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Gaming Guru
Do Girl Games Pay Less Than Guy Games?14 March 2005
Dear Pattie, Most slot managers today order roughly the same payback percentage for all of their machines in a particular denomination. I don't think you'll find any difference in payback between the "guy" games and the "girl" games. You never waste your money when you have fun playing games you like. Best of luck in and out of the casinos,
Dear Odilon, Two friends of mine were in Atlantic City. One got hammered at the tables and lost half his bankroll. My other friend asked him if he wanted to breakeven. He said he did. So my friend took what was left of the other guy's bankroll and bet it all on red at roulette. Red came in and my friend broke even. Your strategy is good if your goal is to have a near 50/50 chance between doubling your money and losing it all. You're much more likely to double your money by putting it all down on one bet than by trying to do it $10 at a time. On the other hand, if you're goal is to minimize losses, extend your playing time, and stretch your bankroll, your strategy is terrible. You'll spend more time walking through the casino to get to your table than you will actually playing at it. As for using this strategy to turn pro, forget it. The only wat to be a professional gambler is to get the odds in your favor by counting cards, controlling dice, playing positive expectation video poker, or playing live poker. Your strategy doesn't do anything to lessen the house edge. Best of luck in and out of the casinos,
Dear Sharon, I can see how you would think that the machine was about to hit the jackpot, but then came to its senses and stopped the reel right next to the jackpot symbol. I don't know how frequently this happens. I also don't know how the machine decides how long a spin is going to last. I'm sure you've also noticed that some spins are over in the blink of an eye, while others seem to play out for a few second. The machine may choose from a collection of programmed spin profiles or it may choose the spin time for each reel at random--or it may use some entirely different method. In any case, the machine is not rigged to keep it from hitting the jackpot. Whatever symbol lands on the payline is the one that one chosen at random--regardless of whether the reel coasts or screeches to a halt. Best of luck in and out of the casinos, Sir, Dear Mickie, Thanks for the kind words about my column. The par sheet describes how the reels are laid out, the probabilities of hitting each winning combination and what they are worth, and thus the long-term payback for a machine. I essence, it contains the same information that is available for each state lottery. The casinos, manufacturers, and gaming regulators have the sheets, but they're not available to the public. Best of luck in and out of the casinos,
Dear JC, Pressing the stop button only cuts out the spinning of the reels (the "show" in manufacturer lingo). It doesn't change the result. Best of luck in and out of the casinos, Send your slot and video poker questions to John Robison, Slot Expert, at slotexpert@comcast.net. Because of the volume of mail I receive, I regret that I can't send a reply to every question. Also be advised that it may take several months for your question to appear in my column. This article is provided by the Frank Scoblete Network. Melissa A. Kaplan is the network's managing editor. If you would like to use this article on your website, please contact Casino City Press, the exclusive web syndication outlet for the Frank Scoblete Network. To contact Frank, please e-mail him at fscobe@optonline.net. Recent Articles
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