The Slot Expert's Guide to Winning at Slots and Video Poker

You can hear me give my slot and video poker tips live on The Good Times Show, hosted by Rudi Schiffer with Frank Scoblete, which is broadcast live from Memphis on WHBQ over the air on 560AM and over the Internet on Yahoo! Broadcast on Saturday morning from 8-10 CT.

The expected loss formula tells how much you will lose, on the average, playing a game in a casino. If you look at this formula from the other side of the fence, that is, from the casino's point of view, it's called the expected win formula and it's how casinos pay for lights and air conditioning.

The expected loss formula is simply this: Your expected loss playing a game is the number of decisions per hour times the number of hours you play times your bet per decision times the house edge.

This series of tips deals with stretching your bankroll, that is, limiting your losses, by changing the variables in the formula.

This week, let's look at the second variable: the number of hours you play.

When you play a game in which the house has an edge, the more decisions you have, the more chances the casino has to take its bite out of your bankroll. Last week I suggested slowing down the pace of the game to cut down on the number of decisions. That's not always possible, so this week I suggest playing fewer hours.

When we looked at slowing down the pace of the game, we looked at ways to increase the time between decisions. Now let's look at ways to increase the time between sessions.

All players can take a little extra time when switching tables or machines. Instead of going right to your next session, you can take a quick walk around the casino. You can include non-gaming activities in your time at the casino. Instead of playing all the time from the moment you set foot in the casino to the time you leave, make plans for a leisurely lunch or mid-afternoon snack at one of the casino's restaurants. Or take the time to have a nice dinner. When the weather is nice, you might be able to walk around the casino's grounds. See a casino show. Relax in one of the casino's bars. See a movie, if the casino has a movie theater. Finally, some casinos have traveling exhibits that you can view.

You can still have a full day out at the casino without spending every minute playing.

This week's bankroll-stretching tip: Include non-gaming activities in your casino visits.

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

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