Popular Progressive Configurations

By: Nikol Ableman
Video poker players love when they walk into their favorite casino and find a multilevel progressive game complemented by a great paytable. In this article, we discuss different ways to configure popular and profitable video poker progressives. First, let’s start with some terminology:

Standalone Progressive
The standalone progressive machine is not linked to any other machines and has its own internal progressive that is funded by the individual player’s wagers.

Linked Progressive
The linked progressive system is comprised of several progressive machines linked together by a progressive controller, like the IGT Progressive Controller, on the same bank, or throughout the casino floor. Anyone playing a linked game will contribute to the progressive jackpot amount.

Multilevel Progressive
The multi-level progressive system (MLP) is very popular throughout the country. In the western territory, Double Double Bonus Poker ® is the most popular MLP poker family. In the Southern California market where video poker is strong, having a bank of Double Double Bonus Poker games configured at a quarter denomination with five progressive levels will achieve a return of 97.88% (9/5) with a half percent going to the meter.

The levels used in this format are:
1. Royal Flush
2. Four Ace’s with any 2,3,4
3. Four Deuces, 3s,4s with Ace 2,3,4
4. Four-Aces
5. Four Deuces, 3s, 4s

You can also run MLP and link different game families together just as long as the themes have common paytables. For example, you can add a four-level progressive to Double Double Bonus Poker and Double Bonus Poker.
Paytables for this configuration are:
1. Royal Flush
2. Straight Flush
3. Four Aces
4. Four 5s thru Kings
The two configurations above can also be used as a multi-level, multi-denomination progressive. This can be accomplished with the use of the IGT Progressive Controller. The IGT Progressive Controller is a communication controller, designed to enable operators to configure and run up to 32 progressive levels on a bank of up to 63 linked and local IGT slots, video slots, and video poker machines.
Single-level Progressive (can we add a colored box behind this to make it stand out?)
Single-level progressive games are also very popular. In this format, you can designate one game family to progress. For example, some customers will enable Double Bonus Poker®, quarter denomination, with a game return of 96.38 (9/6/4), with anywhere from a ¼%, ½%, to a full 1% to the meter. Another option is to link several game families (Double Double Bonus Poker®, Double Bonus Poker®, Deuces Wild Bonus Poker™, and Jacks or Better) together and have them share the Royal Flush as the top award. However, when the Royal Flush is won on one game family, all game families reset to the base amount.

Multi-hand Progressive
VideoPoker.com (Action Gaming) games perform well as progressives, too. Triple Play Poker™ is the most popular game to progress, in compared to IGT’s single-hand Game King® themes. Triple Play Poker™ can be configured as a standalone progressive, or a linked progressive. With Triple Play Poker™, the operator can option the game to progress one hand, or all three hands including an “all hands progressive” feature. The “all hands level” can be won when a customer is dealt the Royal Flush; the progressive award for the “all hands” will equal the sum of hands A, B, and C.
• All Hands – $6,350.00
• Hand “C” – $1,075.00
• Hand “B” – $1,125.00
• Hand “A” – $1,150.00
Popular multi-hand progressive games include: All Star Poker™, Triple Play Dream Card™, Spin Poker, Spin Poker Deluxe®, Spin Poker Dream Card®, Triple Spin™ Poker, Hundred Play Draw Poker® and Fifty Play Draw Poker™, Super Triple Play Poker, Multi Strike Poker®, Multi-Strike Poker® Ultra Deluxe, and Double Down Stud® 3/5/10 Play Poker.