The Best Video Poker on the Strip — A Frugal Video Poker Scouting Guide Companion Booklet

by Bobby Vegas

Welcome to Frugal Video Poker Scouting Guide (FVPSG) by Jean Scott and your free companion booklet, The Best Video Poker on the strip.

I’m Bobby Vegas, writer for the Las Vegas Advisor (publisher of the FVPSG) and a committed Vegas funjunky for over 30 years. My specialty is gaming the game, so that the games are in your favor. That means you can play longer, have more fun, risk less, win more, and lose less. In short, extract the most value for you. Sound good?

Great! Let’s go.

How To Use This How-To Guide

Many, if not most, people come to Vegas with the attitude, “I’ll play until all my money is gone.” Please, don’t ever even say that, let alone do it!

FVPSG shows you how to be one of the few passengers on the plane flying home a winner. Or even if you lost, which does happen of course, you’ll know you got the most out of your Vegas casino experience. You gave it your best shot and had a great time.

Want to know everything there is to know about the pay schedules and return percentages of (almost) every video poker game available? Just look it up in your app. When you do, you’ll know how to play smart and win more, or at least lose less. FVPSG and this companion booklet take the guesswork and wasted time wandering around trying to find the best games out of your Vegas vacation.

Most Vegas visitors play right into the casinos’ hands. Knowledgeable players see them everywhere, marching up and down the Strip in and out of the big casinos, throwing away their money on games that they shouldn’t play, don’t know how to play, hoping to get lucky.

When all they need to do is learn how to recognize and play full-pay video poker (or as close to it as you can get), the best game there is.

But why is that so tough to figure out? Because in a single row of video poker machines, the pay schedules can be wildly different on each game. And on a single machine, there are multiple games and each game may have a different pay schedule at different denominations. What to do?  Use your Frugal Video Poker Strategy Guide.

Now which is the best game to play?

9/6 Jacks or Better — Full-Pay

In this companion guide, I focus on the best game on the strip: 9/6 Jacks or Better, also known as “full-pay Jacks or Better.” It’s easy to play perfectly, not too hard to find, and has a return percentage of 99.54%, about as close to a breakeven game as it gets. The house has less than ½% edge. That’s very good — for you. Compare that to slots with their edge of 6% to 15%. Also, it’s steady, meaning low volatility, which allows you to play longer and lose less, giving you the time to win more. Finally, 9/6 JoB can be played, at full coin to qualify for the royal flush jackpot, for $1.25, $5, $25, or $125 per hand. The same game. It just depends on where you play it. I show you how to find these games wherever they exist.

In 9/6 Jacks or Better (JoB), the 9 refers to the payout for a full house and the 6 for a payout on the flush. What makes this game so good is the payout of 2 coins for 2 pair; many other video poker variations give you back only one. That may not sound like much, but play a few different games online for free and see how different it is.

Though they used to be plentiful, full-pay Jacks or Better (9/6) are few and far between on the Strip and at most of the places that do have it, it’s very expensive: $1, $2, $5, even $25 denominations. Since you should always play max bet in order to qualify for the big payout on the royal flush, that means $5, $10, and $25 and $125per hand at a max bet of five units. If you’ve brought a $5,000 bankroll, maybe you can play at the $5 level. If you’re like me, though, you want to play at the $.25 denomination or $1.25 per hand. At that level, $1,000 is a good bankroll to have. Your choice, of course. Play at your comfort level, whether that’s $1.25, $5, $25, or $125 a hand at max coin-in.

Slightly less lucrative from a mathematical perspective is 8/5 Bonus Poker, which returns 99.17%. lasvegasadvisor.com/game-room/play-video-poker  That’s not bad, but you can do much better, so I suggest playing only if you must, as you’ll find this game and schedule almost everywhere. Also, Bonus Poker is played almost exactly like our preferred game 9/6 Jacks or Better and pays back 2 units for 2 pair (low volatility).

Practice Programs and Strategy Cards

Once you’ve found the game you want to play and start firing it up, you’ll have questions like, “Do I hold two face cards or four to the flush?”

That’s what the free online tutorials and strategy cards are for. Before you even step foot inside a casino and risk your hard-earned cash, you can learn to play for free perfectly at home. You can find free games to practice on here: wizardofodds.com/play/video-poker/single-hand and here wizardofodds.com/play/video-poker/jacks-or-better.  Using this training option, you’ll program yourself to make the right playing decision every time.

