Video poker vs. slotsGenerally speaking, there are three categories of casino gamblers: those who prefer slots, those who prefer tables and those who prefer video poker.
Casino operators always are looking for ways to create crossover opportunities among the groups, but it hasn't been easy. Even though slots and video poker are members of the same family (electronic gaming devices), efforts by manufacturers to combine elements of the games have proven challenging.
The new wave of electronic touch-screen table games is regarded to have the potential to attract dedicated slot players, but the main focus remains the highly specialized video poker segment as a means to expand the horizons of slot players.
Video poker players are a dedicated lot who really don't want the manufacturers messing around with their game. With an element of skill, just give them a good selection of games with solid pay tables and they're content.
Slot players, on the other hand, not only like to win money, they want to be entertained with the base games and second screen bonus rounds.
The ideal compromise would seem to be a combination of an established video poker format with a popular element of slot play. International Game Technology appears to have accomplished just that with Wheel Poker.
Wheel Poker is a union of the best IGT slot machines and video poker. The base game is available in Triple Play and Five Play options with seven game families (Bonus Poker, Double Bonus Poker, etc.) from which to choose.
The distinctive component is the top box "wheel" which resembles the wheel-based theme games for which IGT is famous. Players get the opportunity to activate a wheel spin for bonus credits every time they are dealt or draw to any four-of-a-kind. Each spin rewards the player anywhere from 100 to 2,000 credits.
Two $1 Wheel Poker games were added to the slot floor at Harrah's Joliet, but they recently were converted to quarter denomination. The game requires a wager of six coins per hand to be eligible for the Wheel Poker bonus. The sixth coin actually funds the bonus aspect of the game, which leaves the standard pay tables unaffected.