Slots Tightening Up?

videoslots · #1 03-09-2009, 10:46 AM

I have to wonder if the slot machines are being tighten up.

With our casinos, profits down, I wonder if the machines were made to be harder to hit at.

I know we went to a casino not too long ago, and it was almost impossible to hit. I seen the penny machines were doing ok. But the dime, and quarter machines, not so much.

Does anyone feel like I do? Or is it, just our bad luck? LOL

1819 · #2 03-09-2009, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by videoslots

I have to wonder if the slot machines are being tighten up.

With our casinos, profits down, I wonder if the machines were made to be harder to hit at.

I know we went to a casino not too long ago, and it was almost impossible to hit. I seen the penny machines were doing ok. But the dime, and quarter machines, not so much.

Does anyone feel like I do? Or is it, just our bad luck? LOL

bad luck. payback %'s are set over the life of the machines. millions of spins are needed to see any results. nevada has always had the minimum slot payback set at 75% although it would be suicide to ever set them that low. your penny machines will always have the lowest payback somewhere in the high 80% range. nickels will be slightly better and so on. theoretically a 5 dollar bet on a penny machine is going to payback less that a 5 dollar bet on a $5 machine since your $5 machines are paying back in the mid to upper 90% range. i was playing a nickel wizard of oz machine in atlantic city this past weekend. i was playing $5 a spin. in about an hour i had the game up well over a thousand dollars. the people watching me play would assume the game was "hot." i then proceeded to lose about 800 back in what seemed like 20 minutes. people watching me play then would figure that the slots were not paying out. no real conclusion could be made in such a short period. it is just how it goes........

dominique · #3 03-10-2009, 12:22 AM

I understand the Indian casinos are not as tightly regulated and things happen there....

1819 · #4 03-10-2009, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dominique

I understand the Indian casinos are not as tightly regulated and things happen there....

indain casinos will tend to set the payouts on the low end. the boats do the same. your payback on a boat is going to be in the high 70% to low 80% range. they get away with this since they are not looking for repeat customers. they have a captive audience. if land based casinos set them that low no one would ever come back. indian casinos, depending on where they are, will set accordingly. if you have an indian casino in the middle of no where then they can do what they want since they are the only game in town....

Eyeofngt · #5 03-10-2009, 10:50 PM

The indians are the smart ones..LOL They are finally getting something back that was taken from them long time ago.

IluvVegas · #6 03-11-2009, 05:33 AM

Actually, I dont think they are any tighter than they have been for about the last 6 months. But, I do know that at our casino, different games hit during different months and basically stay the same for about a 3 and a half week period.

We go to the casino about three to four times a week and are used to seeing the different changes that go on there. Plus sometimes if you just walk around and not only look at who is playing what, but the amount of credits on their machines, you can get a good idea from that what is or is not hitting for that time frame.

There seem to be better times during the day to play slots. Most times we find that late evening finds the slots a little loser. Perhaps this is because they have been fed all day long and then others come in and make a little larger bets and seem to hit more often.

Just tonight, a man sat down at a machine, put $2 in it and whamo, first spin, he hit for $20,000. Now that is some fantastic win.

And, my theory is that they wont tighten them up too much, because if they do, there are three other casinos within an hours or so drive that people would go to out of discouragement.

What amazes me is people at our casino will play one and 2 cent machines, nickle machines, dollar and five dollar machines but wont take the chance on the over $400,000 that can be won on the special quarter machines. Now these would be what I would be trying just because if people are playing it here they may not be playing them as much in the other casinos that are part of this slot thing, therefore possibly giving me a better chance at a big win.

So, when you go to gamble, look around first, see where the most people are, how many credits they have, and then play where the most winning is going on.

Sometimes even asking the floor workers or the drink girls will give you enough information to get you headed towards the winning machines.

winbig · #7 03-11-2009, 05:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1819

indain casinos will tend to set the payouts on the low end. the boats do the same. your payback on a boat is going to be in the high 70% to low 80% range. they get away with this since they are not looking for repeat customers. they have a captive audience. if land based casinos set them that low no one would ever come back. indian casinos, depending on where they are, will set accordingly. if you have an indian casino in the middle of no where then they can do what they want since they are the only game in town....

Don't even think about playing slots on a cruise ship, they're even lower....international waters = ANYTHING goes, no regulations, nada.

Stick to the table games, if anything

But, as 1819 mentioned earlier, it's been proven that, at least in AC, the higher denomination machines do in fact payout at a better %..I assume it'd be the same in Vegas..

