Deal Me In: A gaming column for those who feel lucky

Mark Pilarski, special to reno.com, tahoe.com
February 15, 2008

Dear Mark: What happens if a person dies before receiving all of the annual annuity payments paid out for some of the mega-jackpots? Jimbo L.

Most mega-jackpots’ top awards are paid in 25 annual installments, unless it’s an Instant winner’s jackpot like Rapid Riches MegaJackpots and MegaJackpots. These two machines pay the entire jackpot immediately upon verification of your win.

If a prizewinner dies before receiving all of the annual annuity payments (as the nun said,” Winning can be dangerous.”), the remaining prize payments go to the prize winner's surviving spouse and living children, unless otherwise directed by the prize winner. If no spouse, children, or other beneficiaries exist, the remaining prize payments are made to the prize winner's estate.

Personally, I wish that casinos would give winners the option of taking the money in a lump sum or in annual payments. Getting it in one lump sum gives you total control of your money, and, hopefully, Jimbo, you’ll live long enough to spend a decent chunk of it before one of your heirs pick out your nursing home.

The problem with annual disbursements is that it doesn’t necessarily help you save money for your heirs. Depending on the size of your mega-jackpot, and some of them are real whoppers, once you add estate taxes onto federal and state income taxes, you’re heirs might only pocket about 30 cents on every dollar.

Dear Mark: Last week you wrote about my favorite video machine, Table Master’s Three Card Poker. Normally, I play the game on a table with a live dealer, but like you said, Table Master’s Three Card Poker can be had for a buck a hand, plus, I don’t have to feel guilt about not tipping an animated dealer. So my question is this? Are the paybacks and odds the same on Table Master’s Three Card Poker video machine as that of playing on a live game with a live dealer? Gerald H.

Last week, Gerald, I wrote that the payoffs are effectively the same as those of a live game, but again, I must reiterate that you’ll also see twice as many hands per hour, and by doubly exposing yourself to the built-in house advantage, you are allowing the casino at your kitty twice as fast.

So, Gerald, as long as your betting strategy is to make the “play” wager if you have at least a queen, six, and a four in your hand, the house edge on the “ante” wager is about 2.1% on each separate hand, which is the same as the table game version.

One caveat though. I noticed a missing paytable on the machine, that being the bonus payment on the “ante” wager: Typically, a hand with a straight or better qualifies for an Ante Bonus payoff.

Ante Bonuses are paid on the Ante wager according to the following schedule: A straight gets you even money, three-of-a-kind pays 4 to 1, and a straight flush pays 5 to 1. It doesn’t physically show this payoff anywhere on the machine proper, but in the Three Card Poker brochure attached alongside you’ll find that it states, “A Straight or better pays an additional Ante bonus according to the posted paytable.” That paytable, I assume, is the same as that of the Pair Plus bet, and they’re just using the same payoff.

For those wanting to learn more about this fast and easy-to-learn game, I recommend you check out markpilarski.com to see what all the buzz is about.

Gambling Wisdom of the Week: “I believe in poker the way I believe in the American Dream. Poker is good for you. It enriches the soul, sharpens the intellect, heals the spirit, and - when played well, nourishes the wallet.” Anonymous

A recognized authority on casino gambling, Pilarski survived 18 years in the casino trenches, working for seven different casinos. Mark now writes a internationally syndicated gambling column, is a university lecturer, reviewer and contributing editor for numerous gaming periodicals, and is the creator of the best-selling, award-winning audio cassette series on casino gambling, Hooked on Winning.


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