Remember the movie National Lampoon’s Vegas Vacation, when gambling fever consumes Chevy Chase’s character, Clark W. Griswold? He goes on a losing streak to beat all losing streaks while his son, Rusty, wins four cars by playing the slot machines. Maybe Clark would have done better if he had read Probability For Dummies! In this article, you discover the basic ideas behind slot machines and how they work, so that you can get past the myths and develop a strategy based on sound probability.
Understanding average payout
When casinos advertise that their slot machines pay out an average of 90 percent, the fine print they don’t want you to read says that you lose 10 cents from each dollar you put into the machines in the long term. (In probability terms, this advertisement means that your expected winnings are minus 10 cents on every dollar you spend every time the money goes through the machines.)
Suppose you start with $100 and bet a dollar at a time, for example. After inserting all $100 into the slot, 100 pulls later you’ll end up on average with $90, because you lose 10 percent of your money. If you run the $90 back through the machine, you’ll end up with 90 percent of it back, which is 0.90 x 90 = $81. If you run that amount through in 81 pulls, you’ll have $72.90 afterward (0.90 x 81 = 72.90). If you keep going for 44 rounds, on average, the money will be gone, unless you have the luck of Rusty Griswold!
How many pulls on the machine does your $100 give you at this rate? Each time you have less money to run through the machine, so you have fewer pulls left. If you insert $1 at a time, you can expect 972 total pulls in the long term with these average payouts (that’s the total pulls in 44 rounds). But keep in mind that casinos are designing slot machines to go faster and faster between spins. Some are even doing away with the handles and tokens by using digital readouts on gaming cards that you put into the machines. The faster machines can play up to 25 spins per hour, and 972 spins divided by 25 spins per minute is 38.88 minutes. You don’t have a very long time to enjoy your $100 before it’s gone!
The worst part? Casinos often advertise that their “average payouts” are even as high as 95 percent. But beware: That number applies only to certain machines, and the casinos don’t rush to tell you which ones. You really need to read or ask about the fine print before playing. You can also try to check the information on the machine to see if it lists its payouts. (Don’t expect this information to be front and center.)
Implementing a simple strategy for slots
Advice varies regarding whether you should play nickel, quarter, or dollar slot machines and whether you should max out the number of coins you bet or not (you usually get to choose between one and five coins to bet on a standard slot machine). In this section, you’ll find a few tips for getting the most bang for your buck (or nickel) when playing slot machines.
Basically, when it comes to slot machines, strategy boils down to this: Know the rules, your probability of winning, and the expected payouts; dispel any myths; and quit while you’re ahead. If you win $100, cash out $50 and play with the rest, for example. After you lose a certain amount (determined by you in advance), don’t hesitate to quit. Go to the all-you-can-eat buffet and try your luck with the casino food; odds are it’s pretty good!
Choosing among nickel, quarter, and dollar machines
The machines that have the higher denominations usually give the best payouts. So, between the nickel and quarter slots, for example, the quarter slots generally give better payouts. However, you run the risk of getting in way over your head in a hurry, so don’t bet more than you can afford to lose. The bottom line: Always choose a level that you have fun playing at and that allows you to play for your full set time limit.
Sep 18, 2013 If I have a progressive that starts at $200, but 'must pay' by $500 and that progressive only triggers following a win, it would probably be coded as a separate RNG or 'roll' at the end of any payout. I can control and force the win by doing a simple if/then type statement in the code with increasing odds. For example, think of it as rolling a die.
- Winning At Slots - What Are My Odds? First of all you should know that slot machines, as with many casino games, are a type of game for which there is no “winning strategy” - technically speaking they are a negative equity game, or –EV game for short. Unlike a game such as poker (against real opponents, not vs. The house) where proper.
- Attempting to pinpoint the odds for slot machines is a daunting task. With such a variety of machines and games available, the odds can vary a great deal. Generally slots odds are expressed in the form of a payback percentage. The closer to 100%, the better for players.
Deciding how many coins to play at a time
When deciding on the number of coins you should play per spin, keep in mind that more is sometimes better. If the slot machine gives you more than two times the payout when you put in two times the number of coins, for example, you should max it out instead of playing single coins because you increase your chances of winning a bigger pot, and the expected value is higher. If the machine just gives you k times the payout for k coins, it doesn’t matter if you use the maximum number of coins. You may as well play one at a time until you can make some money and leave so your money lasts a little longer.
