John Acres, a veteran supplier and innovator of systems and technology in the gaming industry, is no stranger to creating waves. The veteran supplier, systems and technology innovator has innovated player tracking technologies that have changed the way casinos reward their players, and he is again rewriting how gaming operators approach video poker with his latest innovation. Acres’ Optimal Poker Analyzer uses advanced analytics from Foundation – the casino management system by Acres Manufacturing – to deliver real-time data directly to the credit meter of any slot machine. This allows casinos to optimize their marketing and operations.
Optimal Poker Analyst instantly recognizes optimal play strategies for each specific hand based on the card values dealt and the cards held in the hand. It then calculates the expected return of that decision compared to its actual in-hand execution and grades each decision accordingly. This enables the software to identify both low and high margin video poker players, a significant segment of the gaming population that until now has been unquantified for casino marketing purposes.
This new tool can be added to any game with Foundation installed and works across all game types, pay tables and denominations. It can be utilized to accurately identify the value a player and then structure personalized marketing offers to increase engagement in casino loyalty programs, such as cashback, free play, merchandise sale and other promotional offers.
The system also helps the casinos rethink what they think about advantage players. It allows them stop viewing their video poker business as one large unquantified group and instead look at it as potential players that they can identify by the meritless strategies they use to beat games. This allows casinos rethink their refusal to act on these players and reconsider how they view the use of unfair advantage-play techniques.
Acres Manufacturing’s launch of the Optimal poker Analyzer is a revolutionary product. It will have a dramatic effect on the entire gaming industry and not just video-poker. The same way Foundation has changed the rules of how casino operators manage slot machines, the new product will change the rules of how they market and reward video poker gamers.
John Acres, who works in southwest Las Vegas, has one of those Motorola DynaTAC cell phones that Jerry Seinfeld wore on his sitcom to remind him of how technology has evolved over the last 40 years. But the technology behind his new product, Optimal Poker Analyzer is going to have a far greater impact on the gaming industry. Combined with the advanced analytics from Foundation, Optimal Poker Analyzer will be the catalyst for a revolution in how gaming manufacturers, operators and their marketing divisions treat the biggest and most profitable gaming segment of the industry. And it will do so in a manner that does not involve giving the gaming consumer a reason to leave their favorite casino.