Good slot machine strategy focuses on two things – increasing your chances of winning and helping you save money you might otherwise lose. This page was conceived as the ultimate online resource for no-nonsense slot machine strategy tips. Included here are: Common-sense responses to common misconceptions about slots. Class II machines are just like a scratch-off lottery ticket. Its tickets are sold and there are certain numbers which are the winning ticket. Class II slot machines are particularly based on the game of bingo. On a large number of class II slot machines, you will find a little bingo card on its corner. At some places they have class II slot machines because bingo is legal and the regular slot machines are not. This is why manufacturers built class II slot machines. This week we begin to veer away from a classic slot machine and look at games developed out of a need to work within the legal framework that exists. One of the most common, and in certain areas popular, is the Bingo machine, otherwise known under Native American federal regulations as Class II gaming. Defining a Bingo (Class II) Machine. A class 2 slot machine shares similarities with bingo. They are required to pool players together and to behave as if it were a bingo hall. Players can be pooled from within the casino or external. This means, any player around the world could be theoretically pooled together. There is approximately a 1% chance of hitting the right bingo pattern and winning on Class 2 slot machines. That stipulation led to electronic versions of the game of bingo, which eventually took the form of Class II-style slot machines, known as Bingo Games. The Class II Bingo Games would essentially be a game of bingo, with prizes drawn from the overall money wagered. Those prizes, however, would be displayed as reel results on the slot machines. In recent years, those Class II bingo machines have become more and more like their traditional, or “Class III,” slot cousins in Las Vegas.

I think the biggest difference comes in the user-determined features. Like a bonus where you select 1 of 3 symbols to determine your prize. On a class III machine, you really can get any one of the three prizes. On a class II machine, you WILL get the pre-determined prize.

I think the biggest difference comes in the user-determined features. Like a bonus where you select 1 of 3 symbols to determine your prize. On a class III machine, you really can get any one of the three prizes. On a class II machine, you WILL get the pre-determined prize.

I've often wondered about that...
My freeplay comes in the form of a 'match two amounts' and is always between $175-$1000...in the many years I've been getting it, I've NEVER got more than $175...(and I get it twice a month)

I think the biggest difference comes in the user-determined features. Like a bonus where you select 1 of 3 symbols to determine your prize. On a class III machine, you really can get any one of the three prizes. On a class II machine, you WILL get the pre-determined prize.

That would be both interesting and, alas, thoroughly irrelevant. Sorry. See, in both cases the machines ultimately will pay back a certain percentage on average, regardless of the specifics peculiar to each class. Also, you can't tell the difference.
Where it makes a difference is in VP. In a mahcine where you really play, the payback is a function of the pay table and the player's skill (memorizing a strategy table is a skill). ON one of the rpedetermined machines, how you play doesn't matter.

So on regular slot machines it is irrelevant of they are Class II or III, but it does matter in VP?

Yes, on class II machines VP strategy is worthless. You can hold on to garbage, and either a 'genie' will convert your hand to what you were supposed to win or a 'match card' will award what you were supposed to win. When playing these machines in Alabama (a class II jurisdiction) for tiny amounts of money, I would intentionally hold garbage to make the 'genie' appear...lol
Also the only slot jackpot I've won is on a class II machine (Texas Tea for $200). I hit some random bingo pattern where I needed ~22 hits in like 48 calls or something. The result appeared as 5 Texas Tea symbols like it would on a class III machine. If one had the math skills/inclination, he or she would be able to calculate the payback of the machine as it listed all the bingo patterns it would pay out.

That would be both interesting and, alas, thoroughly irrelevant. Sorry. See, in both cases the machines ultimately will pay back a certain percentage on average, regardless of the specifics peculiar to each class. Also, you can't tell the difference.

Many of the bingo-based games actually have a little digital bingo board displayed. You really can watch it play a little 1-second-long bingo game to determine if any winning combinations are present. It's pretty snarky, really:-)

Many of the bingo-based games actually have a little digital bingo board displayed. You really can watch it play a little 1-second-long bingo game to determine if any winning combinations are present. It's pretty snarky, really:-)

Yeah, and at the casino I was at, you also were allowed to change your bingo card between spins. I always picked one with 69 in the corner...lol

I understand that a Class II machine differs from a Class III machine in that the Class II acts like a bingo game and when you push the button the outcome is determined and the the reels and outcome is just for show. A Class III machine has a RNG instead. However, isn't the outcome of the Class III also determined the minute you push the button and whatever comes up is the outcome from whatever numbers came from the RNG when it was pushed? I just don't see much of a difference unless I am totally missing something(which is entirely possible!) Also, are all electronic table games classified as Class III machines?

