We’ve discussed video poker strategy at length on this site. You’ve learned when you should break a pair, how to read paytables, and more. However, have you ever thought about how a player rewards membership plays into your strategy?
Today, we will tell you why you need to sign up for player rewards as a video poker player. Note, that many of these tips apply to live casinos rather than Australian online casinos.
Lower Variance Games Help You Win More Player Rewards Points
Most casino rewards programs in live casinos will allow you to accrue points by playing video poker. For example, a casino may award you 1 point for ever $12.50 cycled through a video poker machine. The word cycle is key to remember. Casinos don’t pay attention to how much you win or lose when calculating player reward points. The only thing that matters is how much money cycles through the machine.
For example, let’s say you play 20 hands of video poker at $1.25 per hand. You finish up $2.50 after 20 hands. However, the casino sees that you cycled $25 through the machine. Using our earlier example, you get two points. That’s two points in addition to the $2.50 you won.
The more you play, the more points you can earn. Lower variance games like Jacks or Better will allow you to play longer, cycling more money through the machines. This allows you to build up more points to use in the player rewards program.
Frequent Play Can Get You Casino Discounts
Do you stay at the casino you play at? If you don’t live near a live casino, a trip may include a night’s stay. That may cost you anywhere from $50 to $200 depending on the casino and which night of the week you stay.
One way you can offset some of these costs is through the player rewards program. Often, you can trade in player rewards points towards a night’s stay or food at the casino. Depending on your volume and which season you’re playing, you may not even need to use points. The casino may comp you a room or some food as a thank you for playing or to entice you to stay and play.
The way that a casino determines whether to comp you is by checking your player rewards card. A person example came from a few years ago. The casino decided to comp me for a week’s worth of food after taking a look at my account. Apparently, I had cycled $25,000 through the video poker machines, so they were happy to give me some free food.. I just so happened to also win about $3,000 due to hitting a couple of royals on the same day.
Use Video Poker to Clear Free Play
Many player rewards programs will give you free play. Sometimes it is a reward for signing up. Other times, it is for special promotions, such as for new pokies at the casino. Unless there are restrictions on the free play, such as the free play is only good for Triple 7s, you can try and clear that bonus using video poker.
Yes, there are playthrough requirements on live free play promotions just like there are for online casino bonuses. The difference is that the playthrough is much lower. Often, the playthrough may only be 1x. Generally, you’re looking at somewhere around 5x.
Video poker is a great way to meet this playthrough, especially Jacks or Better. Get lucky and hit a few hands, and you may be able to clear your free play and walk away with a few extra bucks in your pocket.