Actually, it IS possible to make a living playing video poker, though not easy. There are machines that return over 100% with perfect play, though not usually in the higher denominations. But even if you play a 99.5% machine, you can overcome that in various ways, including comps and point multipliers. There is a large community of “advantage” vp players. See the website vpfree2.com. I know it’s counterintuitive that casinos offer games that can be beaten, but blackjack and video poker are two such games. Both require a great deal of skill.
P.S. I am a mathematician living in Las Vegas and know several winning vp players. Personally, I prefer to spend my time in other ways.
Never lose at VP when in Vegas, but I only play at the bars, for drinks.
Never lose at Black Jack either, but I only play me against the dealer one on one (start time 4:00 AM, quit 5:30), Fremont casinos are best (not sure why).