Q. I enjoy reading your comments on the latest slot machines. I have never seen it mentioned, but it seems to me that playing 45 coins on a five-cent machine is not as good a bet as playing a dollar machine. Also, I wonder, if on a 20 line, five-cent machine, is it necessary to play all 20 lines or could you play five or nine lines and come out ahead?
As a senior, living in Las Vegas, I gamble for amusement, not riches. Phyllis.

Phyllis: Some good questions here. I agree that basic, single payline dollar slots with 2-3 coins max. will stretch your gambling bankroll. I normally suggest that slot players begin with the
basic slots--Double, Triple Diamond or RWB 7's.
As to 20 lines, you should activate all lines, but with 1 or 2 coins per line rather than max. on 5-9 lines as you can be sure that the lines you don't activate will hit.  Hope this advice keeps you profitably amused.

Q. Wondering if you have any comments or reviews for the Winning Bids slot machines? I am hopelessly hooked on the nickel version of these machines. I try to use a strategy of never betting just one coin per line. I usually start with 2, and then change to 3, 4 and sometimes 5. I have found one machine in a casino here in KC that I can win consistently on, usually $100, but sometimes $200. My largest win on this machine was $450. I often lose and I am afraid not to play the maximum lines, but not always the maximum coins. Are there any hints or tricks or any magic I should know?  Marie.

Marie: No magic tricks here. As long as you activate every payline, as least 1 coin/payline, then with any win, you can risk max. coin--you are playing correctly--wager and discipline taken into consideration. I would consider 5 payline versions where max. bet is 25 coins as a cheaper way to go.

Q.  I've seen "Spin Poker" & "Spin Poker Deluxe" machines in quite a few Las Vegas casinos. Are there strategies for playing these games? Each machine offers a few selections of play (Deuces Wild) (Bonuses: Double; Double, Double; Super Aces). BobC.

Bob: I did some research for this question, as I am skeptical of any VP game that is not full pay and has not been around for a long time. As for strategy, there’s no change from regular strategy for single line games.
You want to look for is full-pay schedules: e.g., 9/6 Jacks+,  9/5 Deuces, 10/7 or 10/6 Double Bonus, etc.
To my delightful surprise, I found the overall payback %’s for this game to be Jacks 9/6=99.996%,  Deuces 9/5=100.067%,  Double Bonus 10/6=100.06%.
Again, if you find the full pay schedules as described above, the returns can be better than a regular single payline—always a plus for VP players.

 Q.  Which casino in Atlantic City has the best Double Double bonus poker? Usually I go to the Hilton and Harrah’s. Lenny

Lenny: I assume you know that DD Bonus is not the best VP version. While, I don't know the current inventory in AC, I do know the best pay schedule for DDB. Look for 9 coins for a full house
and 6 coins for a flush in AC and you will be playing the 'best of this version'.