Ask The Slot Expert

Dear John,

Some experts say that the best slots to play are the end ones or the most visible ones. I seem to find this a fallacy, especailly at Foxwoods casino. What do you think?

nanaslot

Dear Nanaslot:

I think this advice is outdated. I have attended dozens of seminars about slot machines and slot floor layout in the past three years and only twice has the subject of placing machines with different payback percentages come up. One slot manager said he placed machines that paid back a little less than his other machines in the areas that writers said the loose machines would be in. Another slot manager said he lowered the paybacks on two Five Times Pay machines in a carousel of five and none of the players ever figured out that two of the machines paid back less than the other three.

The truth about loose machines is that it takes 100,000 spins or more for a few percentage points difference in payback to have a greater effect on how much you win than randomness.

In addition, slot managers today order pretty much the same payback percentage for all of their machines. Today's slots are so entertaining, people will continue playing them to get another turn at spinning the wheel or going fishing. In the past, people needed to see or hear someone else winning to give them the incentive to keep playing.

Your results at Foxwoods notwithstanding, it probably won't hurt you to play visible machines or machines at the end of aisles, but they're not necessarily the best ones to play.

Best of luck in and out of the casinos!
John

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

For more information about slots and video poker, we recommend: