before you included the monthly mailers. When you include the mailers as well (which can go up to $300 a month), the return is higher.

First let's look at the games that return more than 100% 24/7. At this casino, these games include Full Pay Deuces Wild (100.76%), Kings or Better Joker Wild (100.65%), 10/7 Double Bonus (100.17%), and 10/6 Double Double Bonus (100.07%). These games are found for 5¢, 10¢, and 25¢. It requires $2 to earn a point on these machines (which results in a cash back rate of 0.083%) and these are the only machines in the house that are not eligible for point multipliers.

There are a group of 25¢ players who wish looser games, faster machines, no "half value" slot club benefits, and want to be eligible for all point multipliers on these machines. I don't blame them -- everybody wants a bigger slice of the pie. They can wish all they want, but it's not going to happen either at the Eastside Cannery or anywhere else. These machines are losing money as it is. The "enhancements" these players are requesting will make this worse from the casino's point of view. Casinos elsewhere are removing and/or restricting these sorts of machines. Perhaps players should count their blessings that these machines still exist here.

The next group of machines that Eastside Cannery has to support its "Best on Boulder" claim are two banks of four machines each -- one bank immediately adjacent to the 100% machines, and one bank in their newly-opened VIP Room -- which we'll speak about later.

These eight machines have single-line games, each of which is found in 25¢, 50¢, $1, and $2 denominations. The games on these machines are as follows:

NSU (16-10-4-4-3) Deuces Wild -- 99.73%
9/5 Super Double Bonus -- 99.695%
8/5 Super Double Double Bonus -- 99.69%
8/5/35 Bonus Poker -- 99.66%
35/8 USA Poker -- 99.60%
9/6 Bonus Poker Deluxe -- 99.64%
35/8 USA Poker -- 99.60%
9/7 Triple Double Bonus -- 99.58%
9/5 White Hot Aces -- 99.57%
9/6 Jacks or Better -- 99.54%
9-4-4 Deuces Wild Bonus -- 99.45%

Although the Deuces Wild Bonus game doesn't technically fit the "99.50% and higher", this is the best available pay table for this popular game.

There are seven machines on which you can play either $5 or $10 9/6 Jacks or Better 99.54%). This game will also be found on eleven Ten Play machines, ten of which are 5¢, 10¢ and 25¢ and one of which has $1 and $2. There are also six Ten Play machines for 5¢ and 10¢ that offer NSU Deuces Wild (99.73%).

Their VIP Room, located in the southwest corner of the building (i.e. as close to Boulder Highway as possible while being as far from Harmon Avenue as possible) is brand new. This area will have a host station, better-than-average cocktail service, and other services. It is not a traditional High Limit room (the casino, after all, only has seven video poker machines for $5 and $10, and none for higher limits), but it does allow better amenities for the higher-than-average bettor for that property.

If you go to other casinos on the Boulder Strip, it is possible to find a few isolated games that return more than some of these games. So be it. No casino can profitably afford to be loosest at all things all the time. But nowhere else on the Boulder Strip will you find the number and variety of good games that you find at the Eastside Cannery. And that is what I'm certifying.

On Friday, March 13, from 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. I'll be holding a book signing event for my new "Video Poker for the Intelligent Beginner" in their One Six lounge on the 16th floor. It you have any video poker questions you'd like to ask, I'll be there "until the last dog dies." If you haven't checked out the view from this lounge, you should. This is their normal happy hour so there will be drink and food specials to enjoy as well.