Thanks, I appreciate the support. I didn't
think I was just being utterly stupid due to the late hour, but you never know.
If you read nothing else in my first obscenely long post, take away only this. On the MAIN PLAYING SCREEN they explicitly state:
"Our payout and odds are comparable to the top slot machines found in Las Vegas and
conform to the Nevada Gaming Rules."
That is a pretty explicit (and blatantly false, as it turns out) statement. How can they reasonably expect a player to go searching for fine print under an obscure "Technical Tips" section to find something to contradict that?
Not to mention that the main screen gives every possible visual and common-sense cue that it is a normal VIDEO POKER game?
But wait, there IS a link on the main page to
full instructions, so maybe there's a disclaimer there? Nope. That just further reinforces the (false) notion that it is a normal video poker game. Again you must dig further using the link at the bottom of that page. Keep going... going... there! Right next to other critical information like... like... WebTV compatibility?!?
The bottom line is that I was led to believe the game was something other than it was. Had I known what it was, I wouldn't have played at all.
And when I did play, I played Wild Heart (their Double Joker poker) instead of the much better pay table Jacks Or Better game. That was a specific decision based on the smaller maximum bet relative to the jackpot size which (should have) overcome the pay table disadvantage.
And then I played the game completely incorrectly. For example, holding 2 to a royal instead of a pair. Again that was based on the jackpot size and what I expected were normal royal flush odds.
In other words, I played a bad game I wouldn't normally play, and then played it horribly to compound my mistake. It's no surprise I went through my bankroll as fast as I did.
The bottom line is I threw my money away based on false information.
I have returned an e-mail to a customer service supervisor at Slotland who said he is available 7 days a week to address problems. That was several hours ago but I remain hopeful that they will make good on their reputation for customer service and make me whole.
I also hope for the benefit of future customers, as well as their long-term reputation, that they make the operation of their games clear. It would be trivial to do. The slightest little asterisk on the main pay table screen and I would have absolutely no argument to make.