Video poker, bingo and blackjack tips
A shuffle through the Gaming mailbag:
Q. I just read an answer you gave a while back to a question about video poker and Class II gaming. I just came home from a Native American casino with Class II games and was playing Deuces Wild. There was a woman next to me who was winning left and right. The best I can tell, her play was illogical as she seemed to be playing for straights and flushes. However the “genie” appeared frequently and fixed her hand. She won $600 in no time and seemed to be unaffected by it.
I don’t think it was beginners luck - I think she was playing a strategy. I don’t quite understand the video poker Class II bingo machines and the role of the genie. Can you help me understand this and develop a playing strategy - or doesn’t it matter?
A. On Class II machines, identifiable by the bingo logo on the glass or screen, strategy does not matter. The machine has to pay you the amount determined by the bingo pattern drawn. If you make what would be a costly mistake on a regular Class III video poker machine, the Class II machine has to pay you anyway. That’s the reason for the genie.
