Managing Your Slot Machine Game

8 May 2021

By John Marchel

There is an old expression which says: “winning is not that difficult in a casino, what is difficult is leaving with your winnings.” That saying is true for playing slots as well as any other game. What can you do to help you leave a winner? Consider some of the following tips and techniques when playing the slots.

Playing what you can afford.

Play the highest-denomination machines that fit into your bankroll. The higher the denomination, the higher the percentage of the payout. Therefore, if you can afford it, play the dollar slots in the best locations (Those that advertise high returns and those listed in various publications).

If that's too steep for your bankroll, drop down to the quarter machines or to nickels. Once you know where the loose machines are located, you need to decide which denomination machines to play based on your bankroll and comfort level.

Coin denomination.

Playing at higher levels has no impact on what the odds are in any other game except slots. Quarter machines will pay out more than nickels. Dollar slots are looser then quarter machines and $5 ones will be even looser. Consider this when getting ready to play.

Play per hour.

The following figures will give you an idea of how much of a bankroll is needed for each type of machine based on a three-coin maximum bet with ten spins per minute at a 90% payout rate:

Nickel machine: $9.00 per hour
Quarter machine: $45.00 per hour
One-dollar machine: $180.00 per hour
Five-dollar machine: $900.00 per hour

Making a plan. You should decide that each session is to be approximately an hour long. Figure what the total number of sessions will be for your trip. This is derived at by dividing their total bankroll by the number of days of your visit. Then divide the daily allowance by the number sessions per day to be spent playing.

BET YOU DIDN'T KNOW

• In October 2008, a 71-year-old woman identified only as Beverly, has an interest in both gambling and astrology. After noting her horoscope predicted something good would happen, she headed to Santa Fe Station’s slots room in La Vegas. Once there, she staked just $9 on her favorite machine, a progressive jackpot game known as Millioni$er. Her small investment attracted an excellent rate of return, as she won a $1,236,985.35 jackpot.

• Nevada has two Native American tribal casinos, one in Laughlin and another in Moapa.

• The bar symbol used on modern slot machines is derived from the Bell Fruit Gum logo. The gum was dispensed in slots designed by Herbert Mills in Chicago in 1910, and other fruit symbols on slots were derived from the various gum flavors.

• Besides making coin-operated slot machines, Charles Fey, who ordinally invented the slot machine, also make dice, poker, roulette and even pistol rage coin-operated machines.

• Around 1911 Chicago became the slot machine manufacture capital of the nation after California banned all slots in the state.

• Slot machines share of casino floor space has grown to about 70 percent. In fact, in Atlantic City slots produce 70 percent of the casino’s total revenue.

• When WWII came to America, slot machine manufactures stopped making slots and began making war material. The Mills slot machine company made 40 different products for the War Department.

• Many say playing on penny machines is a cheap way to play. Is it really? On a 20-line machine that you play at the rate of 500 spins per hour. If you were to wager one penny on each line per spin you would be betting $100 per hour. If you were to play a regular three-reel quarter machine for a single coin each pull you would be risking $125 per hour.

• Montana has only one “official” casino at KwaTaqNuk Resort on Flathead Lake in Polson. The 2,000 square foot casino features 46 slots and is open 24 hours.

• The important thing to remember are the average payouts around the country seem to be about 88 percent for penny machines and 92 percent for the quarter slots.