For the last couple of years, when readers have asked about the best
places in the Chicago area to play video poker, I've responded that
quarter players get the best deal at Majestic Star in Gary, while for
dollar play, Empress in Joliet has a small edge, with Majestic Star
second.
That remains basically true, with Empress cementing its dollar lead with
the upgrade of its Double Double Bonus poker progressives to a 9-6 pay
table to go with a sequential royal jackpot. Along with 9-7 Double Bonus
Poker progressives and other 99-percent-plus games on the multiple-game
Game King machines, Empress is still tops for dollar players.
On quarters, though, Majestic Star has a challenger, one very close to
home. Right across the corridor from Majestic Star is Trump Casino, and
Trump has its own attractions for single-hand quarter players.
On Majestic Star's quarter Game Kings, there are a couple of standout
games. To start with, there's 9-6 Jacks or Better, the classic favorite
that jump-started video poker's rise to popularity in the 1980s. The "9-6"
stands for a 9-for-1 payoff on full houses and 6-for-1 on flushes.
With a 9-6 pay table, Jacks or Better returns 99.5 percent in the long run
with expert play. The game may be a little bland for some tastes -- there
are no big four of a kind bonuses, with all quads paying 25-for-1, or 125
coins for a five-coin bet. But two-pair hands pay 2-for-1 instead of the
1-for-1 we see on most games these days, which makes for an even-keel game
that gives a good deal of play for your money.
The other standout on Majestic Star's quarter machines is 9-7 Double Bonus
Poker, which returns 99.1 percent in the long run with expert play. That's
not quite as good as 9-6 Jacks or Better, but Double Bonus is a different
kind of game. Most four of a kinds pay 50-for-1, or 250 coins for a
five-coin bet -- double the quad payoffs on Jacks or Better. Four 2s, 3s
or 4s bring 80-for-1, or 400 for a five-coin bet, and four Aces bring
160-for-1, or 800 for a five-coin bet. Losses are faster here than on
Jacks or Better, but big wins, with four Aces on a quarter machine
bringing up to $200, are more frequent than on a game where the
four-of-a-kind maximum payback is only $31.25.
Majestic Star used to have more 99-percent games on its quarter Game
Kings, but most of the pay tables have been downgraded. The good stuff is
still available on the dollar Game Kings, but on quarters, Bonus Poker has
been downgraded from an 8-5 pay table to 7-5; Double Double Bonus Poker
has been reduced from 9-6 to 9-5, and Deuces Wild has been reduced from
the "Not So Ugly" version to the game nicknamed "Illinois Deuces."
Trump does have Not So Ugly Deuces Wild on quarters, and that's part of
its claim on the loyalties of quarter video poker players. The machines
don't say "Not So Ugly Deuces," they just say Deuces Wild. Players
recognize it by its pay table -- 250-for-1 (or 4,000 for the maximum
five-coin bet) for a natural royal flush; 200-for-1 for four deuces;
25-for-1 for a royal with wild cards; 16-for-1 for five of a kind;
10-for-1 for a straight flush; 4-for-1 for four of a kind; 4-for-1 for a
full house; 3-for-1 for a flush; 2-for-1 for a straight, and 1-for-1 for
three of a kind.
With expert play, Not So Ugly Deuces returns 99.7 percent in the long run,
making it a higher-paying game than either of the Majestic Star quarter
standouts. Deuces Wild isn't every player's cup of tea -- it's more
volatile than Jacks or Better, and strategy is a little more complex --
but this is a solid option. The Majestic Star version of quarter Deuces
Wild reduces five of a kind payoffs to 15-for-1 and straight flushes to
9-for-1, leaving a 98.9-percent game.
Trump also goes Majestic Star one better on Double Double Bonus Poker,
offering the 9-6 pay table that pays 99 percent in the long run, while
Majestic's 9-5 game returns 97.9 percent. On the other hand, the machines
I checked in my walk-through didn't have Jacks or Better, and the Double
Bonus Poker was a 9-6 game instead of Majestic's superior 9-7.
Video poker players can pay their money and take their choice, but both
Gary casinos have 99-percent-plus games that we're not seeing on
single-hand quarter games anywhere else in the area.
While I was in Indiana checking out Trump and Majestic Star, I made a
stop at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond and found a couple of things of
interest.
Those who are inclined -- and bankrolled -- to play high-limit roulette
will find the best deal in the area here. In the high-limit room, with $25
minimum wagers, Horseshoe offers single-zero roulette. That nearly halves
the house edge, down to 2.7 percent from the 5.26 percent on double-zero
wheels. Too rich for my blood, but a nice feature for the big players.
I also looked over the menu at JB's Gourmet Sandwiches and Salads at the
Horseshoe pavilion. My eyes landed on the Bento boxes, with either
barbecue duck or sea eel accompanied by siu mai (pork-filled wontons), ha
gau (shrimp dumplings), Asian salad and sticky rice. Not sure about the
eel, but the duck and go-withs sound good to me.
