Acres Manufacturing Company has released a recent case study that outlines both the identity and lost-profit impact of advantage players, as well as their “reliably beat the casino and attract a disproportionate share of loyalty program offers.”
The study, powered by Acres’ Video Poker Analyzer (VPA), specifically focuses on highly skilled poker players and examined more than three million hands that were played by more than a thousand identified carded players.
The company outlined how the program works in a statement, “In each game of video poker, a five-card hand is dealt. The player then strategically decides which cards to hold and which to discard, with the goal of making a winning hand.
“VPA compares each player decision against the mathematically optimal strategy for any hand dealt.”
According to the findings, advantage players represent close to 1% of the player population and contributed to 25.64% of a casino’s losses during the duration of the study.
The results also showed that two-thirds of advantage players studied walked away from their sessions with a profit.
These players accounted for 26% of video poker coin-in, which resulted in the casino’s loyalty program awarding rewards that were “significantly more than higher margin players.”
Noah Acres further commented on the study’s results by saying, "Our Video Poker Analyzer case study reveals the true threat APs impose on casino profitability and their impact on the efficacy of player reinvestment through the casino's loyalty program.
"By clearly identifying APs, Acres enables casinos to restrict their marketing offers and redeploy them to earn incremental play from more profitable lower-skilled players."
Acres Foundation powers Video Poker Analyzer. The technology can be used with any modern slot machine and with any casino management system, the company said.
