Somebody, tell me…can you REALLY win at playing slot machines? Or is it strictly a matter of chance and the luck-of-the-draw so to speak? I have my doubts, but the thought of beating the machine is tempting. Especially because in Europe you can find slot machines in just about every establishment, ranging from coffee bars to hotel lobbies. I’ve killed more than a few minutes playing the slots and more often than not, I’ve walked away with nothing more in my hands in my pockets.
Well play me for a fool – but the answers ARE out there! And they’re free – thanks to the internet, you can learn everything you need to know. Check this out. But uh…don’t quit your day job just yet.
First, a few myths regarding slot machines:
– “Slot machines are programmed to go through a cycle of payoffs. Although the cycle can span thousands of spins once it reaches the end the outcomes will repeat themselves in exactly the same order as the last cycle.” This is not true at all. Every trial is random and independent of all past trials.
– “Slot machines are programmed to pay off a particular percentage of money bet. Thus after a jackpot is hit the machine will tighten up to get back in balance, and when a jackpot has not been hit for a long time it is overdue and more likely to hit”. The only part of this that is true is that they are designed to pay off a particular percentage. However the laws of probability dictate that the longer the machine is played the closer it will come to its target payoff, even with every trial being completely random. A jackpot is equally as likely to be hit on every spin, regardless of past outcomes.
– “Hot/cold coins are more likely to yield good returns.” The temperature of the coin does not matter. It also does not matter how long it has been since the coin was last played.
– “Machines pay more if a player card is not used.” The mechanism that determines the outcome of each play does not consider whether a card is used or not. Not considering cash back and comps the odds are the same with or without a player card.
– “If I use a slot card the casino will report my winnings to the IRS.” The use of a slot card will not change your tax liability. If you get back $1200 or more in a single spin (including the original wager) then the casino will report the win whether a slot card is used or not. The casino does not add up the smaller wins and report them to the IRS. Aside from the big wins, the player is on the honor system to report a net win over the entire year.
Will any of this information help you win more? I doubt it. But in my case it helped me lose less…by convincing me to stay away from the slot machine.
But I’m not going to give up that easy and you shouldn’t either. Come on let’s face it, at one time or another we’ve all dreamed of walking into a Las Vegas casino and walking out with millions…or in my case at least dozens. So here are some other miscellaneous tips to help you cut down the house edge:
– Most machines reward you for playing the maximum coins. For example, the jackpot may pay 2000 coins with 2 coins played, but 4000 with three coins played. Many other gambling writers advise the player to always play the maximum coins. However if the max coin incentive is small I believe it is better to play one coin at a higher coinage than max coins at a lower coinage. This is because casinos increase the return percentage as the coinage goes up.
– Don’t forget to cash out and take your coins or ticket when you leave a machine. Vegas is full of vultures looking for machines people left with credits or a ticket hanging out. Look for certain banks of machines that are certified to a certain percentage. Some casinos will have banks of dollar machines that are certified at 97% payback or so. Be careful to believe claims such as “our slots return 97%.” This likely refers to just certain machines, so look for those specifically under a sign indicating their payback percentage.
– Check the slot card reader from time to time. Sometimes contact will be lost for no apparent reason and you won’t get credit for any play until you reinsert it. Tipping in slots, as well as all electronic games, is a matter of much debate. After discussing this with a number of experts in this area I think a good rule of thumb is to tip 0.5% to 1.0% on any jackpot requiring a hand pay. The smaller the jackpot the larger the percentage.
All this tells me is that the only people making money by playing the slots are the ingenious folks who try to convince innocent dreamers that there’s a scientific way to win. As with most casinos games there is no shortage of con men selling books or systems explaining how to beat slots.
Few people understand the programming behind the machines, and that includes me. There is certainly a way to rig who wins and when, otherwise the mafia wouldn’t be so involved in slot-machines as a money-generating endeavor. But that’s in Europe. I’d like to think that in Vegas the industry is a lot more controlled. Which is good, because it allows me to lose with a clear conscious.
