Video Poker 101

By Law Gardner
8-9-06

Back in the good old days (i.e. when you got caught cheating at cards in Vegas, you’d wake up in small pit in the desert, dead), slot machines were pretty easy to understand. Put a quarter in the coin slot, pull the arm, and then watch the 3 mechanical reels spin. If 3 matching symbols appeared on the center pay line (the only pay line), you won, if not, then you try again.

Pay Lines

Nowadays, that single center pay line has expanded to 25 lines or more, and those 3 mechanical reels have evolved into a video screen containing, in most cases, a 5 by 3 matrix (5 reels from left to right, and 3 rows from top to bottom). The 25+ lines live within the matrix in the form of either horizontal lines, or line shapes such as a “V” pattern. “V” you ask? Simply put, the more pay lines the gaming company can cram into its machines, the more money it makes. As a result, you get some pretty odd line shapes.

Symbols

There are generally approximately 12 symbols that match the theme of the video slot (i.e. an Egyptian themed slot would contain symbols such as a pharaoh, pyramid, sphinx, onyx, etc.). Throw in a couple of special symbols, such as a bonus feature trigger, or “Wild” symbol, and you’ve got yourself a video slot.

The 12 themed symbols are ranked from 1 to 12 in credit value, with #1 usually being the highest value. If 2 or more symbols land adjacent on an active pay line, you win the amount listed within the machine’s pay table. All line wins are paid from left to right, with the rule being – if you do have 3 matching symbols on adjacent reels, the 1st symbol MUST be located on the left-most reel.

Buttons & Bet Per Line

Speaking of pay lines, it’s probably an appropriate time to discuss the video slot machine’s player interface. If you’ve ever wondered what all those buttons do, today’s your lucky day!

If a video slot has a maximum of 25 lines, you are still given the option to play only 1 pay line. But, how many credits can or should you play for that 1 line? Most video slots give the player the option to bet either 1, 2, 5, 10 or 20 credits per line. This means, on a 25 line “penny” machine, you can bet up to $5 bucks per spin – you’re undoubtedly beginning to realize “penny” machines aren’t as SAFE to play as previously thought. You can blow just as much money on a penny slot as you can on a $5 slot (gaming companies are just hoping you’re too stupid or drunk to realize that you’re spending $5 bucks a spin on a measly little penny machine).

Back to the player interface: in addition to the buttons that allow you to bet from 1 to 20 credits per line, the other buttons on the player interface allow you to decide how many lines you’d like to play. The norm (again, generally speaking) is 1, 5, 9, 15, 20 or 25 lines for any given spin. Obviously, the more lines you activate, the greater the probability that you’ll have a winning combo on one of those lines. All line wins are multiplied by the bet per line (i.e. a 3 symbol line win worth 100 credits with a 1 credit line bet, is 100 credits. That 100 credits turns into 1000 credits with a line bet of 10). It is not uncommon to have multiple line wins on any given spin.

Bonus Features

In addition to the standard line wins paid to the player on a video slot, there are also other ways to win – Bonus Features! All gaming manufacturers insert bonus features into video slots to enhance the overall gaming experience. A bonus feature is often triggered by 3 or more special symbols appearing either “scattered” on the reels (i.e. they do not have to be on a specific pay line - just anywhere on the screen), or on a specific pay line. Once triggered, the bonus feature can be as simple as selecting “mystery gift boxes” which reveal credit wins, or, as elaborate as a multiple level bonus which requires more in-depth player interaction and decision-making.

Bonus features are designed to be triggered within a certain hit frequency. This hit frequency is usually between 80 and 150 spins (i.e. on your 80th spin, the bonus feature trigger symbols appear on the reels, launching the bonus feature). It is at this point where the “bet per line” becomes important. Bonus features are usually designed to pay the player a bonus credit value MULTIPLIED by the initiating bet per line – obviously an advantage to players who routinely bet multiple credits per line.

Recap

Let’s recap what we have learned up to this point:

1. The player can select from 1 to 25 pay lines.
2. The player has the option to bet from 1 to 20 credits per pay line.
3. Line wins are multiplied by the initiating bet per line.
4. In addition to standard line wins, bonus features are a secondary way to win credits.
5. The initiating line bet determines the credit values awarded in a bonus feature.

For all of you unfamiliar with video slot machines, I hope I’ve “de-mystified” them a bit for you. Betting strategies, “return to player” percentages & more in-depth video slot information will follow in future articles.