Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Slots Tips and a Theory by Michael Shackleford
I bet everyone who reads this blog has read online Slots Tips pages.
Have you ever noticed that one of the first tips is to always play the maximum coins?
Now, I suppose that's good advice most of the time. But it isn't neccessarily the best way to go.
In fact, there's at least one respected oddsmaker who argues otherwise.
I've been reading Gambling 102, a top notch gaming guide by Michael Shackleford.
You might know Shackleford better by his more famous online sobriquet, The Wizard of Odds. Once again, if you're reading this blog, you have no doubt come across wizardofodds.com.
Anyway, Shackleford is about as respected as it gets online. If you look at his site, he's consulted for pretty much every gaming company in the free world. And he says that you might be better off playing only one coin on a larger denomination machine.
How could that be? Well, here's the Wizard's points.
1. Unless you are playing a progressive, the jackpot reward may not be worth the extra risk.
Okay, if you only play progressive jackpots, move onto the next post. You probably don't need to hear this.
But if you like playing the flat top machines, listen closely, my students.
The chances of winning a jackpot are low. Factoring in the non-progressive jackpot does not increase your overall risks a lot.
In fact, you might be lowering your odds by playing the same amount of money on a lower denomination machine, even with the jackpot odds added in. That's because of the following fact...
2. Bigger denomination machines tend to pay off at a higher rate than lower denomination machines.
Yes, that quarter machine is more likely to give a better payback percentage than the nickel machine. So instead of playing five nickels, it might be better for you to play one quarter.
Besides, I hate having to lug around all those nickels. What happens if you end your session early and don't have time to cash out those nickels?
Drive-thru restaurant attendents will be hating you from one end of town to another.
Of course, you need to factor in if those quarter machines pay back more for higher denominations, to see if that throws off your numbers. But there's a lot of sense in the idea.
But if calculate that you you get a better payback percentage playing one quarter than five nickels, you should be playing the quarter machine despite the conventional wisdom.
3. There are some slot machines in casinos which take advantage of the max coin assumption.
You read that right. Those slot machine designers are a pretty crafty bunch.
They know most people "know" to play the max coins. So why not throw in a machine every once in a while that takes advantage of the public?
Island Hoppers Slots is one of those machines. On many of its wagers, you actually get less of a return percentage the more coins you pay.
That's a crazy bizarro game; that's what that is. It turns the world on its ear.
Have you ever noticed that one of the first tips is to always play the maximum coins?
Now, I suppose that's good advice most of the time. But it isn't neccessarily the best way to go.
In fact, there's at least one respected oddsmaker who argues otherwise.
I've been reading Gambling 102, a top notch gaming guide by Michael Shackleford.
You might know Shackleford better by his more famous online sobriquet, The Wizard of Odds. Once again, if you're reading this blog, you have no doubt come across wizardofodds.com.
Anyway, Shackleford is about as respected as it gets online. If you look at his site, he's consulted for pretty much every gaming company in the free world. And he says that you might be better off playing only one coin on a larger denomination machine.
How could that be? Well, here's the Wizard's points.
1. Unless you are playing a progressive, the jackpot reward may not be worth the extra risk.
Okay, if you only play progressive jackpots, move onto the next post. You probably don't need to hear this.
But if you like playing the flat top machines, listen closely, my students.
The chances of winning a jackpot are low. Factoring in the non-progressive jackpot does not increase your overall risks a lot.
In fact, you might be lowering your odds by playing the same amount of money on a lower denomination machine, even with the jackpot odds added in. That's because of the following fact...
2. Bigger denomination machines tend to pay off at a higher rate than lower denomination machines.
Yes, that quarter machine is more likely to give a better payback percentage than the nickel machine. So instead of playing five nickels, it might be better for you to play one quarter.
Besides, I hate having to lug around all those nickels. What happens if you end your session early and don't have time to cash out those nickels?
Drive-thru restaurant attendents will be hating you from one end of town to another.
Of course, you need to factor in if those quarter machines pay back more for higher denominations, to see if that throws off your numbers. But there's a lot of sense in the idea.
But if calculate that you you get a better payback percentage playing one quarter than five nickels, you should be playing the quarter machine despite the conventional wisdom.
3. There are some slot machines in casinos which take advantage of the max coin assumption.
You read that right. Those slot machine designers are a pretty crafty bunch.
They know most people "know" to play the max coins. So why not throw in a machine every once in a while that takes advantage of the public?
Island Hoppers Slots is one of those machines. On many of its wagers, you actually get less of a return percentage the more coins you pay.
That's a crazy bizarro game; that's what that is. It turns the world on its ear.