And in the casino with your money in play, the handy strategy cards provide the answers to any questions you might have. Not sure of what to hold or toss on the next play? Take your time. Look it up. It’s okay. At video poker, there are no pushy dealers or impatient fellow players. It’s your game, your dime, your time. You’re in control of the speed of your play. You can take as much time as you like until you’re ready with the right decision. And once you get used to reading a strategy card, you can come up with the answer in about five seconds. It’s usually fine to use them while playing. The free ones wizardofodds.com/games/video-poker/strategy/jacks-or-better/9-6/optimal are good in over 99% of situations you’ll encounter and if you want the absolute best pocket-sized expert cards on hard vinyl, you can buy them from the Las Vegas Advisor here lasvegasadvisor.com/shop/?ref=BobbyVegas.

vpFREE2

Now that you know the best game to play and how to play it perfectly, you need to find it. Though we do our best to keep up to date, everything is always changing in Casinoland. That’s where vpFREE2 comes in www.VPfree2.com.  This website lists every video poker game in Las Vegas and, in fact, in almost every casino in the U.S., plus all the info on them.

This is a volunteer-supported website, (I’m a volunteer), where individuals report on all the games at casinos around the country. They also keep the site up to date with the often-frequent changes in the video poker inventories. And once you zero in on a casino, it lists the best pay schedules, the best games to play, and exactly where they are in the casino.

Let’s start with where to find the best video games on the Las Vegas Strip.

vpfree2.com/casino/cosmopolitan-las-vegas

Full-Pay Video Poker on the Las Vegas Strip

If you know anything about Las Vegas, you’ll get the joke. The punchline is: hardly anywhere.

On the Strip, you have two things working against you. One, you’re paying for all those giant exotic casinos with fountains, pyramids, Eiffel Towers, the glory of Rome, King Arthur’s court, etc. How are you paying? By not having the best games to play for one..

And two, almost all the casinos on the Strip are owned by two giant corporate conglomerates, Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts International. They “share” a monopoly. These casinos have been winning over a billion dollars a month for years. They want to hold you captive on their property, so they have lots of distractions: restaurants galore, stage shows, lounge shows, retail, thrill rides, the works. They all come with fees attached: service fees, parking fees, resort fees.

Finally, because the house edge is always in play, they make money hand over fist in the casino.

Look, it’s okay if you want to stay at the Cosmopolitan, Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Luxor, or wherever, but here’s another Bobby Vegas rule to help you win: Stay where you want to stay, play where you want to play.

If you stay and play at the big Strip casinos, it’s harder to win. Of course, you’ll get comp credit for your play for future stays. And if that’s your game, no problem, have at it. Millions do. As far as video poker is concerned, however, the Strip is marginal at best. Still, I show you some places where you’ll find playable machines.

And don’t worry. There’s good video poker near where you’re staying on the Strip. You just have to be willing to venture a bit. And off the Strip, often just one or two blocks or a short ride, you’ll discover much better games — and you’ll be cool, play like a local or even a pro.

From south Strip to north, here’s where you can find 9/6 (if a casino isn’t listed, it doesn’t have any video poker worth playing). Again, I can’t emphasize this enough: Nothing stays the same when it comes to casinos, so check vpFREE2 and other information sources before you go looking for something that’s not there anymore.

New York-New York has $10 (10-coin max bet or $100) and up it’s 8/5 Bonus Poker.

MGM Grand has 9/6 JoB at $5 and 8/5 Bonus Poker at $1.

Park MGM has 8/5 Bonus Poker at $1 and $2 in the high-limit room. This is the only completely smoke-free casino in Las Vegas.

Planet Hollywood has $1, but careful — this is a lower-paying version of Jacks or Better, such as 9/5, with a five-coin return on the flush rather than six (98.45% payback percentage and that’s not good).

The Cosmopolitan high-limit room is excellent and has 9/6 JoB and $1 Spin Poker Deluxe, which is very good (if you’re interested in this version of the game, you’ll find plenty of instructions online). So you choose: 9/6 JoB at $25 ($.25 x 100 hands, $25 minimum bet) or 9/6 JoB Spin Poker at $5 a hand?

vpfree2.com/casino/cosmopolitan-las-vegas

Caesars has $5 for both 9/6 JoB and 8/5 Bonus. But remember, those are $25 per hand at max coins.

