We are thrilled to celebrate two and a half decades of bringing you insightful and engaging video poker content. Since its inception by IGT Video Poker in 2001, The Inside Straight has been your trusted source for all things video poker, helping you navigate this exciting market. Despite a brief hiatus from 2022-24, our mission remains as strong as ever: to provide valuable information and contribute to the growth of the video poker industry.
As we mark this milestone, we’re excited to announce a significant transformation. We are transitioning from our traditional mailer, previously distributed 3-4 times per year, to a dynamic online publication. This new digital format aims to serve as your go-to resource for industry news, game launches, and community updates on a more frequent basis. Our goal is to make this platform not only informative but also engaging and entertaining, ensuring it meets your evolving needs.
In the months ahead, you’ll hear from us regularly. We are committed to sharing our insights on fostering the poker community, developing your players, and implementing best practices for video poker. Additionally, we’ll provide technical tips and tricks to help you navigate and leverage our evolving platforms.
We invite you to join us on social media and stay connected as we embark on this new chapter, The Inside Straight 2.0. This initiative is designed to be your comprehensive resource for all things poker, and we highly encourage your feedback and participation. There will be numerous opportunities for your input, and we are eager to hear your thoughts and experiences.
Thank you for being part of this incredible journey. Your support and engagement have been invaluable, and we look forward to continuing to serve you with the same passion and dedication in this new digital era.
Once again, thank you for your valued business. We hope you enjoy the new format and welcome any suggestions on how we can help make video poker a more successful and profitable product line on your floor. Be sure to check back often for our updates!
By: Sal Lambert
The 3.0ME electronics found in the later generation U-Slant and G-series poker cabinets have traditionally run AVP® software, however our latest single-theme Ascent® poker products can also be offered on these cabinets. Likewise, the new CrystalSlant™ Poker cabinet which runs on 4.0 V1 electronics designed primarily for Ascent® content can also accommodate AVP® poker games. Making this switch between AVP® and Ascent® content on either the 3.0ME or 4.0 V1 electronics is a bit more involved than updating a theme running on the same foundation, so here’s how to do it:
The following will explain how to convert the Flash Boot from ASB014-A40-I-21 to IBRF40IUSDM12 or its replacements. This will be necessary when converting AVP® Family 14 game content to Ascent® Family 20 game content and vice-versa.
Hardware Requirements:
• AVP® Flash Boot file
• Ascent® Flash Boot file
• All necessary game programs
Tools Required:
• EKEY000007
• DIAGUNV00113
• DIAGNOSTIC-014-21
Instructions: AVP to Ascent
1. With EGM off, open door
2. Insert DIAGNOSTIC-014-21 into an open USB port
3. Insert EKEY000007 into the Secure Port
4. Turn Power ON
5. Select Flash Boot Prom
6. Follow Option A or Option B
Option A: Backup the installed image
1. A backup to the installed Flash Boot image can be done now
2. Insert a destination thumb drive into an open USB port (This will be the E-prom AVP or Ascent Thumb Drive)
3. Select Backup Flash Image
4. Highlight the file, touch the keyboard on the left
5. Name the file. (Sample: Copy of AVP® boot)
6. Select Done. The file will be permanently added to the destination thumb drive
Option B: Installing the Ascent Flash Boot File
1. Load the Ascent® Flash Boot file
2. Highlight the IBRF40IXXXXXX.bin file
3. Select Program Flash icon
4. A status bar will appear and once complete, it will show Flash Successful
5. Remove the EKEY000007
6. Remove DIAGNOSTIC-014-21
7. Remove the destination backup thumb drive
8. Reboot the EGM with DIAGUNV00113 installed
9. Once in Diagnostic Mode an Ultimate Memory Reset clear must be performed
10. Create Primary SATA 1 drive
11. Select Deployment Utility to install the necessary OI, AI and GI programs for the Ascent® theme.
Instructions: Ascent to AVP
1. Insert ASB014-A40-I-21 Flash Boot thumb drive into an open USB port, it will populate in the BIOS Image page
2. Select the AVP® boot file
3. Select Install
4. Once installed, you must insert the DIAGNOSTIC-014-21 and install all the AVP® programs using normal loading procedures
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.
The greatest feature to come out of our last generation of poker machines was the EZ setup feature available on AVP. Providing customers both preconfigured setups and copy and paste functionality, took the daunting task of setting up a large suite like Game King 8.4 , and made it much more manageable. This feature may look a little different in ascent, but the copy and paste feature, now called Import & Export, is available for you to assist your technicians and reduce time to option multiple machines.
