--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "Bob Bartop" <bobbartop@...> wrote:
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> Why are most video poker machines made by IGT and Bally, whereas I have seen very few made by other manufacturers? For instance, I was just looking at the website of Konami. Konami's slots seem to be gaining fast in popularity, I see them everywhere. But it doesn't look like they even make a video poker type machine. WHY?
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I think it's market domination more than anything else. And fading memory tells me that I once used to play a Konami video poker progressive in the skywalk of the Cal-Neva/Reno.
I read a book a long long time ago called Video Poker Mania by Dwight Crevelts, an ex Bally's employee. His video poker advice was along the lines of the Lenny Frome royal buster strategy. But he also gave his take on video poker history which went something like this:
The random-number-generator was initially developed for nuclear physicists who had to get sub-atomic particles to clash in order to explode a nuclear device. The wee little particles travel at random but do not naturally run into each other.
In the 1970's a programmer for Bally's came up with the idea of applying the RNG to a deck of cards and the video poker machine was developed. The first machines went into Sam's Town in 1976. They were 9/6 Two-Pair-or-Better. Initally they were a success as people lined up to take their turns playing the machines. But enthusiasm waned because of the big drop. Then some brainstormer thought up Jacks or Better which raised the paback--this brought the action on the machines way back up.
But Bally's execs made what I think will go down as the worst business decision ever made in the history of video poker. For some reason they didn't think much of the game. They thought the money was in slots. Si Redd, a Bally's employee, and his crowd had other ideas. Si's crowd agreed with Bally's to break away and form a new company. It's gone under various names over the years but the one that stuck was IGT. There was a 20 year non-compete clause involved.
The poor Bally's execs had to suffer through 20 years of watching the explosive growth of video poker before they could get in the game. ROTFLMAO!!!
