As Far As I'm Concerned By Anthony Curtis

Dirty Dealing?

So, big-time, all-out wide-open casino gambling is coming to California. Great! More competition can only mean more opportunities for players. Right? So it would seem, but not everyone is convinced. Take this letter, for example:

"In California Indian casinos, the video poker machines do not deal cards randomly. A public relations lawyer for the Indians admitted it when interviewed by the Wall Street Journal. I'm convinced that most video poker players in California don't know about this rip-off."

Indeed, the Journal reported in March that in response to such an accusation, Michael Lombardi, a consultant to the Sacramento-based California Nations Indian Gaming Association, answered, "I'll be brutally honest: Today in California...there are machines [such as these]."

What this means is that in California, as well as in other places where regulations don't prohibit it, video poker machines can be programmed to pay in a manner that's similar to the way slot machines pay. That is, they can be set to return a fixed percentage-98%, 92%, 84%, or whatever a casino desires-regardless of what the pay table represents.

While slot players don't seem to mind that slot machines can be set to pay at rates that can't be determined, video poker is different. Players have come to equate the pay schedule printed across the face of a video poker machine with a reliable and conclusive return percentage. When you see a 9/6 schedule, you assume that machine can be played at a return rate of 99.5%. So, if a machine that reads "9/6" has been programmed to return less, it's a serious misrepresentation.

How can a machine be programmed to do this? In lots of ways.

In one case that I know of, a machine selected cards randomly, but analyzed how the

impending result would affect the hold percentage before displaying them. If a winning hand put the return percentage over the threshold, the machine would instantaneously select new cards. That'll get the money!

Is this really what's going on in jurisdictions outside of Nevada? Well,

the important point is that in some places, it could be. I've been in situations where I've suspected it, though never in bona fide casinos in the big jurisdictions, such as Atlantic City, Mississippi, or the riverboat states. Most of the states with the biggest gambling industries have

regulations that are based on Nevada's, so you have some degree of protection in the statutes. However, you have to be careful as you get off the beaten track.

I asked Chicago Sun-Times gambling columnist John Grochowski about riverboats in Illinois, and he reinforced this point: "The regs aren't exactly the same as Nevada's, but there's ample protection for the player. Be careful, though, when you get away from the casinos. There are machines in the little bars that aren't even supposed to be operating. So why should they

worry about adhering to a few randomness rules?"

Common sense, essentially, will protect you. But wouldn't it be better to

have a more reliable indicator? Grochowski, along with slot expert John Robison and others that I talked to, favor this one: Be choosy about whose (meaning manufacturers) machines you play. While I was unable to pin down the exact statute, it seems that Nevada law prohibits manufacturers that sell video poker machines in Nevada from making machines that don't conform to Nevada's rigid requirements. It seems a strange rule, but a fortunate one given these concerns. Hence, you can play with a fairly high degree of confidence by sticking with machines made by IGT, Williams, Aristocrat, and other Nevada-approved gamemakers.

What about buying the machines "fair," then altering them? According to a source who knows how to do it, "It's real tough; not something you're likely to run into."

Getting back to California, where can you find the good Nevada machines? It's been a while since I've toured the casinos in the Golden State, but since the passing of Proposition 1A, there's been a flurry of action in California, and it looks like the bigger gambling halls are heading full-speed toward aligning with reputable manufacturers. The Barona casino, located in the San Diego area, contacted me recently to brag about its brand new inventory of "Las Vegas-style" brand-name slot and video poker machines. I expect that the other big operations will be doing the same.

As a player, you need to check the machine logos before sitting down. But remember, an IGT machine that reflects a 92% return (which you might find in Oregon) is nothing to celebrate-you need a good schedule to go with the good name.

New Book of John

I called John Grochowski about this article because his new video poker book had just come across my desk. The Video Poker Answer Book (Bonus Books, $13.95) is the third in John's Answer-Book series. Like those before it, it provides an excellent treatment of the title subject, presented in the reader-friendly question-and-answer format. The Video Poker Answer Book is available at bookstores everywhere, or from the 800 number listed below.

Anthony Curtis is the publisher of the Las Vegas Advisor. For ordering
information call 800/244-2224 or log onto www.lasvegasadvisor.com.