NEW SLOTS

Texas Tea—Strike It Rich

By IGT

trike gold Texan style with IGT’s Texas Tea® Strike It Rich™. The updated version features oil-field-inspired animations and sounds inspired by the original Texas Tea theme, complete with Texas Ted!S In addition to the classic Big Oil bonus, the latest Texas Tea game offers a new Strike It Rich bonus for more wins, free spins, and the opportunity for multiple jackpots. When three or more Strike It Rich symbols appear in any reel positions during the base game, the Strike It Rich bonus is triggered, and players can spin the reels on a three-by-three-by-one matrix. If the win symbol lands on the last reel during the Strike It Rich bonus, all coin values shown are won. For more entertainment, the Big Oil bonus can also be triggered during the base game if three or more oil derrick symbols appear on consecutive reels. A Texas map with ten regions is revealed, and players are awarded one oil derrick to place on the map for each one landing in the Big Oil bonus for additional credits and wins. This is a 50 credit cost to cover game. For more information, visit IGT.com. $

Wheel of Fortune—Pink Diamond

By IGT

layers will be dazzled by IGT’s Wheel of Fortune® Pink Diamond™ slots featuring an entertaining combination of two well-known legacy themes on the supersized MegaTower™ cabinet.P Incorporating the player-favorite reel slot model of Pink Diamond slots, the three reel, five pay line Wheel of Fortune Pink Diamond slots offer operator configurable denominations up to five dollars and a maximum bet of up to 15 credits. Players will enjoy the familiar symbol hierarchy of spinning reels featuring pink diamond and double diamond seven symbols during the base game.

Wins can be multiplied by up to 8X when three double seven symbols land on a played pay line. Furthering the excitement of the game, the frequent wheel bonus is triggered when three spin symbols appear on any eligible pay line, awarding up to 2,000 credits; multipliers can award up to 6,000 credits.

The top jackpot is awarded when a Wheel of Fortune® seven symbol appears on reels one and three, with a double seven symbol landing on reel two. In addition, the highly configurable wide-area progressive jackpot can be set at various denominations with one to three pay lines at a five to fifteen credit bet. This is a five credit cost to cover game. For more information, visit IGT.com. $

Captain Riches

By AGS

ay ahoy, Matey, to Captain Riches™ from the popular Ultimate Choice Jackpots® family. Players will be as hooked as the game’s one-handed pirate, who hunts for loot in the form of linked Jackpot Progressives and a whole lot of other bonus booty!S Batten down the hatches and set your sails on the collectible gold coins (with some sweet multipliers) that stack above the reels. Three collected coins above a reel turn it into a WILD column with free spins! Treasures keep coming with the Hold & Win feature, Free Spins Bonus and Multiplier Bonus that can uncover up to 10x credit multipliers and plenty of spins. The modern and punchy graphics will draw you in and there are so many fun feature elements that will keep you entertained. After just one spin, it’s easy to see why this game is making waves! Take hold of your destiny with Captain Riches! This is a 75 credit cost to cover game. For more information, visit PlayAGS.com. $

Big Fish Grand

By Aristocrat

ristocrat Gaming Introduces Big Fish Grand™, an Everyone’s Game! What lands in your box, you win. That is the simple, easy-to-learn, and groundbreaking game play in Aristocrat Gaming’s new Big Fish Grand slot game.A A smash-hit at G2E 2021, Big Fish Grand is a game like players have never experienced. Big Fish Grand combines simple game play, cheerful graphics, and a catchy soundtrack for a unique player experience that stands out on the casino floor. Big Fish Grand’s Catch & Win play mechanic is a unique twist on the classic spinning reel games because players literally win what they catch in their fishing box. Core players will appreciate the chance for a single spin to result in a substantial prize, and the game’s medium volatility will appeal to entertainment players. Not to be left by the fishing hole alone, core gamblers will embrace the Heads or Tails Gamble feature to control their choice of volatility for a more tailored volatile playing experience. Big Fish Grand offers a rapid-hit $20,000 fast cash MSP. Players can choose from a 1c, 2c and 5c single denomination. Big Fish Grand appears on Aristocrat’s larger-than-life Neptune Double cabinet where the cheerful characters and mesmerizing sound get the high-tech treatment, making this the most fun and exciting fishing trip. For more info about Big Fish Grand, visit AristocratGaming.com/us/slots/games/big-fish-grand. $

OPTIMAL STRATEGY

Yes, It Will Vary Based On The Video Poker Game You’re Playing!

All of a sudden, in the past couple months, my inbox has been flooded with e-mail from readers proclaiming that it’s only necessary to learn the strategy for the video poker game Jacks or Better (JOB) because the same strategy can be applied to Double Double Bonus Poker (DDBP). What is that? Where is this crazy idea coming from? There are always some idiotic betting schemes or wildly wrong playing strategies popping up on the internet and this must be one of them!

Although there are hands that are played exactly the same way in the two games, there are many, many hands that are played very differently. One of the main reasons why the optimal strategy varies between the two games is because JOB pays the same amount for every four-of-a-kind while DDBP has much higher pays for four-of-a-kinds. Another reason is because JOB pays twice your bet back with any two pair whereas DDBP only pays your bet back.

Let’s assume you are playing both games with a 9/6 pay table where the full house pays 9 credits and the flush pays 6 credits at minimum bet. You wouldn’t play these video poker games with pay schedules less than this anyways, right? Here are a few difficult hands that involve Aces to test your video poker expertise.

Q♦ 9♠ A♣ 8♥ 2♣

When playing JOB you hold both unsuited high cards, but when playing DDBP you only hold the Ace. Would you have known to do that? The reason you need to hold both high cards in JOB is because the two pair pays twice your bet back and there are no bonused four-of-a-kinds. In DDBP the four Aces are the top paying four-of-a-kind, so you never hold another unsuited high card with an Ace.

7♠ T♣ A♣ A♥ 7♦

When playing JOB you hold both pairs, but when playing DDBP you only hold the pair of Aces. JOB will pay you twice your bet back automatically for holding the two pairs and you have a chance at the full house. You want to sacrifice the full house potential for the much greater win of four Aces when playing DDBP.

A♥ A♠ A♣ 5♥ 5♣

When playing JOB you hold the dealt full house, but when playing DDBP you only hold the three Aces and you drop the two fives. Some of you may have a difficult time dropping a “sure thing,” but for as often as the fourth Ace shows up when you do make the sacrifice it is worth your while.

6♣ T♥ A♦ K♥ 3♣

When playing JOB you hold the King and the Ace, but when playing DDBP you drop everything and hold only the Ace. You’re still hoping for the pair, at the very least, when playing JOB. However, when playing DDBP, you’re always going to want to hold the Ace even when dealt a suited Queen and Ten or a suited King and Ten.

4♦ 2♣ A♣ 9♥ 5♠

This is a trick question! Here is a situation where you make the same exact play in both games. You only hold the Ace in both games! You weren’t seriously considering holding the inside straight were you? Keep the questions coming!

Have fun playing video poker! $