FROM MARIE: I enjoy the slot machines and I do not care that you and other writers claim these are programmed to take our money. All casino games, slot machines included, are created to take our money. That’s the whole point of the casino, making money.
But I have started to read articles on the slot machines and I realize that each machine or type of machine is programmed differently. Some machines give out more money over time and other machines give out less money over time.
I want to play the machines that give out the most money and I need a quick primer about which machines are which. Can you help me in this?
FRANK RESPONDS: I don’t think conscientious gambling writers lie and say there is a way to get an edge on slot machines. I did write in my book
Slot Conquest: How to Beat the Slot Machines about certain banking machines that at times go into positive range, but these machines have mostly disappeared. That’s sad for the player.
And, yes, you are right: The casino is in the business of making money for itself. It is a business, after all. I doubt most players think otherwise.
I will give you “rules of thumb” in terms of looking for the best machines. I would avoid all of the following machines:
- Mega-progressive-jackpot machines that are interlinked among casinos such as Megabucks.
- Any machine that has more than one machine linked with it.
- Any progressive machine.
- Penny, nickel and dime machines that allow you to bet many times more than the denomination.
I would look to play the following machines:
- Stand-alone machines that do not reward a player for betting more than one credit, which means the jackpot is merely a multiple of the first bet such as $200 for one credit,$400 for two credits and $600 for three credits and so on. (Merely bet one credit on such machines!)
- Stand-alone machines of any type.
The higher the denomination of machine, the looser the machine will be, but your losses will be more because a smaller percentage of a larger bet will still lose you more money than you would lose on a smaller denomination machine.
As I stated, these are generalizations, but they should help you.
Many slot players enjoy playing machines with extremely high house edges in the hope that they can win a life-changing jackpot. The odds of such a thing happening are remote indeed. If you are not a dreamer, my advice is good. It will save you money over time.
Visit Frank’s website at www.frankscoblete.com. Frank Scoblete’s latest books are
I Am a Dice Controller: Inside the World of Advantage-Play Craps,
Confessions of a Wayward Catholic and
I Am a Card Counter: Inside the World of Advantage-Play Blackjack. Available from Amazon.com, on Kindle, at Barnes and Noble, and at bookstores.