I want to emphasize this next casino, because it’s the winner on the Strip. At the Venetian/Palazzo, you can find $1 9/6 JoB and some great sign-up bonuses too (more on those below). If you play $500 or 100 hands at $5, you’ll get a $20 free-play bonus.

Wynn and Encore also have $5 JoB, though at Encore, if you want to dip down to 99.11%, you can play Double Bonus at $1, but that’s a very volatile game (with a payout of one unit for two pair).

Resorts World doesn’t have 9/6 JoB, but it does offer $1 and $2 8/5 Bonus Poker in the high-limit room.

Full-Pay Video Poker off the Strip

Taking some side trips beyond the Strip will yield good video poker plays.

To the east is Westgate, which offers 9/6 JoB at the $5 and $25 level, but also 8/5 Bonus Poker at $1 denominations and four other games at $5 denoms that are higher return than 9/6 JoB.

Also a long block east of the Strip just off Flamingo is little Ellis Island, which offers 8/5 Bonus in all denominations. Ellis Island is great from their Steak special to loads of sign up, coupon plays and other bonuses. A local favorite.

A few blocks east of the Strip on Sahara is the tin Eureka with excellent video poker. Check out their Fat Choy restaurant too.

Just west of the Strip on W. Flamingo are a group of casinos. Starting with the Palms, you’ll find $.10 (yes 10-cent), $.25, $.50, $1, and $2 up to $10 per line 8/5 Bonus Poker in the high-limit room and bar.

Across the street are the Rio, where the video poker is unworthy of any attention and the Gold Coast, which has 9/6 JoB starting at $.25 and many other games in and around the table games and high-limit room. Unfortunately the customer service and points  programs are not great  at Gold Coast but Ping Pong Pong is one of the top 10 Chinese Restaurants in the USA open till 2 AM.

And now, for video poker heaven, head south down Las Vegas Blvd. Take a quick Uber ride a few miles to South Point, where you’ll find thousands of games, including four versions with better returns than 9/6 JoB (but with higher volatility) and progressives (more on progressives below) that you can look up in your VP Scouting Guide, all starting at — drumroll, please — $.25.

And if you venture downtown, it gets even better. Fremont Street can be very lucrative, especially for first time visitors. vegasexperience.com  It’s good for the better games, hundreds of dollars in sign-up free-play, along with free drinks and food and loads of fun. You can find over-100% games at the Four Queens fourqueens.com and Plaza plazahotelcasino.com.  And we will talk more about using Las Vegas Advisor’s Member Rewards pocket coupon book on Fremont St for lots of free gambling later,

lasvegasadvisor.com/member-rewards-list

And if you’re really game, drive all the way out to Henderson for the pot of gold at Rainbow Casino on Water Street in Old Town. Actually, three little casinos are all bunched together here: Rainbow, Emerald Island, and The Pass. Rainbow and Emerald are owned by the same company and loyalty points are interchangeable; the Pass has benefits, but it’s not the gold.

Rainbow rainbowhenderson.com and Emerald Island emeraldislandcasino.com both have an amazing inventory of near-100% (Double Double Bonus, 99.96%, still excellent) video poker at penny, dime, and quarter denoms, and some of the most fantastic point multipliers (which we’ll get to) anywhere — in fact, they’re unheard of in this universe.

Believe it or not, these casinos used to be even better, but new owners realized they were literally giving away the store and tightened to this current still-excellent level. How do they make money? On the slot players.

Never forget: We play video poker and we make the money.

Progressives — When Breakeven Is Solid Gold

At the bottom of every page in your Frugal Video Poker Strategy Guide, you’ll see the name of the game, followed by two lines of dollar amounts for each pay-schedule column.

For example:

Jacks or Better/Draw Poker

Prog B-E $.25 $1,220

$1    $4,880

These numbers are important and one of the great hidden values in your FVPSG. This is where you can totally eliminate the house edge and play a game that’s breakeven or even with an over-100% return (101% or better). That’s what’s called an “advantage play.”

