The Progressive Winner

Frequently Asked Questions

Why use The Progressive Winner? - There is one and only one way to beat video poker machines - you have to accurately play on machines that pay at over 100%.  The Progressive Winner is the only system that gives you the tools to find machines paying over 100% and a system that provides the maximum payback on those machines.

Are there really machines that pay over 100%? - Yes, they can be found all over the country.  They are most common in Las Vegas, but with The Progressive Winner you can also find them in places like Atlantic City, Reno, Laughlin, and in Indian casinos around the country.

Why would casinos pay over 100%? - On progressive jackpot machines, it is possible for the casino and the sophisticated player to both win.  This surprising opportunity exists because of the way progressive jackpot machines work.  On these machines casinos keep some of the profit for themselves and put a portion of that profit back into the jackpots.  No matter how large the jackpots get the casinos still make a profit - they took their profits out before any money went into the jackpots.  However, when the jackpots grow sufficiently large, playing accurately will, on average, result in a payback of over 100%.  The Progressive Winner exposes exactly when the jackpots reach that point and how to modify play to maximize profit in these situations as well as how to change your strategy as the jackpots grow.  When a machine's payback goes over 100% the informed player can jump in and start winning.  This is similar to playing blackjack only when the card count gives the advantage to the player.

How do I use The Progressive Winner? - 1) Compare a video poker machine's posted payback schedule to the one in the book to find the machine's basic payback;  2) If the machine has progressive jackpots or sequential royal flush jackpots, compare these jackpots to those listed in the book to see how much they add to the machine's payback;  3) Pick the machine that has the highest total payback; then 4) Use the 1 page strategy guide in the book to maximize your profit.  If none of the machines in the casino are currently paying at an acceptable rate you have the option to wait until the progressive jackpots climb to an acceptable level - the book will tell you exactly how high the jackpot needs to grow to reach a payback acceptable to you.  Or, you may decide to try a different game or a different casino.

Can I beat video poker machines using The Progressive Winner? - The only way to consistently beat video poker is to play accurately on machines that pay over 100%.  The Progressive Winner gives you the tools to find machines paying over 100% and a guide to make the correct draws on those machines.  There is no guarantee you will win for any given set of hands.  However, if you are playing accurately, on a machine that pays over 100% you will win more than you lose.  Since the book allows you to calculate a machines exact payback, including the amount the jackpots add, you will know exactly how much your average profit will be.  Even with the odds in your favor winning over the short term is never guaranteed, so you should never gamble more than you can afford to lose.

Can all progressive video poker machines be beaten? - Any progressive video poker machine with jackpots that grow until someone hits them will eventually pay over 100%.  The jackpots may grow and be hit many times before they have a payback that causes over a 100% return, but they will all eventually go over 100%.  Depending on the machine's payback schedule and how fast the progressive jackpots grow the average time it takes to reach a payback of over 100% may be from once every few minutes or less, to once every few hours, to once every few years or longer.  Once the payback is over 100% , in order to win, the player must use a good system, preferably one that shows what changes in strategy to make as the size of the progressive jackpots grow.

What video poker games are available for The Progressive Winner? - The Progressive Winner is available for Jacks or Better, Bonus Poker, Double Bonus, Double Double Bonus, Deuces Wild, and Joker Poker.  Each book is optimized for a given payback schedule but can be used on most machines of the same type that have similar payback schedules.  The Progressive Winner can also be customized to show the correct play for whatever payback schedule you need.  Click here for information on ordering a customized Progressive Winner.

Is The Progressive Winner optimized for a particular payback schedule? - Yes, any video poker system that tells you what cards to draw and which to hold is optimal for one payback schedule.  For The Progressive Winner  Jacks or Better is optimized for machines that pay 9 for a full house and 6 for a flush; Bonus Poker is optimized for machines that pay 80 for 4 Aces, 40 for 4 twos-fours, 25 for 4 fives-kings, 8 for a full house, 5 for a flush and 4 for a straight;  Double Bonus is optimized for machines that pay 10 for a full house, 7 for a flush, and 5 for a straight;  Double Double Bonus is optimized for machines that pay 400 for 4 Aces w/(2-4), 10 for a full house, 6 for a flush, and 4 for a straight;  Joker Poker is optimized for machines that pay 4000 coins on 5 bet for a royal flush, 20 for 4 of a kind and even money for a pair of kings or better;  Deuces Wild is optimized for machines that pay 25 for a Royal w/deuce, 15 for 5 of a kind, 9 for a straight flush, 5 for 4 of a kind, 3 for a full house, and 2 for a flush.  Click here to see the payback schedules used to optimize each book.

