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.

My cousin who lives near Atlantic City was visiting this past week and, of course, the subject of slot machines came up. She commented that it is very easy to lose a lot of money quickly on the video slots when you play max coin.

I've seen it happen myself. I was playing a nickel Monopoly machine with one coin on each line and the fellow next to me was playing full coin. Even though he had over 1,000 credits on the machine, they were gone in less than five minutes. And I was still playing, even though I had far fewer credits than he had when I looked.

Here's a tip to make your money last longer when you play the video slots.

Almost every video slot is a straight multiplier, even in the bonus round. That means that the amount you win is just a simple multiple of the amount you bet on a line. In fact, that's the key phrase to look for: "times your line bet."

You gain no mathematical advantage on these machines by playing more than one coin at a time. Because there is no bonus paid on any combination when you play full coin, the long-term payback will be the same whether you play one coin per line or full coin. So, why play any more than one coin at a time?

This week's tip: On a video slot, play one coin per line to stretch your bankroll.

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

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