When you see a video poker game with a progressive jackpot on the royal flush and possibly on lesser payouts like a straight flush and four aces, it means that the jackpot amount or amounts are variable; they keep rising as more money is fed into the machine. That’s when you grab your handy FVPSG, look up the pay schedule in what denomination is offered, and compare the amount of the progressive listed as “B-E” (breakeven) with what’s on your machine.

In the example above, for 9/6 Jacks or Better at the 25-cent denomination, the breakeven for the progressive jackpot on the royal flush is $1,220. Any amount above that and you’ll have the advantage and be in positive-return territory. In other words, you’re playing at a total return of over 100%. The casino has no edge versus perfect strategy. Zero. Zippo. Zilch.

So if it’s $1,239, play it! Heck, if it’s at $1,218, play it too! Close enough for me!

Now, understand that’s a theoretical number. It doesn’t mean you won’t lose. It certainly doesn’t mean you’ll hit the jackpot. It just means that in the long run, if you play video poker only when you have the advantage, you’ll come out ahead. That’s what it takes to be a professional gambler. In our case, that’s what it takes to be an overall winner, rather than a loser.

In many cases, when combining players club points earned on your play and/or taking advantage of special promotional periods with point multipliers (which we’ll get to shortly), you’ll have an even bigger edge. Your FVPSG makes it super easy to find the best games on the Strip or anywhere.

Let’s say you find a game where the base return listed in your FVPSG is 97%, the progressive BE is $2,000,it resets at $1,200 and the meter is at $1,600. That means the game is currently halfway between 97% and 100% or about 98.5%. I wouldn’t play this game. Go and find some 9/6 JoB at 99.54% or even 8/5 Bonus Poker at 99.17%. Now you’re thinking and playing like a pro.

One time, I discovered a machine with a game called White Hot Aces up to $1/$5. This game is currently very hard to find. I was doing my scouting, checking not only many different machines in this casino, but also the different games, denominations, and pay schedules on the machine. Lo and behold, I saw that the $1 White Hot Aces royal flush progressive was a very juicy $6,584.

Holy breakeven, Batman!

Checking my handy dandy FVPSG, I saw that the breakeven on this game is $6,696, so I was within $112 of a positive play for a $6,700 payday! Better yet, it was a points-multiplier period, so I knew I’d be playing at well over a 100% return — 101.2%, to be exact.

I pulled out the Benjamins and went to work. Long story short, I didn’t hit the royal, but I did leave $1,500 ahead with more than $100 in comps. All thanks to diligent machine checking and my Frugal Video Poker Scouting Guide. Thank you, Jean Scott!

Sign-Up (and Other) Bonuses

Bobby Vegas Rule #1: Always always ALWAYS sign up to join the players club in every casino you go to! This is especially lucrative when you’re a new player at a casino you’ve never been to.

When you first get your players club card, depending on the Casino, you’ll be entitled to new-member offers for free food, free play, free wheel spins, and on and on. At Rainbow/Emerald Island it’s hard to use them all.  A nice problem to have.

Check out what happened to me when the Cosmopolitan opened on the Las Vegas Strip in 2010. I went in and signed up for the new-player bonus of $10 in free play. There was also a spin-the-wheel free-play promotion going on. It turned out I had my choice: the $10 or a spin of the wheel. I took a look and the lowest amount on the wheel was … $10. Well, that was a no-brainer, so I spun — and hit the one slot good for $500! I played it through in the same high-roller room I am sending you to, (with free play, you have to run it through at least once to cash out; more on this in a bit). After running my $500 free play through once, I walked away with $488. And that’s why you sign up for everything and pay close attention to choices you might have in the casino.

OYO across from MGM on Tropicana currently has a play-$10-get-$10 sign-up bonus. The way it works is you put $10 through the machine and you get another $10 in free play. Dozens of local bars around Las Vegas have similar promotions, some as high as $500. They’re covered month in and month out in the Las Vegas Advisor.

lasvegasadvisor.com/shop/products/lva-membership-platinum/?ref=BobbyVegas

Ellis Island gives you $10-$20 in free play at sign-up. And a $10 match play coupon (more on that below) and maybe more. Beyond the sign-up bonuses, Ellis Island has birthday free play, senior specials, vet specials, great LVA coupons; all you have to do is ask. This is old-school Vegas done right.

