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Slot Play Plan

20 March 2021

Casinos love slot machines, patrons love slot machines. Why would a new casino install 1,000, 2,000 or 3,000 machines unless they consider them a good deal for the casino.

Today, slots bring over 60% of the casino’s entire total gaming revenue. You also need to know that slot machines are a losing game for the player. There never has been a machine built to favor the player, and you will never see one on the gaming floor in any casino in the world.

As I said earlier, people love to play them. If you are a player, then you should know there are some things that can help reduce your losses and maybe help you to be a winner. Every player has some special technique they use to “win” at slots. Some are for discipline purposes; others are just old habits acquired years ago.

Here are some of my tips you should consider on the visit to a bank of slots:

A good rule of thumb is to decide that each slot 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 your 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.

For example, if you arrive in Las Vegas, Reno or Atlantic City, with an $800 gambling bankroll and plan to stay for four days. That would allow for $200 per day to be wagered. You decide you want to play three sessions each day. This means you can afford to lose $65 per session. Using this information, you would want to play the twenty-five cent slots.

Always read the machines payout table prior to inserting any money. The maximum amount of coins to be played is sometimes determined by the number of pay lines. Always play the maximum coins on any given machine. Most modern slot machines will pay the maximum, ONLY if the maximum coins have been inserted. As you increase your bankroll with winnings, you can advance to progressive and higher denomination machines.

Today, you can go on the Internet and find lots of information on slot returns organized by state. There are also newsletters and monthly magazines that list what the slot machine payout percentages are by state, areas, and in some cases individual casinos. My advice is to obtain this valuable information and use it when considering where you want to play.

Always pull the handle while playing if your machine has a handle (most don't anymore). When manufactures put the spin button on the slot machines it really helped to speed the game up, and added more income for the casino. Next, take your time when ordering a drink from the cocktail waitress. Lastly, if the machine is paying off you can reserve it when you have to go to the rest room. Just call over the service person and tell them to reserve it for you.

The biggest mistake that you can make playing slots is not leaving when you’re winning. To avoid this mistake, smart players will use the credit meter to help keep track of where they stand. Play the coins (or Ticket In/Out) in your hand, not on the credits.

Once you have accumulated a profit from playing only the best machines in the above manner, it's time to move up to a higher-denomination machine or to the progressives playing the exact same way as the lower-denomination machines.

BET YOU DIDN"T KNOW

• May 4, 2004 A patent was taken out for slot machine ticket-in/ticket-out capabilities. This revolutionized coinless operations for slots in the casino world.

• To keep ahead, don’t play with the credits that are accumulating in the machine. It’s the only way to keep score while you’re playing.

• Only play three-reel machines. Normally, the odds are 8,000 to 1 to hit a jackpot. The odds go to 160,000 to 1 on four-reel slots and in the millions to 1 for five reels.

• Join all the slots clubs offered by the casinos. You will get back some of your investment in the form of comps. Joining is free.

• Play in slot tournaments. Normally the entry fee is reasonable and the wins are high. Ask about tournaments whenever you visit a casino. They are fun and inexpensive.

• The approximately 5,000 slot machines currently operated by the military at overseas clubs generated millions which is used for morale, welfare and recreation activities for the troops. All at no cost to tax payers.

• Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun Casinos in Connecticut were completely coinless (only use ticket In/Out -paper) by the end of 2007. Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun are two of the biggest casinos in the world and they have a combined 9,800 slot machines between them.

• Feb. 3, 1989 Donald Sarbough, a down and out gambler who for six years slept on a pile of newspapers in a recycling plant, spent his $150 a weekly social security pay playing slots. He hit the Megabuck machine in the Palace Station casino in Las Vegas for $2.7 million.

• After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake local preachers and clergymen blamed the event as God’s wrath over the sins of the city. A year later the city outlawed all slot machines.

• As early as 1929, Charles Fey, the builder of the first slot machine, built the first slot machine to take a silver dollar.
John Marchel
John Marchel is an author, speaker, teacher and player -- what John plays are casino games. He’s been a casino player for over 25 years and has played successfully in Europe, Panama, the Caribbean, Canada, Atlantic City, Las Vegas, on Indian reservations, cruise ships and in over 350 casinos throughout the US. He is also the author of six books about gambling, and has written numerous magazine articles and is currently a columnist for three gambling magazines and one internet magazine.

Since 1988 John has combined his experience as a manager, teacher and player to present seminars and lectures about gambling. In addition, John has had an Internet website since 1995 that offers books, special reports and tips about gambling. He also publishes a monthly Internet gambling newsletter. The newsletter keeps subscribers alert to trends, information and winning techniques that allows them to be more successful when visiting casinos.

John Marchel Websites:

johnmarchelgambling.com

Books by John Marchel:

KISS Guide to Gambling

> More Books By John Marchel

John Marchel
John Marchel is an author, speaker, teacher and player -- what John plays are casino games. He’s been a casino player for over 25 years and has played successfully in Europe, Panama, the Caribbean, Canada, Atlantic City, Las Vegas, on Indian reservations, cruise ships and in over 350 casinos throughout the US. He is also the author of six books about gambling, and has written numerous magazine articles and is currently a columnist for three gambling magazines and one internet magazine.

Since 1988 John has combined his experience as a manager, teacher and player to present seminars and lectures about gambling. In addition, John has had an Internet website since 1995 that offers books, special reports and tips about gambling. He also publishes a monthly Internet gambling newsletter. The newsletter keeps subscribers alert to trends, information and winning techniques that allows them to be more successful when visiting casinos.

John Marchel Websites:

johnmarchelgambling.com

Books by John Marchel:

101 Casino Gambling Tips: Affordable Strategies & Techniques for Maximizing Profits & Reducing Loses

> More Books By John Marchel