Video Poker and Slot Machine Players' Clubs

Slot Clubs and Video Poker Players

Slots clubs are a key part of any profitable strategy on the machines. If you don't join a slots club when you start to play, you are leaving money on the table. The decision to join a slot machine players' club is the difference in a positive or negative expectation game.

If you want the odds on your side, make sure you get the bonuses and advantages of a slot players club.

To highlight why you need to join the slotsclub, you need to understand the house edge and your expectation percentage.

The House Edge

Video Poker Slot Machine Players Clubs The house edge is the amount of money a casino stands to gain on a given bet. The edge is represented by a percentage. If you stand to lose $3 on every $100 bet on a game at a casino, or 3% of every bet you make on that game, then the house edge on the game is a 3%.

In the case of negative expectation games, this hypothetical house edge of 3% is closely tied to negative expectation. The negative expectation is what percentage of the money you expect to win back when you wager it. For instance, if you expect to lose 3% of your wager on average, then the negative expectation is 97%.

Expectation

Because most games have a negative expectation, often you'll see the term "expectation" used to describe the negative expectation.

Occasionally, you'll see a game with a positive expectation. This means you stand to win a certain amount of money on every bet. If you expect to win $1 for every $100 wagered, then that game has a positive expectation. This would be recorded as a 101% expectation. There would be no house edge.

First of all, positive expectation is usually measured in fractions of a percent. You won't find many games which have a 101% of greater expectation. Only in video poker and blackjack can you theoretically expect to have a positive expectation. Being a part of the slot players' club is an crucial part of this strategy.

The Slots Club Concept

When you are part of a slot machine players club, the club rewards players in cash or comps a small percentage of the money they wager. If you get a 1% bonus from a players' club, then you effectively cut into the house edge.

In the early hypothetical game, I posited a 3% house edge. If a slots club offers a 1% bonus on money you wager, then the house edge is reduced to 2%. You effectively have cut the house edge by one-third.

Turning Expectation to Your Advantage

The slots club is a way you can turn a negative expectation into a positive expectation. If you can find a video poker machine in a casino with a 99.50% or some similar expectation, then joining the slots players club gives you a chance to stack the odds in your favor.

Take that theoretical 1% payback a video poker club will pay you on the money you wager on a video poker machine. If you are playing on a machine with a 99.50% expectation, then that extra 1% bonus gives you a positive expectation of 100.50%. Over the long haul, you can expect to win more money than you spend on that video poker machine.

Always Join the Slots Club

The first thing you need to do when entering a casino is to join their slots club. Don't play one machine without joining the club first. Don't play one spin without placing your club card in the machine.

You need to get credit for every hand you play. If you don't, then it's the same as using flawed strategy when playing video poker. To become a winning video poker player, you must use optimal strategy anytime you play.

Slots Clubs on the Internet

Video Poker Strategy at Video Poker 365 - Mentions slots clubs as a crucial element of video poker strategy. They also present a definition in their video poker glossary.
Slot Advisor article on comps and slots clubs
John Robison article with resolutions for slots players - mentions slot clubs and video poker

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