Can I use The Progressive Winner on a machine other than the one it's been optimized for?  - Yes, as long as you are playing the same type of game the book was written for and the payback schedules are similar.  The 1 page strategy guide showing the correct draw for any hand is minimally affected by payback schedules that are different but similar to the one for which the book was optimized.  For example The Progressive Winner for Jacks or Better machines is optimized for machines that pay 9 for a full house and 6 for a flush; however, using this guide on a Jacks or Better machine that pays 8 for a full house  and 5 for a flush results in less than a 1/10th of 1 percent change in the amount of profit you can make.  However, using the Progressive Winner for Jacks or Better on a Bonus Poker machine would not be a good idea; nor would using a Progressive Winner for Joker Poker book which is optimized for a machine that pays for a pair of kings or better on a Joker Poker machine that requires 2 pair to get a payback.

Can I get a book optimized for the specific pay schedule I want? - Yes.  Books can be ordered that are optimized for whatever pay schedules you need.  You tell us what the pay schedule is and we will create the optimal guide for that machine.  Click here for information regarding Customized Books.

How does The Progressive Winner show me how much progressive jackpots add to the payback? - The book has tables that list each type of progressive jackpot (e.g. Sequential Royal Flush jackpot, Royal Flush jackpot, straight flush jackpot, four of a kind jackpot, etc.) and precisely how much the dollar amount of each jackpot improves the machines payback.  The book includes tables for different denominations of machine including:  $0.25, $0.50, $0.75, $1.00, $1.25, $2.00, $2.50, $5.00, $8.00, $10.00, and $25.00.  (Note these amounts are not the minimum you can play but are the amount needed to allow you to win the jackpots.  e.g. the $2.50 table would be used for 50 cent machines requiring 5 coins to get a jackpot and for 25 cent machines requiring 10 coins be played to get a jackpot.)

How does The Progressive Winner show me how to modify play as progressive jackpots change? - As progressive jackpots change you can increase your profits by changing your strategy.  For example if you are holding a Jack and Ten of clubs and a Queen of hearts the basic strategy for a given game may be to hold the non suited Jack  and Queen.  However, at some point as the Royal Flush jackpot grows it will be to your advantage to hold the suited Jack and Ten of clubs instead.  The 1 page strategy guide in The Progressive Winner displays in a clear and precise way the royal flush jackpot dollar value where this change in strategy occurs.

Can I use The Progressive Winner on machines that do not have progressive jackpots? - Absolutely.  The table in the book that shows how much each machine pays based on its payback schedule does not include progressive jackpots, so you will still be able to find the best possible video poker machine in that casino even if they do not include progressive jackpots.  The use of the book's strategy guide works just as well on machines with or without progressive jackpots; if a machine doesn't have progressive jackpots you just don't use the portion on the right side of the guide that tells you when to change strategy due to these jackpots.

What if there is 1 progressive jackpot for a bank of different games? - If a bank of machines offers different games such as Jacks or Better, Bonus Poker, and Deuces Wild, and all of the games have the same progressive jackpot for a Royal Flush, the best strategy would be to look up the payback for each type of game and then select the game that offer the highest return.

Will casinos let me use the book? - Books and written material are not legally prohibited in casinos.  Players frequently use printed instructions for gambling systems when playing video poker machines in casinos.  The use of computers or electronic devices are illegal in casinos.  Some casinos may have a private policy of not allowing players to use written guides to play and may ask you not to use the book.  The casinos are mainly concerned about using the guide while playing but are unlikely to object when using the guide to find the best paying machine.

What is the difference between The Progressive Winner and other systems? - The Progressive Winner exposes 4 essential things about video poker machines that you must have if you are going win.  1) How much each video poker machine pays;  2) How progressive jackpots and sequential royal flush jackpots affect the machine's payback; 3) What the correct draw is for any hand; and 4) What changes to make as progressive jackpots change.  No other system provides all 4 of these essential tools.

What size is the book? - The Progressive Winner is approximately 3 ½" X 7", consists of 24 pages, and fits conveniently in a shirt or blouse pocket.

Where do you ship? - We ship worldwide.

How long does shipping take? - Marshall House normally ships within 48 hours of receipt of an order.