There’s nothing fancy about Casino Royale, the low-rise motel-casino tucked between Harrah’s and the Venetian, but it has a great sign-up offer: Play $20 get $20. That’s like giving you a 20%+ edge and on video poker or any game. Also, they rebate you $20 for your first $100 loss every day.  Very good! The video poker is just so-so, but the bonuses make it a winning proposition.

The Wynn has a good birthday bonus. If it’s your birthday or two days before or after, go to the players club and pick up $10 in free play. Always ask for birthday specials everywhere.

Sahara has both a sign-up bonus that ranges between $5 and $500 and a birthday free-play offer. Maybe you’ll hit the $500 like I did at the Cosmopolitan.

These are just the tip of the bonus iceberg. What’s more, they’re all just for signing up. All you have to do is walk in, fill out the brief application, and get your players card. Now the real fun starts.

Players Club Points and Benefits

You’ve signed up, received your new-player perks, and have the players card in your hot little hand. Here’s Bobby Vegas Rule #2: Never ever EVER put any money, not even $1, into a video poker machine without having your players card inserted into the proper slot on the machine.

The whole idea here is to be rewarded for gambling in the casino. And the way you do that is to accrue points as you risk your hard-earned cash. It’s easy. With your card in the machine, the software calculates and records your players club points. Depending on the casino, you get X number of points for X number of dollars that you run through the machine. Earn a certain number of points and you’re entitled to free stuff, also known as “comps.”

The universal comp — and you don’t even need to be using your players card — is free booze. Everyone knows that when you’re gambling, casinos will ply you with complimentary alcohol. Is that because they’re so hospitable and generous? Hardly. After even two or three drinks, your ability to make good decisions evaporates. That’s why they’re free. Want to double the house edge against you? Keep taking the free doubles.

Beer, wine, cocktails, are just the beginning of the comps.

Depending on your level of play free meals, free rooms,  tickets to shows , free limo rides to and from the airport, shopping sprees, invitations to exclusive parties, seats on the 50-yard line of the Super Bowl, fishing trips to Alaska, yacht excursions in the Greek isles — the sky’s the limit. The higher you bet, the better the comps, but to get any at all, you must have your card in the machine when you’re playing. If you don’t, you’re throwing money out the window and I won’t respect you in the morning.

Now, some casinos not only award comps and cash, but also have great video poker. The Four Queens is an example. There, points are restricted to under 100% return; in other words, you won’t earn players club benefits when you play positive video poker. But it’s still very good to play there.

It gets even better. Because if you time it right, you can earn multiple points for every dollar you risk. Those are called, appropriately enough, “point multipliers.”

Point Multipliers

Each casino’s point multipliers are available on specific days or at specific times, plenty of which are convenient, like in the afternoons and evenings. And if you don’t mind playing at odd hours, for example between two and four a.m. — most casinos are open 24/7 and are looking for customers to keep the graveyard shift busy — the multipliers can go as high as an incredible 100X points.

Remember the little Rainbow and Emerald Island way out in downtown Henderson? These two casinos are the best example of point multipliers I know of. At various times of the day and night, your play is good for 25X, 50X, and 100X points. They add, respectively +1%, +2%, 4+%, and for a special 30 minutes in the wee hours +8% in points to your total return.

At certain times, you can play for an hour at one casino, then walk next door to the other, and play for 50X or 75X points. I have earned up $50 -$100 in comps in an hour or 2. This is unheard of anywhere else unless you are a high roller..

Not only that, but Rainbow and Emerald Island award you points even for their best video poker payback machines. Many Strip, off-Strip, and even downtown casinos won’t give you any points when you play 100% machines. But at Rainbow and Emerald Island, you can play any single-line video poker game during any point-multiplier periods . Check times for 50x, 75x, and 100x on the floor; for example, 9/6 JoB is 25x at the bar during bar point-multiplier periods. This is solid gold. In both casinos, points can be used in the diners immediately (Emerald Island’s is open 24/7) and in a host of restaurants, breweries, etc. nearby on Water Street.

When you’re a member of players clubs all around Las Vegas, you’ll receive mailers and emailers with all the current and upcoming promotions. Pay close attention to the point-multiplier days and times and watch how fast your comps add up.

Also, vpFREE2 has the points-to-comp multiplier formulas for most casinos under “Info” in the upper right. The Las Vegas Advisor also has a comprehensive points-multiplier list.

