Ask The Slot Expert

Do you have some type of summary which explains the different kinds of video poker machines and which ones have the better odds?

Knowing which video poker paytables pay better than others is only half the battle. You also have to know the proper strategies to use while playing them in order to squeeze as much long-term payback as you can from the machines. Still, you will tend to win more money from a better-paying paytable even if you don't learn the proper strategy. My book The Slot Expert's Guide to Playing Slots has a number of charts that show different paytables and what their long-term paybacks are with perfect play, but it does not have any strategies in it.

To learn strategies, I recommend Frank Scoblete's Victory at Video Poker. I also recommend Bob Dancer's strategy cards and, if you have a PC, Bob Dancer Presents WinPoker is the best program to use to practice at home. Both are available from Huntington Press (www.greatstuff4gamblers.com). I also like Dan Paymar's strategy cards.

Best of luck in and out of the casinos,
John

On a 3 reel slot machine that only pays on the center line, are the odds of receiving a winning combination the same as seeing what would be a winning combination on the reels visible above/below the center line?

For example, during a recent session, three 7s lined up both above and below the center line but never on it.

Robert

Dear Robert,

No, the odds of hitting a winning combination on the payline is not the same as the odds of hitting it above or below the payline.

The symbols above and below the jackpot symbol are usually much more likely to land on the payline than the jackpot symbol itself. Therefore you're more likely to see the jackpot symbol land above or below the payline than on it.

This is the source of what I call a "near-the-payline near miss". Some jurisdictions consider this type of near miss to be misleading if it occurs too frequently and are looking into controlling how much more likely they will allow it to be for the jackpot to land above or below the payline than on it.

Best of luck in and out of the casinos,
John

Send your slot and video poker questions to John Robison, Slot Expert, at slotexpert@home.com.

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