Long-term paybacks on three-coin machines
18 September 2010
By John Robison
On a three-coin machine, how is the payback percent calculated? It seems to me that if you don't play the max, the payback percent would be lower.
You're absolutely right. The long-term payback on a three-coin machine can be lower when you play one or two coins instead of three. Whenever the amount paid for a winning combination changes from one coin to another, the long-term paybacks for the two coins will be different.
The par sheet for a three-coin machine -- or any multi-coin machine, for that matter -- will list the long-term paybacks for each number of coins you can play on the machine when the long-term paybacks differ.
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. Because of the volume of mail I receive, I regret that I can't reply to every question.
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John Robison is an expert on slot machines and how to play them. John is a slot and video poker columnist and has written for many of gaming’s leading publications. He holds a master's degree in computer science from the prestigious Stevens Institute of Technology. You may hear John give his slot and video poker tips live on The Good Times Show, hosted by Rudi Schiffer and Mike Schiffer, which is broadcast from Memphis on KXIQ 1180AM Friday afternoon from from 2PM to 5PM Central Time. John is on the show from 4:30 to 5. You can listen to archives of the show on the web anytime.
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