In a move that has surprised many, Station Casinos has announced that they are going to be lessening in updating their video poker offerings, getting rid of some of their machines that have generated the most profit for them over the course of the last few years. They are going to go with new machines that are going to give players more options in the way of customizing the backgrounds, and also the way that the cards are dealt to them. Many of the highest paying video poker games are going to be removed from the casino floor, which is a bit of a shock to many analysts in Las Vegas.
They have been known for having some of the best video poker payouts available in all of Las Vegas. However, a number of those machines that have been highly regarded by those that visit the casinos have disappeared. Full pay machines actually allow skilled players to overcome the house advantage, which is one of the reasons why they have become so popular, with some of the older machines quickly disappearing. If they play perfectly, they would be able to earn one dollar for every $100 gamble. The house advantage is only lost when the individual is able to play perfectly, which is a difficult task.
The machine that the casinos have been getting a lot tighter as of late, as companies are working with reduced revenue since 2008, and are attempting to find ways in which they can improve their revenues moving forward. The company did remove some of their 100% machines in favor of 99% machines, please that the percentages and differences are not going to be that drastic among the general visitor base that visit the casino.
The adjustment will allow the company to update to better, more modern machines, while likely increasing the revenue as long as usage stays roughly the same. The company owns eight of the top 10 casinos and the most 100% payouts for any poker video machine. The company currently owns more than 27,000 games with paybacks of 99% or more, which is far more than the nearest competitor. They are looking to increase their selection moving forward as well, and although they have removed some of their best paying machines in favor of more modern machines, you can bet that the company will be adding them back at some point in the near future.
The truth of the matter is that most players are not going to be knowledgeable enough and video poker to be able to take advantage of the ability to out play the computer in the house advantage. Most players will not notice the difference between the machines, which is likely why the company decided to go with the lower payout. It will be interesting to see if this lowers the usage of audio poker machines at their casinos, or whether the new, more modern designs and layouts are more of a draw for the company. More comapanies are expected to join the project at some point in the near future.