Class II and Class III video poker games

26 September 2015

By Jerry Stickman

Norman writes:

Hi Stickman,

Hope all is well. I have two daughters that live in Mobile, Alabama with their families and when I visit I usually stay in Biloxi at the Grand Biloxi or the IP. It's only about a 45-minute drive for them, and when they go home at the end of the day I get to relax and spend time in the casino alone. lol.

I'm headed down that way for a week but I'll be staying in Mobile this time and taking day trips with the family. One day trip will definitely be to Biloxi, but my daughter wants to take me to a new casino on an Indian reservation in Mississippi.

Over the years I think I've been in two Indian reservation casinos and that was well before I took a more serious look at video poker in terms of pay schedules, strategy, etc. From time to time I've seen articles and write-in questions in the magazines you write for and other sources but I honestly have just skimmed over them.

What I do remember is that the VP machines on these reservations are termed class "B" machines as opposed to the VP machines you would find in Vegas or Atlantic City. My understanding was that there is little to no strategy required since the card or cards you receive on the draw are already preselected.

My question is this: If I receive four parts to a royal on the class "B" machine, the card I draw has already been selected. What are the odds that it's the card needed to complete the royal? If I get four parts to a royal on a vp machine at Sam's Town, I'm assuming I have to hit the draw button at that precise moment to bring up the card for the royal. What are the odds of that happening?

Unless I'm really off base with this, it seems like whether the cards are preselected or you have to hit the draw button at that precise moment to get the card or cards you need to make a hand, the odds should be relatively the same. If you get a chance I would like to hear from you on this.

Norman

Hi Norman.

I hope you enjoy your visit to Mobile and the Indian casino.

Things are a-changin’ in the Indian casino arena. It used to be illegal for Indian casinos to offer Class III (Vegas-style) games, instead being relegated to “bingo-style” games, or Class II, as they are termed.

In the last few years, more and more Indian casinos have been authorized by the states they are in to offer Class III (Vegas-style) games. Depending on which casino you visit in Mississippi, there is a decent chance it will be Class III. If so, you will have the same odds of getting a royal flush (or any other hand for that matter) as you do in Las Vegas or Atlantic City or Tunica.

To answer your question concerning odds of completing a royal in a Class II game, there is no correlation between the odds of completing a royal flush in a Class III game. It is just like playing bingo, because that is what Class II games really are – bingo games. I cannot give you the odds because I don’t know how the bingo game is set up. It almost certainly isn’t the same as it would be on a Class III game.

Sorry I could not help more, and hopefully the casino you visit will have Class III games.
To help you determine whether a game is Class II, look for a little bingo card somewhere on the front glass. It will show a different configuration for each hand you play. Also, since the results for a Class II game are predetermined, sometimes you will see an “angel feature” change your cards to a winning hand from a losing hand if you improperly hold a winning possibility hand. If you don’t see the bingo card, it just might be Class III. It wouldn’t hurt to just ask someone in authority in the casino if their video poker is Class III or Class II.

All the best in your casino and life endeavors,

Stickman

Gaming expert Jerry "Stickman" authored the video poker section of "Everything Casino Poker."