Not necessarily. Here's the relevant law:
http://www.nigc.gov/Laws_Regulations/Indian_Gaming_Regulatory_Act.aspx
There have been many cases decided on what games are/are not class II. The NIGC has a whole list of them. Read those for a clearer picture.

I understand that a Class II machine differs from a Class III machine in that the Class II acts like a bingo game and when you push the button the outcome is determined and the the reels and outcome is just for show. A Class III machine has a RNG instead. However, isn't the outcome of the Class III also determined the minute you push the button and whatever comes up is the outcome from whatever numbers came from the RNG when it was pushed? I just don't see much of a difference unless I am totally missing something(which is entirely possible!) Also, are all electronic table games classified as Class III machines?

The answer is simple -- if you play a class II video poker device, and you threw away a dealt quad (or RF), you will STILL end up winning on that specific hand, and based on posts on this website, your winnings is comparable or the same via a bonus card or a genie as the original dealt hand. That is to say if your bingo card (or pull tab) was destined to win, you will WIN no matter what you do on the flop.
Try that on a Class III machine. If you threw away a dealt quad, you just urinated away a huge winning hand!
Think of a Class II machine game like a pull tab. The outcome on the pull tab is immutable. Image everytime you hit the spin button on a Class II device, it is akin to buying a pull-tab with replacement as if the pool of pull-tab is a constant. (With physical pull-tabs, it is done without replacement.) The randomness aspect is picking a winning combination out of the fixed pool of pull tabs.

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Slot machines burst onto the American gambling scene in the 1930’s and have captivated risk-takers with their bright lights, shiny reels and a chance of striking it rich with their jackpots. Fast-forward to the 1980’s, and slot machines were deemed to be more profitable than table games like blackjack or craps. For the most part, the same remains true today. From Las Vegas, Reno and Atlantic City casinos to racetracks, barges, and riverboats along the Mississippi River, slot machines are still big business.

How Does a Slot Machine Work?

Named after the slot where cash, tokens or even new paper tickets are inserted, slots is a game for all skill levels. The object of the game is to win money from the machine. This happens by matching a set of symbols that roll and stop at random once its lever is pulled or button is pressed. The amount bet on each spin varies between machines. Most offer a variety of winning combinations which are linked to different rewards (extra spins, cash, etc.) and usually displayed on the machine itself.

There are several kinds of slots available nowadays, from the classic lever-and-spinning-reel variety to vivid display video slots. Regardless of their technological advancement since the 1930’s, slot machines are still categorized into two groups: class II or class III.

Class II Slot Machines

• All machines or terminals are linked together so that players end up competing against each other for a common prize.

• Winners are determined via a Video Lottery Terminal (VLT), much like a lottery scratch card.

• With a set quantity of wins and losses, they are preprogrammed to pay out at particular times.

• Not every game is guaranteed to have a winner, but play will continue until a winner is determined.

• Machines are interactive and, just like with the game of Bingo, players must announce their win in order to claim their reward. Prizes are not given automatically.

• These types of slot machines can be found primarily on Indian gaming reservations and ‘Racinos’, which are establishments that not only allow class II slots on premises but also have a live horse racetrack.

Class III Slot Machines

• Typically known as ‘Vegas-style’ or traditional slots, these are what most people think of when they envision a slot machine.

• Each terminal is independent of the rest, with players competing against the house or casino for a pay-out prize.

• Winners are determined via a Random Number Generator (RNG), giving every terminal the same chance of winning during every game.

Bingo Slot Machine Strategy

• Despite misconceptions about a slot machine being ‘due to hit’, they aren’t preprogrammed to pay out at any particular time.

Slot Machine Strategy To Win

• If a player uses a terminal that someone else just abandoned and wins the jackpot, the likelihood that the previous player would have won if they stayed longer is very low. The RNG is timed down the millisecond of when a button is hit or lever is pulled, which must be done at a precise time in order to win each particular game.

Strategy For Playing Slots

• Wins are instantaneous and prizes are doled out immediately.