Strictly Slots November 2022

question we’ve received for the entire 34 years this magazine has been published.The answer is that different programmers set up the deal/drawmethod in different ways.Some deal 10 cards in a sequential fashion, placing the draw cards behind the deal cards. Others use the random number generator twice, once for the deal and once for the draw. The main takeaway? The method doesn’t matter. Regardless of which method is em ployed, your odds and the payback percentage are exactly the same. So don’t worry about it; just play. Bonuses and Possibilities Is it possible to help the bonus money fall into squares in a slot bonus sequence by touching the empty squares as the money falls? It seems that sometimes it works. —Clark New Jersey It doesn’t work. Touching the screen does not affect the result at all; the result is predeter mined at the start of the bonus.But if it makes playing the game more fun, have at it! It certainly can’t hurt. Tribal Slots I have two questions: 1. While in New Mexico recently, driving along the highways were several smaller Indian reservation casinos I passed.I stopped into three. On many slot machines, there was a little sticker that stated.“This machine pays out 80 percent or more,” Isn’t there a certain percentage that even Indian reservation casinos have to pay out, which I thought is higher than 80 percent? 2.Another big Indian-owned casino, having been advertised in your magazine, is Isleta Casino. So my question is:Are all these Indian casinos, the little ones like I mentioned above, along with the very big ones like Isleta, Class III casinos or the “bingo type,” or video lottery machines? Isleta Casino seemed like regular Class III machines while the three smaller ones seemed to play differently yet still had the same look.The payout amounts, except for any actual progressive amounts,were also much smaller at the smaller Indian reservation casinos.Thanks for a great magazine. —RS Via the Internet

accompanied with a 2, 3 or 4 kicker (with max coins wagered).The ExpectedValue for holding only the three aces is greater than holding the three aces with a kicker; therefore, you should discard the kicker and only hold the three aces. Video Poker or Slot? Could you please settle a question my friends and I have: Is Spin Poker a true video poker machine or is it a slot machine? Some of us believe that since it has a pay table, it follows the rules of video poker that the cards are“dealt”from a 52-card deck,even on the re-deal. Others believe that since the cards are spinning, it’s just a random slot that doesn’t follow the rules of the pay table.Who is right? Thank you! —Michael D. Chicago, IL Spin Poker is a video poker game.The cards are randomly dealt from an initial, virtual 52-card deck.The“spinning”cards are just for show.You should use the same playing strategy for Spin Poker as you would for a traditional video poker game. The Win-Loss How can I get my win/loss statement for 2022? —John G. Via the Internet It is very easy to obtain a win/loss statement for tax purposes from any casino player’s club. You can find them online at a casinos website, by signing into your players club account and navigate to“win/loss (tax) info.Remember not only does the casino issue you aW-2G, they also send a copy to the IRS so it’s important to keep a log of your play.

minimum payback percentages.We’re not sure why they would designate 80 percent, since casinos in New Mexico have to compete with nearby jurisdictions where the payout is typically much higher than 80 percent.Perhaps it is because the nearest huge commercial jurisdiction, Nevada, has a minimum payback requirement of just 75 percent. Second question: The machine classifica tion depends upon the state in which you play. Indian casinos in New Mexico are all Class III games, just as in Nevada.To offer these games, tribes are required to sign an agreement, called a compact, with the state that gives the state a portion of revenues in exchange for the privi lege. In states like Alabama, Nebraska and Texas, only Class II electronic-bingo slots are permitted.Many states, such as California and Oklahoma, offer both types of games, simply because tribes keep all revenue from Class II games. Stopping Play When someone stops the play on a machine time after time,does that change when the RNG will let someone hit a jackpot? I sat next to a woman who never let the machine stop on its own. She seems to be doing alright as far as wins go. Stopping between spins or going constantly does not change anything.The initiation of the spin will freeze the numbers generated by the random number generator at that instant, and that will translate into the reel result. Playing faster or slower, or spinning constantly or stop ping between spins—none of that affects the likelihood of wins or losses at all.The wins will come when the right numbers line up, and that’s it. Hold The Aces When playing video poker where fourAces and a 2, 3 or 4 pays 2,000 credits and you are dealt threeAces and the kicker, are the odds better to hold three Aces and the kicker or draw to the threeAces,since fourAces without a kicker pays 800 credits? —Jim R. Midwest City,OK —MaureenW. Woodgate,NY

GOT A QUESTION? e-mail to letters@strictlyslots.com PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR CITY & STATE Or mail your inquiries to: Strictly Slots, Readers Talk Back 333 E. Jimmie Leeds Rd., Suite 7 Galloway, New Jersey 08205

We assume the video poker game is Double Double Bonus, which pays $2,000 for four aces

First question: Indian casinos are not bound by state-imposed regulations, and that includes

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