Japanese Slots, Number of Coins, Slot Paybacks

Are we so dumb that we need the Japanese to make our slot machines too?

They have invaded every aspect of our society while keeping us pretty much out of theirs. Even when we get into their economy, we are so overpriced no one will buy it? What gives?

If it's any consolation, IGT (an American company) is far and away the largest supplier of slots to American casinos and has far more machines on slot floors than any other manufacturer.

It's not that we need the Japanese to build our slot machines, the situation is that Japanese video game companies realized that designing a slot machine has much in common with designing a coin-operated video game and they saw a new market for their talents. There were also inspired, no doubt, by the fact that IGT's Vice President of Design and Engineering, Joe Kaminkow, designed coin-operated video games for Sega.

Best of luck in and out of the casinos,
John

Dear Sir,

I visit the casino about once every two months and I limit my losses. Sometimes I win. I'm not a cheapskate but I play mostly the nickel slots.

I like to play the Double Diamond Deluxe five-coin, one payline slot. My question is, does it influence your chances of winning if you bet maximum (five coins) or minimum (one coin)?

Thank you.

It doesn't matter how many coins you play. The outcome is determined by a number from the Random Number Generator (RNG), and the RNG isn't affected by the number of coins you play, whether you're using a slot club card, whether you've won or lost--or any other outside influence.

Best of luck in and out of the casinos,
John

John,

I'm sure all video poker players would like this info.

Is there a publication that tells the payouts for different regions? There's no use going to new casinos if all you find is 8-5 and 6-5 payouts. Knowing you had a chance with full-pay machines would make trips desireable.

If you know of a publication please inform. We "hungry for data" video poker players thank you.

"Chappy" from Ohio

Dear Chappy,

The source I use to find out which casinos have high-paying games in different regions is Skip Hughes' Video Poker Homepage (www.vphomepage.com). Skip's scouts keep his site up-to-date with the best machines found in casinos all over the U.S. Skip's site is a subscription site. Subscriptions cost $55-$80 per year depending on which features you want.

Many regions also have sites that video poker players have set up to let other players know which casinos have high-paying machines. Go to a search engine and enter the region and "video poker" (e.g., Tunica video poker) and you should find a couple of sites in each region.

Best of luck in and out of the casinos,
John

Hi John,

Do you find that five-dollar machines pay better than, say, dollar machines on the average?

Also do you find a difference between Indian-run casinos and the regular casinos as far a pay back?

Thanks,
Vicky

Dear Vicky,

It's true that $5 machines tend to pay back more than dollar machines. You can see that in the slot payback figures printed in Casino Player and Strictly Slots magazines and on various state websites.

To answer your second question, I've found that whether the casino is owned by a Native American tribe or a publicly traded corporation has no effect on the paybacks. Competitive pressure determines the paybacks.

Best of luck in and out of the casinos,
John

Hello John,

My wife and I really enjoy reading your newsletters!

With all the questions about controlling the slot machines on the floor, I know you'll be interested in the latest computer control from WMS. You can see it at: http://www.wmsgaming.com/tech_cpunxt.htm

Some features:
Ethernet connectivity
Game changes and OS updates without removing the CPU board

Best Regards,
MF

Dear MF,

Thanks for the kind words about the newsletter and thanks for the heads up about the page on the WMS Gaming site. I hadn't been to WMS's site for quite a while and I like its new look.

Best of luck in and out of the casinos,
John

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