Mega Progressive Video Poker

     In the mid-70s, in the infancy of personal computers, Si Redd, a gaming distributor for Ballys, had an idea for a new game that he pitched to the company executives in Chicago: Video Poker. They rejected his idea of an electronic version of draw poker, deciding they did not want to take a chance and branch out from slots to a whole new untested game. He convinced them to let him take the patent on video poker, probably one of the biggest mistakes Bally Gaming ever made, and as they say, the rest is history.

     Within months, Si had made a deal with Fortune Coin Company in Reno to form a new company known as Sircoma (Si Redds Coin Machines) and mass produce the new video poker machines for him. By 1981 the new game was the most popular new addition to casinos everywhere. Just a year later, the company went public with a name change instantly recognizable to casino players everywhere - IGT, International Game Technology. Soon the first video slot machines were introduced following the video poker machine’s success. Myriad variations of the popular game are found today on casino floors everywhere. 

     IGT is coming out with a bigger and better paying version of video poker this year: the Super Times Pay Poker Mega Progressive. This wide area progressive is designed for interstate links between New Jersey and Nevada, New Jersey and South Dakota, and the Native American link: Tribal Casinos. The game was initially rolled out March 28 and 29 of this year at the Golden Nuggets Casinos in Las Vegas and Atlantic City. The unveiling included special events, merchandise giveaways, and free play at both places.

     When you play the poker progressive, you are playing three hands at once. An extra coin is required for each of the three hands to activate the multiplier feature so it takes 18 coins to be eligible for the big reward. That’s $4.50 a spin for the quarter machines, four times that much for the dollar ones.

     Jackpots start at $50,000 on 25-cent games and $200,000 on dollar machines. A royal flush, which usually pays $1,000 for a 25-cent game and $4,000 on a dollar machine without multipliers or progressives, can theoretically pay as much as $193,179 on quarters and $772,716 on dollars according to IGT and slot guru John Grochowski in CasinoCityTimes.

     Statistically, according to Mr. Grochowski, royals occur roughly once every 40,000 hands and the multiplier once every 15 hands. The multiplier can be 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, or 10 times the usual pay. One in 25 of these multipliers would be the times 10 multiplier. Payback, according to his article is between 91.7% and 92.4%. 

     So your chances aren’t really that good — but then neither are your chances to win the MegaBucks or the State Lottery. And still we try. The Southern California Gaming Guide says to look for the Super Times Poker Mega Progressive in a casino near you within the next six months.

San Manuel Native American Casino's Newest Millionaire

     I always advise gamblers not to play the mega progressive slot machines because there is so little chance you’ll ever hit the jackpot, and it takes max coin bets to hit the big win. I imagine there’s a happy gamer in Highland, CA this week that is glad he didn’t take that advice! 

     IGT reported this morning that a lucky player at San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino won the mega-payout April 29 on a favorite IGT Megabucks game “Double Diamond Deluxe.” The winner, who wishes to remain anonymous, takes home the biggest jackpot won at the casino since 2006, when a guest won $7,329,995.01 on IGT’s “Wheel of Fortune” progressive. His $3,285,849 win is the third largest paid out by San Manuel since the casino opened in 1986.

     Those of you who own my book “Spin to Win: Your Guide to Winning Penny Slots” know that the California Progressive slots are all linked together on a different system than the Nevada ones. The game doesn’t cross state lines, so IGT runs separate Megabucks games with separate independent jackpots in New Jersey, Mississippi, and the California Native American Casinos as well as the big one in Nevada.

    There used to be a website that I referred my readers to where they could see the current  jackpots for all the Nevada progressives at any time. It was a lot of fun to watch the numbers roll up and to dream about maybe winning the Megabucks mega-jackpot someday. 

     Since the site has changed, I have found another link: igtjackpots.com that will give you the same information for the current jackpot figures for the various IGT progressive games. 

     If you readers from Southern California plan to visit San Manuel to see if lightening can strike twice - strike four times actually I guess - I wish you luck. I’ve never been to San Manuel. Maybe I’ll  use this as an excuse to visit and try my luck too. 

     Maybe Shinobiyt and VegasLowRoller will have the Megabucks “Double Diamond Deluxe” challenge for their LV vs. NA competition one of these weeks! I wonder how long their $20 will last if they do!