Ask The Slot Expert

Dear John,

Should I play one coin or full coin in slots and video poker. Since I consider you an expert, I would be interetsed in your comments. I hope you get time to read and comment.

Thank you,
Harvey

Dear Harvey:

It is not always in the player's best interest to play maximum coin and I cover this in detail in my book, The Slot Expert's Guide to Slots, published by Huntington Press. I also covered the subject in a series of tips on the Games pages last year. You can find them by going to the Search page and searching for these keywords: best coin play.

The important number to the player is loss per hour, which is a function of the house edge, the amount wagered per decision, and the number of decisions per hour. Players have the most control over the amount they bet and how quickly they play. One of the best ways to cut your losses is to give less action by playing only one coin at a time. Another way, which is a bit more difficult, is to play full coin very slowly. This way, you give the same action as if you played only one coin at a time and you get the same amount of playing time.

Frank and I think the best machines to play are straight multipliers, like a 2-coin Double Diamond. The payoffs on additional coins on these machines are straight multiples of the one-coin payoffs. You can play one coin at a time on these machines and get the same payback as if you played full coin, but with much less risk. In fact, I played a 5-coin Wild & Loose straight multiplier one coin at a time just a few days ago.

Hit the jackpot,
John

Send your slot and video poker questions to John Robison, Slot Expert, at slotexpert@home.com.

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