Seven Important Slots Points

7 June 2022

By Frank Scoblete

Bruce: “You have me totally confused. Almost all slot writers say to play full coin on traditional machines to get the benefit of the bigger jackpot line. But you have been recently telling players to play one coin instead of full coin. And what about comps? What gives? Have you discovered some new secret ingredient in slot play that you are sharing with your readers? Fess up!”

Frank responds: “I know, it does sound as if I have gone off the deep end here. Sadly, I haven’t discovered anything new and mysterious. I am basing my ideas on saving money and/or expanding possible playing time. It is all based on the returns one gets from the machines.

“So, hear me out.

“Let us say you are playing a traditional three-coin machine. If you play three coins you triple your investment over one coin but you do not add significantly to your return over time; your losses will be almost three times more. Why lose so much money to get an extremely small increase in your payouts by hitting the big jackpot?

“You do not make enough on that bigger jackpot to make up for the total amount of money you will put into the machine should you even be lucky enough to hit the big jackpot line. You are spending a lot of money to get a little money. If you are the type of casino player who likes to go to the casino often then saving money becomes a major agenda item. At least, I think it does.

“Play one coin and you can triple your time at the machines or lose less money or go to the casino three times more – or just play frugally which is a good thing in and of itself. In short, the return just isn’t worth the investment.

“Now, occasionally you will find machines that we call equal distribution machines that do not award bigger jackpots for multiple coins. The jackpot could be 400 coins on one coin, 800 coins on two coins and 1200 coins on three coins. Everything is an equal increase across the number of coins played. These would be the perfect machines for one-coin play.

“Are there any machines where you should play multiple coins? Certainly. Any monster jackpot that can only be reached by playing full coin – such as Megabucks. Any monster jackpot that is an inhouse progressive. If you play minimum coin on such machines, you are merely wasting your money because the house edges on such machines are way too high. Probably in the double digits.

“Now do I recommend such monster-jackpot machines? Not really. I like the idea of being able to go to the casinos whenever I wish but never to have to worry about the money I spend. Machines with huge payouts cost a lot of money to play over even relatively short periods of time. Play low and steady and you can have a great casino playing career.

“If you are a video-poker player it is recommended that you play full coin to take advantage of the royal flush amounts. Video poker generally has lower house edges than slots if you play the right strategies.

“On the newer model machines that have tens, perhaps dozens of payout lines, these can be dangerous for you. Even if the machine is a five-center, ten or twenty or more possible lines will come in with the very high five-cent house edges. These can be in double digits. The casino can grind out such machines for a lot of money from the players who enjoy playing them.

“Now to comps: These are not free. You pay for them with your expected loss on the slot machines that you play. Comps are not gifts; they are give-backs. I know a lot of players are under the impression that comps are free. They aren’t. They are costly.

“Take the comps that are offered to you but don’t play for comps. The more economic value in comps, the more losses the casino figures you will have over time. It is a simple equation really: The more a comp is worth, the more the casino will figure you’ll lose. A comped suite is valued more in losses than a comped regular room.

“Yes, I realize that my advice here is extreme and that many slot players just don’t see saving money when they play as more fun than letting it all hang out. Understood.

“Every player has his or her level of joy in their manner of play. It is the player’s money and it can be spent or saved as the player feels.

“We all have to decide these things for ourselves.”

All the best in and out of the casinos!

Frank Scoblete’s web site I www.frankscoblete.com. His books are available at Amazon.com. Barnes and Noble, libraries, Kindle, e-books and at bookstores.