For example, say a quarter machine pays 10 credits for the outcome 777 when you play only a single quarter, but if you play two quarters, it gives you 25 credits for the same outcome. And if you play the maximum number of quarters (say, four), a 777 results in 1,000 credits. You can see that playing four quarters at a time gives you a better chance of winning a bigger pot in the long run (if you win, that is) compared to playing a single quarter at a time for four consecutive tries.
The latest slot machine sweeping the nation is the so-called “penny slot machine.” Although it professes to require only a penny for a spin, you get this rate only if you want to bet one penny at a time. The machines entice you to bet way more than one penny at a time; in fact, on some machines, you can bet more than 1,000 coins (called lines) on each spin — $10 a shot here, folks. Because these machines take any denomination of paper bill, as well as credit cards, your money can go faster on penny machines than on dollar machines because you can quickly lose track of your spendings. Pinching pennies may not be worth it after all!
All slot machines are not created equal, just as Canadian casinos do not all represent the same payout percentages on their slots. However, the inner mechanisms that make a slot machine tick are comparably orchestrated, in the same way that Canada’s gambling facilities all abide by the same regulatory framework.
Confused yet? You probably answered yes, and that’s exactly what most gambling venues would prefer. The less their patrons know about what makes slot machines tick, the more likely the casino is to make more money off of their clientele.
Most slots players walk onto the gaming floor with the predisposed notion that the games are based entirely on luck, which would effectively eliminate the need to wisely choose a particular casino or slot machine to play. That’s not exactly the case. In fact, we’re going to dispel a few myths here, and reveal just what goes on within the mechanizations of slot machines.
Who Determines the Payout Percentage?
There are three parties that weigh in on the payout percentage of any Canadian casino’s slot machines.
First, the respective provincial government sets a minimal payout standard. In Ontario, for example, the OLG requires a minimum 85% payout on all slot machines. All manufacturers and casinos in the region must maintain a percentage at or above that level.
Next is the game’s developer, who sets the percentage requested by the casino installing the device.
Odds On A Slot Machine
Third is the casino itself. While it’s not normal practice for a casino to adjust the payout percentage of its slot machines, it can be accomplished by altering the EPROM chip. However, a casino must request and receive permission to do so from regulators, with approved adjustments performed by a licensed slots technician under the direct supervision of a regulatory agent.
Can Casinos Control a Slot’s Precise Payouts?
No. A random number generator (RNG) decides with each spin of the reels what will occur, and how much will be paid out. Casinos can only choose the long-term payout percentage, but cannot regulate when the payouts will occur. Thus there is no better time (day or night) to play slot machines, and no predicting when a progressive jackpot will strike.
The actual weekly and monthly payout percentages may be higher or lower than a machine is set to pay, but in the long-term, the exact chosen percentage will be achieved. The RNG integrates genuine unpredictability into every slot machine. For this reason, a progressive could strike only once in a 10 year span, or three times in a single week.
Do Payout Percentages Apply to Individual or Collective Slots?
Every slot machine in a casino must be individually set to comply with the region’s payout standard. You will not find one slot machine set to pay 70%, with its neighbor set at 105% to offset the difference. All slots must meet the minimum 85% or higher payout percentages.
What Slot Machines have the Highest Payouts?
Slots that require higher coin denominations generally have higher payouts, even compared to cheaper slots with a max-coin multiplier.
For example, a $0.05 slot might take up to 3 coins, paying 1,000x for a jackpot on a 1-coin bet, 2,000 for a 2-coing bet, and 4,000x for a max 3-coin bet. On this type of machine, the 3-coin, $0.15 bet has the best payout percentage. However, a $1 slot machine that requires a minimum $1 bet per coin is likely to have a higher payout percentage for a single-coin bet than wagering the max 3 coins on a nickel slot.
What about Tribal Casinos?
All casinos in Canada, whether run by their respective provincial government or by a tribal organization, must abide by the same slot machine laws of their province, and that of the national standard. There’s no reason to expect the slots at a tribal casino or Canadian-run casino to be any higher or lower than the next.
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