Video Poker machines are much more liberal than slots, with paybacks ranging from 96% to over 100%, while slots range from 85% to 97% in comparable coin denominations.

With Video Poker, when you add comps and other slot club benefits, it’s not hard to break even or better, thus, your chances of winning at video poker are far greater. Best of all, Janice, you can easily determine the most liberal video poker machines just by eyeballing their paytables.

With slots, the paybacks are based on the generosity of the casino; and, as a breed, they are not necessarily known for their philanthropy.

-By Mark Pilarski 

Dear Mark: I recently saw an advertisement from a casino that said their slot and video poker machines are the loosest. How do they determine what loose is? Stan F.

What you saw, Stan is advertising gobbledygook; moreover, no one can truly give you a quantitative answer as to what "loose" really means, especially when it comes to video poker machines.

For slots, "loose" can mean one of two things, "more payouts" or “higher paybacks.” Now add this kicker, Stan: a slot machine’s payback is not necessarily related to the number of payouts.

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The Questions: Aren't slot machines programmed to pay off a particular percentage of money bet?do the casinos program a video poker machine in a way that limits good hands? If as you claim the Don’t Pass is a slightly better bet than the Pass line, how come so few people bet on it? After the point was established, I made (by mistake) a second Pass line bet. The seven rolled before the point and I lost both wagers. Is this fair, even if the dealer realized what I was doing?

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Dear Mark,
I'm about to make my first trip to Las Vegas. Can you give me your favorite King Midas tip that will turn my trip into gold? Jerome S.

Why King Midas, Jerome? When I think of King Midas my thoughts turn toward greed. In Ovid's Greek tale, Midas was so greedy he wanted everything he touched to turn to gold. To his delight, his wish came true, and he proceeded to gild everything in sight. But like a rapacious player who wants to win every hand, his fate was tragic in the end. He killed his own beloved daughter with his magical touch.

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I have never been a slots person. It bores me to sit there and press a button continuously... or so I thought. On a recent visit to Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut I sat at a slot machine and understood two things. Slot machines can be addictive given the constant small wins and they can suck money like a vaccuum cleaner. For those of you that love slots there are a couple of progressives out there that have accumulated quite a bit of cash.

Two of Royal Vegas' progressive slots are each over the 1 Million dollar mark. Royal Vegas is an excellent casino and part of the respected Fortune Lounge group. After you download their software look for the Megah Moolah Jackpot and the King Cashalot Jackpot.

King Cashalot, one of Belle Rock Entertainment's most popular progressive has accumulated a jackpot of more than $1.2 Million. King Cashalot is available at the following reputable casinos.

Jackpot City Online Casino: Also has a Buy $50 get $100 offer.

 Lucky Nugget Online Casino: Buy $50 get $200 offer.

Riverbelle Online Casino: Buy $55 get $110

The Gaming Club Online Casino: 100% Bonus up to $150.