Class II Games, Three Card Poker, 3-5-7 Poker by John Grochowski
 
Q. I was playing the bingo slots at an Indian casino, that have both the reels on the video screen and the bingo logo on the box, drawing bingo numbers. I asked two attendants how they worked. Neither could tell me. Can you explain?

A. In Indian gaming, those are called Class II games. Most Native American casinos have games with their own random number generators just like those you see in commercial casinos, and those are designated Class III. Some Indian casinos have all Class III games, some have only Class II, and some have a mix.

The games can look almost identical. There are both Class II and Class III versions of Mr. Cashman, with the same graphics and what seems to be the same game play. You can tell the difference by a bingo logo, smaller than the main display, with numbers being drawn, on the screen or in the top box.

When you play a Class II machine, the game you’re really playing is electronic bingo. You might have spinning reels, pick’em bonus events, free spins or even progressive jackpots, but that’s all just making the game attractive, a user-friendly interface for the bingo game you’re playing.

You can watch the numbers being drawn on the bingo display, building a bingo pattern. That pattern is then translated into the image you see on the reels. The first time I played a Class II game, I found I could recognize the bingo patterns and tell how big a pay I was going to see on the reels.

Class II games do not have their own random number generators. They use a central determination system, so the numbers being drawn on my machine, your machine, and the one the guy down at the end of the row is playing are all relayed by the same central server. It is fixed pool wagering, meaning all players on Class II games in the casino are competing for shares of the same prize pool, and the prize pool is built by player wagers.

Player choices do not make a difference in payouts on Class II games. On a Class II video poker game, if the bingo pattern says you’re to receive a full house payout, then that’s what you’ll get. If you’re dealt a full house and throw all the cards away, either you’ll draw another full house, or a genie or some other magical symbol will appear and turn your cards into a full house, or you’ll be awarded bonus credits to get you to the payoff you’re supposed to have.

Payoffs aren’t necessarily worse, or better, than on a random number generator game. Class II games can be programmed to yield returns just as high as Class IIIs. The method of getting there is just different. And in skill-based games such as video poker, well, you can toss that skill factor out the window.

Q. I was surprised to find a Three Card Poker game that was hand-dealt, going around the table in order just like regular poker. At most other casinos, it is machine-dealt in groups of three cards going around the table with the dealer last. Is there any difference in the odds based on these two different manners of dealing? Maybe the casino just does not want to pay for an automatic shuffler.
Also, at another place, the cards were machine-shuffled, but all three-card hands were given to the players, viewed by them, bets made or not, BEFORE the dealer took his three-card hand from the machine. I asked, “why” and got the “casino policy” answer. Your thoughts?

A. Hand shuffled vs. machine shuffled makes no difference in the odds of the game, nor does dealing one card at a time vs. three cards at a time. Your guess is correct. Casinos that deal Three Card Poker by hand have just decided it’s not worth the investment to pay for a shuffling machine. There’s a tradeoff. Hand-shuffled games are slower, with fewer hands per hour. It’s up to the casino to decide if the extra wagers per hour are worth the cost of the machine.

As for the method of the dealer waiting for the players to look at their cards and bet before taking his or her cards, that again makes no difference in the odds of the game. Typically, a casino must submit a set of internal controls to the gaming board. Every detail, including the method of dealing the cards, must be submitted to the board, and then the casino must stick to them unless they notify the gaming board that they’re changing. My best guess is that in the early days of Three Card Poker, table games execs at the casino you described decided this was how they were going to deal the game. That’s what’s in their internal controls, and they’ve never felt a need to fall in step with the more common method of dealing the game.

Q. What can you tell me about the card game 3-5-7 Poker?

A. Available both on tables and as a video poker game, 3-5-7 Poker involves a three-card poker hand, then two more cards to make a five-card hand, then two more for a seven-card stud hand. Payoffs on all hands are according to a paytable. You must bet the three- and five-card hands, while an additional bet on the seven-card hand is optional. House edges are 3.5 percent on the three-card portion, 4.1 percent on five cards and 3.3 on the seven-card hand. Those are a little bit on the high side for poker-based games.

After you’ve seen the three-card hand, you have the option of surrendering half your seven-card bet instead of playing out that portion. Since the house edge is lowest on the seven-card portion, strategy for this game is to always play it out and never surrender.

 — John Grochowski is the author of The Casino Answer Book, The Slot Machine Answer Book, The Video Poker Answer Book and the Craps Answer Book, available online at: www.casinoanswerman.com.