1819 · #8 03-11-2009, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IluvVegas

Actually, I dont think they are any tighter than they have been for about the last 6 months. But, I do know that at our casino, different games hit during different months and basically stay the same for about a 3 and a half week period.

We go to the casino about three to four times a week and are used to seeing the different changes that go on there. Plus sometimes if you just walk around and not only look at who is playing what, but the amount of credits on their machines, you can get a good idea from that what is or is not hitting for that time frame.

There seem to be better times during the day to play slots. Most times we find that late evening finds the slots a little loser. Perhaps this is because they have been fed all day long and then others come in and make a little larger bets and seem to hit more often.

Just tonight, a man sat down at a machine, put $2 in it and whamo, first spin, he hit for $20,000. Now that is some fantastic win.

And, my theory is that they wont tighten them up too much, because if they do, there are three other casinos within an hours or so drive that people would go to out of discouragement.

What amazes me is people at our casino will play one and 2 cent machines, nickle machines, dollar and five dollar machines but wont take the chance on the over $400,000 that can be won on the special quarter machines. Now these would be what I would be trying just because if people are playing it here they may not be playing them as much in the other casinos that are part of this slot thing, therefore possibly giving me a better chance at a big win.

So, when you go to gamble, look around first, see where the most people are, how many credits they have, and then play where the most winning is going on.

Sometimes even asking the floor workers or the drink girls will give you enough information to get you headed towards the winning machines.

it is natural to "look" for and form patterns. that is how our brain works. the fact is though we cannot tell when a machine is "due" or when it is "cold". there are no better times of day to play. my grandma used to like to go at night since she thought the machines would be "full" lol. it makes no difference what others are doing. the only smart thing to due with slots is check the paytables. play max coin only on the machines where it is necessary like progressives or machines that punish you for not doing so. most video slots do not require you play max coin. as far as taking a chance on hitting 400k remember that the higher the payout the lower the hit frequency. a 3 coin double diamond, with 3 wilds paying 6000 coins, is going to pay out more often than the same machine paying 10,000 coins. the hits will be smaller. if your goal is to stretch your bankroll then high jackpot games should be avoided since they will take your money the fastest. it is always a good idea to save some of your bankroll for these games as you never know. the bottom line is since they are random beasts do whatever is fun for you. if you really believe in patterns then play them. it wont hurt. some people think rubbing the machine helps. some people constantly remove then reinsert their players card. some put little trolls or good luck charms on the machine. superstitions are fun as long as they are done in fun. some people obsess over them. i have been playing slots for over 20 years. the amount of money lost is well into the hundreds of thousands if not more. i do not play to win money. i truly enjoy the experience. sometimes excitement. sometimes relaxation but never anger or frustration. in the long run you will never, ever come out ahead. people that tell you they are ahead or "even" are lying to your face. the slots are a casinos bread and butter. they do exactly what they are designed to do and that is win, for the house, a little at a time. you cant beat math!! enjoy all and happy gaming

VegasLuvsMe · #9 03-11-2009, 12:45 PM

Thank you for the hints 1819.

The slots are definately the casinos bread and butter. That is why they give you free credits to play the slots and slot points while using your player's card, so you will keep playing the slots.

I just like playing them when there's a little action going on in a slot game. Yeah some payout pretty good and others don't, but it's all about having fun with them.

dominique · #10 03-15-2009, 02:14 PM

right on the button, 1819.

People automatically look for patterns in everything. It is how we evolved, finding reason behind things, predicting patterns in events. The world is full of patterns, sunup and sundown, astronomy, the way our bodies work, math, everything. Intelligence is all about recognizing patterns.

So our brain is trained to look for them, and in an odd way, the randomness of gambling is what attracts us. Everyone who plays likes to look for patterns - and it is a never ending quest. Some people need patterns so bad that they make them up and firmly believe in them - hence the lucky shirt or lucky dauber or lucky time of day or lucky section at the casino. Some people go further and invent intricate systems to beat the games - none of which work.

There are a few ways to play smart, even in slots. Like 1819 said, paying attention to the variance in slots, how high are the pays. There is basic strategy in Blackjack. There is basic strategy in video poker, etc. These things can help you play smarter, but the edge still remains with the house. You just stretch your money more and have more of a chance to score a win.

Gambling is entertainment with the chance of winning something. Sure beats playing the lottery, which has terrible odds and limited entertainment.

As long as you look at playing as paid entertainment, you will stay within your means and have a good experience.