Advantage Players Outsmart Casinos, Erode Profits

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In the realm of high-stakes entertainment, a select group of video poker enthusiasts, distinguishable by their exceptional skill and strategic prowess, has emerged as a thorn in the side of the gaming industry. Known within the gambling community as advantage players, or APs, these individuals employ their deft touch and sharp minds to tilt the odds in their favor, much to the consternation of casino operators who are witnessing a palpable dent in their revenue streams.

A newly released study, conducted with meticulous scrutiny by Acres Manufacturing Company — a firm renowned for pioneering customer loyalty technologies and services catered to the needs of the casino world — has shed light on the notable impact these APs exert on casino coffers. Furnished with their proprietary Video Poker Analyzer, a cutting-edge tool designed to dissect and understand the playing patterns of video poker aficionados, Acres has provided a startling glimpse into the ability of APs to consistently outmaneuver the house.


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The results of this comprehensive analysis paint a vivid picture of the financial implications that these players pose. “Collectively, these players caused a loss to the casino equivalent to 25.64% of its carded win on video poker during the period of the study,” detailed Acres Manufacturing Company. Moreover, the majority of these shrewd strategists were not just playing for the thrill; over two-thirds of the APs gleaned tangible profits from their calculated engagement with the video poker machines. With these APs responsible for a quarter of video poker coin-in at the casino, the loyalty rewards they accrued were of a magnitude significantly greater than those bestowed upon casual players, the latter typically generating higher margins for the gambling establishments.

Despite the looming shadow cast by this skilled subset of players, casino operators might take solace in the fact that such individuals represent a mere sliver of the playing population, no more than 1%. The survey in question delved into the machinations of a thousand of these APs within the spirited environs of the Las Vegas locals market, scrutinizing over three million hands with a focus on detail worthy of a jeweler inspecting the facets of a rare gem.

The fiscal year 2023 offered a robust tableau of profit for Nevada casinos, with a resounding $30 billion in sales ringing through their vaulted halls. Within this financial orchestra, slots and gaming machines — the sanctum within which the venerable game of video poker resides — played critical and consistent leads in driving gross gaming revenue.

The siren call of gaming devices to casino operators is clear and compelling. With their appealing economics, characterized by lower labor costs and minimal overhead compared to their table-based counterparts, these electronic sentinels have witnessed an increased presence on casino floors. In the gaming nexus of Las Vegas, video poker machines stand guard and beckon with their glowing screens, a mainstay amid the arsenal of attractions tailored to local patrons.

Notwithstanding the dominance of video poker among gaming devices, the casinos maintain a vigilant eye on advantage players. While 99% of those who engage with these machines may not share the same tactical acumen as APs, the necessity to balance the allocation of tier credits and points remains a pressing matter. These incentives, after all, are not mere tokens of play; rather, they manifest as keys to a kingdom of complimentary indulgences — sumptuous meals, elegant accommodations — serving as lucrative pillars for the casinos themselves.

In a rapidly evolving world where digitization pervades every crevice of commercial activity, the casino industry is no outlier in its embrace of technology. Operators, increasingly reliant on the benefits of digital advances, recognize the decisive role technology can play in counterbalancing the cunning of seasoned video poker players.

The aptly named Video Poker Analyzer by Acres Manufacturing Company exemplifies this technological acumen. It scrutinizes each hand dealt against the golden standard of optimal play, cataloging player missteps and ascribing a value to these errors. Such insights are invaluable to operators, offering a predictive lens through which to assess the potential profitability — or lack thereof — from individual bettors.

With its surgical precision, the utilization of Video Poker Analyzer could mean a windfall for casino profit margins. “A casino operator deploying Video Poker Analyzer may see more than a 45% upside to its video poker profits through a combination of excluding and reducing unprofitable APs from the active player base and through the redeployment of valuable marketing dollars to those players with the highest upside potential,” Acres Manufacturing Company concludes, peering into a future where the balance between customer reward and casino revenue finds a more equitable footing.

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