To Export the configuration:
1. Touch Import & Export from the Setup Menu. The Configuration Import & Export screen appears (see image below).
2. If necessary, for regulatory purposes, take note of the “Current Configuration Signature”. It is a hash that uniquely represents the current configuration of the EGM.
3. Insert a blank USB thumb drive into the Brain Box, and then touch Export.
4. Enter the name of the configuration file on the virtual keyboard, and then touch OK.
5. The configuration file is then saved to the thumb drive with a “Configuration exported successfully” message on the screen.
To Import a configuration:
1. Touch Import & Export from the Setup Menu. The Configuration Import & Export screen appears.
2. Insert the USB thumb drive with the configuration file into the Brain Box, and then touch Import. A pop-up will then display all of the available configuration files on the thumb drive (see image below).
3. Touch the desired import file to use, and then select OK.
4. A check box list will display showing possible Game Theme options to import. Check the boxes of the selected themes, and then touch OK.
5. A check box list will display showing possible communication options to import. Check the boxes of the selected items, and then touch OK (see image below).
6. A Verify Configurations pop-up will display, providing the status of the import. Press OK.
7. Touch OK to reboot the EGM.
8. Verify all options and the “Current Configuration Signature”.
Dates: July 7-10, 2026
Join fellow video poker fanatics at Peppermill Casino in Reno, Nevada! In attendance will be several popular YouTube content creators such as Slotmassacre, Jackpot Gents, Beyond Blackjack, Action Video Poker, Beckys Video Pokering Around, Lucky Kimby, and many more!
https://www.videopokerfest.com/
By: Nikol Ableman
Video Poker is a fascinating product. It is my passion and we are proud to be a VITAL part of IGT’s legacy to the industry. In many ways video poker has grown. It has evolved and outwardly modernized, but fundamentally, the core; the essence remains the same. As I reflect on my nearly twenty years being involved with this product line, I can’t help but think “the more things change, the more they stay the same”.
I worked in Product Compliance when PE+ cabinet’s reigned supreme. Those were the days when EPROM’s delivered programs, top boxes had actual glass and Triple Play was yet to change gaming floors forever. Now we have digital glass. Dongles are used to deliver programs. Game options number in the thousands. Game themes are imaginative are way more fun and profitable than we could have ever imagined back in the red-cabinet, single-hand, single-themed, single-denom video poker days.
What hasn’t changed, however, are the best practices we’ve learned with regard to how we interact and interface with the players themselves. For all the technological advances we’ve seen in games, one of the most critical components for the success of a video poker game is the comfort, ergonomics and foundation we provide our players while playing IGT games. In short, cabinets, button panels and screen angles are critically important for a game’s survival and success.
Years ago, the 19″ slant top cabinet was the category killer for slant top video poker. While the guts of the machine might have changed, we’ve emulated the comfort and extended play elements of that proven cabinet in our Universal Slant cabinet. The button deck is thoughtfully placed to maximize comfort and eliminate arm fatigue. A big improvement in this cabinet is the screen angle which eliminates glare and creates a more private gaming experience despite being on a busy gaming floor. Another cabinet we highly recommend is the G20 upright which follows the player-proven formula described above. Finally, our G20 bar top continues to be a proven performer.
Video Poker has been a mainstay on your floor and we want to ensure it continues to be so for years to come. Capabilities, features and system functionality are essential in today’s current floor environments.
One of the greatest capabilities and benefits provided through our AVP® Video Poker generation products is the EZ-Setup feature, which has significantly improved the way you verify and generate machine set ups, saving you time and eliminating errors.
Another terrific benefit of Video Poker AVP generation games is the compatibility to IGT Floor Manager. Floor Manager is a productivity tool that includes Media Manager and Analytics, products that help casino operators remotely market to players and manage their floors.
Tournament manager is yet another great tool made available as you transition to AVP Video Poker. TM based games allows customers to remotely toggle between tournament mode and regular game play mode maximizing floor space.
From a player’s standpoint, the core video poker experience remains the way they want it.
The art of making successful video poker products is ensuring we don’t interfere with the elements of the games that have built trust and loyalty with players. Behind the scenes we are invisibly providing casino customers with advancements and technological innovations that help provide better customer service and marketing while maximizing revenue opportunities.
We can assure you that we will tirelessly continue to find the balance between a player’s and casino operator’s needs in developing compelling video poker games and products. We’ve done well for over thirty years and promise you we will maintain our passion and focus on this product for another thirty, at least!