Matchplay Coupons

Match plays are coupons that, when you make any even-money bet at a table game, if you win, you get your bet back and they pay you double. The coupon is like putting out another bet.

For example, you make a $10 bet at blackjack with a match play coupon. You hit 20. The dealers makes 18. You’re paid $20, rather than even money. If you lose, the dealer takes your $10 and the Matchplay coupon, so it’s just like any bet in which you lose the money you put on the line.

Yes, you have to risk your bet, but you’re playing anyway, right? So the match play is free money when you win and no harm no foul when you lose. And you’ll win on average close to half the time, doubling your money.

Most Matchplay are $10, $25, sometimes even up to $50. You need to play the table minimum, so if you have a $10 Matchplay, it’s good only at a $10 table. But you should always play the maximum amount allowed. A match play coupon in the Las Vegas Advisor’s Member Rewards Book (MRB) is good for up to $50 at the Downtown Grand.  lasvegasadvisor.com/shop/products/lva-membership-platinum/?ref=BobbyVegas

Where do you get Matchplay coupons? Well, speaking of the MRB, the LVA coupon book has several match plays, including $25 at the D and Golden Gate. The rest are for $10. Match plays are often among the players club sign-up bonuses and monthly mailers, on the coupon sheets given out to guests of hotel-casinos, sometimes even in the freebies magazines you’ll find in racks around town. If you look, you’ll be surprised where they turn up.

Some people make a match play bet and whether they win or lose, they walk away. Casinos don’t like this, but there’s really nothing they can do about it.

Other people use the match play coupon as their opening bet at blackjack. Win or lose, they stay and play, so it’s just a little bonus when they win and the same as losing any bet.

The easiest way to use a match play is to put your chip and coupon down on any even-money bet at roulette: red or black, odd or even, high or low. Feel free to tell the dealer, “I’ve never used a match play coupon before. What do I do?” The dealer will be happy to instruct you.

Perhaps the smartest bet for a match play coupon is on the pass line at craps. This takes a little more learning, but it’s worth it; the pass line bet is (next to good video poker, of course) considered one of the best bets you can make in a casino. The house has almost no edge and you’re actually favored to win on the first roll, what’s called the “come-out.”

Be sure not to interrupt a shooter or a point in play. A big white disc on a number that says “ON” indicates the point in play. Feel free to say, “I never did this before. How do I use this match play on the pass line?”

Once there’s a new come-out roll after the last one has won (point made) or lost (7 out), you place your cash, coupon, and players card on the felt. The dealer inspects them to make sure they’re real, then gives you chips. With your chips and coupon on the pass line, you’re playing to win on a 7 on the first roll or to establish your point —  any 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 — that rolls before the 7. If the roll is 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, that’s your point. If the 7 rolls before your point rolls again, you lose. If your point rolls before the 7, you win.

Overall, this is a very good bet. You’ll win with a 7 on the come out a lot and often on the point.

So? Roulette or craps? Easy or smart? It’s your choice.

That’s All, Folks! Or Is It?

So there you have it. With your Frugal Video Poker Scouting Guide, you can get more out of Las Vegas than Las Vegas gets out of you. You can find and play the best video poker and take advantage of everything that comes along with it: progressive jackpots, sign-up bonuses, comps for your play, point multipliers, and valuable coupons.

But it doesn’t stop there! That’s all just the beginning of your casino adventures as a knowledgeable player. And as Jean Scott always says, the more you know, the luckier you’ll be.

She should know! She spent decades in casinos making millions and earning more comps than she and her husband Brad could use in two lifetimes. And lucky for us, she wrote a number of books on how to do what she did.

The Frugal Gambler and More Frugal Gambling were the first two, but I also recommend The Frugal Gambler Casino Guide lasvegasadvisor.com/shop/products/frugal-gambler-casino-guide.  That’s the most recent book and it’s Jean’s ultimate statement (350 pages!) on how to lose less, play longer, and put yourself in the best position possible to win win WIN. Also, I can’t recommend Frugal Video Poker lasvegasadvisor.com/shop/products/frugal-video-poker highly enough; since you’re now in the video poker business, this is perhaps the most important book that you can read about it.

Happy hunting from Bobby Vegas!

© 2025 Bobby Vegas