No casino can t rig multi-play machines

QUESTION: Do casinos set multi-play video poker machines so that a more powerful hand doesn't appear on the initial deal so they can avoid a very large payday for the player playing multiple hands? -- Alex G.

ANSWER: Multi-play video poker games are offered in triple-play, five-play, 10-play, 50-play and even 100-play versions.

With multi-play machines, once you chose the number of hands you wish to play, you hit the deal-draw button. Five up-cards will appear on the first hand only. All the additional poker hands will now play from the cards you hold from these first five cards. As you select the cards you want to keep, identical hold cards will appear in the remaining hands. Now, you press the deal-draw button once more to draw. Each poker hand will be dealt different draw cards. For each hand that is a winner, the poker machine will indicate your winnings by a notice flashed on top of the winning hand(s).

But are the casinos rigging your payday?

By law, the casino cannot set the machines so they do not deal high-paying hands. Video poker machines by all U.S. manufacturers deal the cards as if you were dealing them yourself from a deck at your kitchen table, only electronically. On the deal, every possible five-card hand is equally likely to be dealt -- even a beginning hand containing a straight flush.

A few additional points:

When you indulge in multi-play games, search out the best paytables. Generally speaking, better paytables are found on single-play versions, not multi-play games, but some oddballs do exist.

The odds do not change if you play one or 100 hands on games with the same paytable, so don't change strategy when you go from a single- to a multi-play game. If you are playing 10-play full pay 9/6 jacks or better, the payback is 99.54% -- the same as in single-play.

When choosing between a single- or multi-play game, keep in mind the cost. A hundred hands on a quarter machine at $1.25 per hand is definitely a bankroll buster.

MARK PILARSKI is a university lecturer, reviewer and contributing editor for numerous gaming periodicals. E-mail questions to pilarski@markpilarski.com