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John Robison Gaming Guru  Ask the Slot Expert: I see casino equivalents in everyday things12 November 2025
By John Robison Sometimes I think that maybe I've been writing about gaming for too long. I see parallels between practically anything in real life and the casino. For example, I binged a Brit game show called 007:Road to a Million a few months ago. I mentioned it in some columns. Two-person teams perform some James Bond-inspired challenge -- some more Bondian than others -- to win money. The show was on for two seasons (so far). The producers changed the format of the show completely from the first to the second season. In the first season, the teams competed separately and had no knowledge of how well other teams were doing or if they had been eliminated by not completing a challenge. The teams competed against each other in the second season. The second season format reminded me of a slot tournament. Players compete against each other in a tournament. One player's good fortunate means that you move lower down the prize ladder. The first season is like every day casino play. You have no idea -- and probably don't care -- how other players are doing. Another player's good or bad luck has no effect on your results. Cleaning out my DVR, I recently watched Vegas: The Story of Sin City, a CNN documentary. The third episode explored the corporatization of the casino industry. When of the talking heads on the show said that when the corporations came in in the 1970s, casinos started to appeal to the middle class. Glitz and glamour gave way to...polyester.
The fourth episode explored the rise of the mega-resort. When you have thousands of rooms to fill, you have to appeal to many income levels. The real life analog? Jumbo jets. Flying used to be reserved for the wealthy. Even in the early 70s it was a special experience to take a plane. I remember my mother making me wear school clothes (we also dressed nicely for school back then) for my first plane trip. Bigger planes meant lower fares and air travel was now affordable for more people. The days of dressing up for a plane trip are long gone. Playing a slot machine is like buying stocks. You don't know how much you're going to make or lose each day. Cashback, on the other hand, is like buying bonds or putting money in a savings account. You get a guaranteed return for your investment. The current government shutdown even inspired a casino comparison. The Senate is supposed to be the more deliberative body and the House more raucous. Video poker is the more deliberative game on the slot floor. You have to think about which cards you're going to hold on each hand. Playing a slot, on the other hand, is pretty much press and pray. Pareidolia is the term for seeing a familiar pattern in a random or ambiguous visual stimulus, like seeing faces on toast or a potato chip that looks like Darth Vader. Perhaps I have casino-dolia -- seeing casino equivalents in real life. If you would like to see more non-smoking areas on slot floors in Las Vegas, please sign my petition on change.org. Send your slot and video poker questions to John Robison, Slot Expert™, at slotexpert@slotexpert.com.
Ask the Slot Expert: How does a casino determine its return to player5 November 2025
Question: I never thought much about Return to Player (RTP) regarding slot machines. Only when seeing stats a while ago about the various percentages in casinos on the strip, downtown, or off strip, did I realize how little I know about it and am curious.
For example:
How do casinos determine ... (read more)
Ask the Slot Expert: Steve Wynn - not the first29 October 2025
One of my favorite programs is Connections, written and presented by science historian James Burke. An underlying theme of this program and his other programs is that the image of the lone inventor, tinkering away in his or her garage, basement or laboratory and single-handedly creating an invention or making a scientific discovery is a myth. ... (read more)
Ask the Slot Expert: How do you choose when your choice doesn't matter?22 October 2025
Rarely in life do you have to choose between two options and it doesn't matter which one you pick. Door A or Door B. They're both either a year's supply of tuna fish or new cars. Pick one or the other. It doesn't matter.
How do you choose which one to pick?
Playing NSU Deuces, you'll find many instances ... (read more)
Hit Frequency, Reno, Atlantic City, Double UpHi there, Has there ever been any research done into what number of times a slot machine will pay "anything" during one hundred spins on the average? I have counted many times and find the average slot machine will pay roughly 16 times out of 100 spins. That includes winning a lowly cherry return to a bigger win. ... (read more)Slot Machine Pay OffDear John, In reference to the reader's question about slot machines where you play for gold or silver tokens: In Las Vegas, many of the casinos have 25-cent slots that pay off a $10 jackpot with a $10 silver souvenir token. ... (read more)Declare Your Independence from the SlotsOn this Independence Day as we celebrate 226 years of independence from the tyranny of the British, consider making your own Declaration of Independence from the tyranny of the slot machines. You don't have to stop playing machines altogether. Just switch to playing video ... (read more)Guide to Winning at Slots: The Best Number of Coins to PlayEvery casino guide to gaming recommends playing maximum coins on all slot machines. And almost everyone who's written a book about slots also recommends playing maximum coins when playing a slot machine. I analyzed over 1,000 slot machine programs and I discovered that ... (read more)John Robison |
John Robison |
