Slot tournament advice

I am planning to be in a $100,000 slot tournament over Memorial Weekend. I have been told the faster you hit the spin button, the better score you will get. Is this true? Are there any pointers you can give me?

Thanks,
Sharon

Dear Sharon,

The faster you hit the spin button, the more spins you can complete in the time alloted for your session. The more spins you have, the more chances you have at hitting a winning combination. But your score won't necessarily be better.

I've played in many slot tournaments. I've seen people hit the Spin button constantly during the sessions. I've also seen people wait until the reels stop spinning before pressing the Spin button. Unfortunately, there's no correlation between method and score. Sometimes the waiters hit more jackpots than the hitters and the hitters can't catch them even though they had an extra spin or two in the session.

Nevertheless, keeping the reels moving is the best advice I have. The extra spin you have over someone who is not as vigilant in keeping the reels spinning just might be the difference between a middle-of-the-pack score and a first-place score. You don't have to hit the Spin button constantly. If the machines award credits one at a time, use the time it takes for the machine to count out high-value jackpots to rest. If the machines award credits all at once, you'll have to wait until the end of the session to rest.

That brings me to another bit of advice. Arrive early enough to be able to watch a session or two before yours. Listen to the instructions, watch the other players and watch how the machines operate so you'll know what to do and what will happen during your session.

Best of luck in your tournament,
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.