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Gaming Guru
Is a Loud Machine a Loose Machine?24 July 2004
Thanks for sharing your procedures with us. The questions that prompted Dave's e-mail had to do with whether loud machines are any looser than quiet machines and a reader's comment that he thought a casino swapped chips after verifying a jackpot.
Dear Laura, Gee, you ask a lot of questions for a cheese head from Wisconsin. Seriously, thanks for the kind words about my column and my book. I'm sorry that I couldn't answer your letter before your trip. Generally speaking, the locals casinos in Las Vegas have better paybacks than the strip casinos. Keep in mind, though, that the promotions at the locals casinos are geared more for the frequent visitor than the tourist. Casinos constantly change their machines, so I hesitate to say that a casino has a particular machine. Casinos don't change their video poker machines as frequently plus I have good sources that can tell me a casino's current video poker offerings, so I will say what video poker machines a casino has. As for the number of coins to play, the only advantage to altering your bet and not playing max all the time is that you lower your risk a little. Altering your bet won't confuse the RNG into being generous, contrary to the myth. I suggest you search on this site for my series called The Best Number of Coins to Play. I have specific recommendations for the number of coins to play per spin for the different types of machines in the casino. What do I think of live keno? I think it's an oxymoron. At least it's a good thing live keno moves so slowly. That offsets the high house edge against you. My publisher, Anthony Curtis, does have one good thing to say about live keno. It's the cheapest way to get a couple of free drinks from the casino because you'll make very few bets in the time it takes you to get your drinks. Strictly Slots does not list paybacks for Wisconsin. That means that the state does not release payback figures. Best of luck in and out of the casinos,
Dear Kevin, I would think that anyone working in casino management should have a solid background in probability. Yet, if I remember correctly, probability was not a requirement in the casino management degree from the University of Nevada until recently. I suggest you check out the Hotel Administration college at the UNLV site (www.unlv.edu) to see the courses in its curriculum. Then I suggest finding a local college that offers similar courses. Best of luck in your career,
Dear Peggy, No. The casino reports wins to the IRS only when you get a W-2G, which the casino has to issue for any slot jackpot of $1200 or more. Best of luck in and out of the casinos,
Dear Carol, Not only are there $10 and $20 slots, there are $25 and even $100 slots. Generally speaking, $5 machines tend to pay back a little more than $1 machines. The higher payback, however, is nowhere near enough to make up for the fact that you're risking five times as much per spin (that is, the house edge is not cut to one-fifth that of the dollar machine). It's not worth jumping from dollar machines to $5 machines to increase your payback from, say, 95% to 97%. 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 two or more 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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