The one-bet rule at slots

19 June 2018

By Frank Scoblete

FROM JUNE: I have enjoyed your columns and books but I do have a serious question. You seem to be the only gambling writer who says to make only one credit bets on slot machines; in old terminology, you eschew full coin. All the other writers always say play full coin to be able to get the increased percentage win on the jackpot.

Why have you switched your advice and gone against the norm?

FRANK RESPONDS: I know my one-bet advice at first seems radical but overall it is the best way to play games where you don’t have an edge. The less you bet – and the one-bet rule means in any given period of time you will bet less, often far less than you normally would – the less money the house edge grinds away at.

There are some wrinkles in my slot machine advice, and I think these wrinkles are important to iron out. First and foremost, I do not recommend playing linked progressives with those million-dollar jackpots or any progressive slot machine for that matter because generating those giant jackpots costs the player a hefty hit. These machines can be returning about 85 to 88 percent. That is a high house edge.

I also think those penny, nickel and dime machines that can gobble up dollars’ worth of coins per spin should be put on the don’t-play shelf. The house edges on these machines are quite high as well.

Now for the one-credit/coin advice: Select machines that are equally distributed in payouts. Using the traditional three-credit/coin machine you would see something such as the following: one credit/coin pays 200; two credits/coins pay 400; three credits/coins pay 600. Note that there is no reward for playing maximum credits or coins. So why do so? You are risking three times the money; losing three times as much. Bet one credit/coin and you have reduced your hit by two-thirds. Playing the same number of hours as you usually do, you get the thrill of the chase but much less of any possible beating.

Yes, I also recommend playing one credit/coin in machines that offer more money on the full-credits/coins jackpot line. Playing three times the money to reduce the house edge by a miniscule fraction of a percent isn’t worth losing almost three times the money. If you play four hours a day that jackpot line is meaningless. Reducing the amount you are playing will save you a fortune over time.

So there you have it. I recommend one credit/coin on the slot machines I’ve singled out.

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, Kindle, Barnes and Noble, and at bookstores.