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John Robison Gaming Guru - Page 3  Ask the Slot Expert: My Spin Poker machine froze in the middle of a hand27 May 2026
Question: Thank you for your great insight into slot/poker machines!
I just read the column about malfunctioning machines. Here’s my story.
I wasn’t playing high stakes poker so the final “win” doesn’t matter. It’s the principle of the matter.
Here’s the hand that I was dealt when the machine froze. ... (read more)
Ask the Slot Expert: Does a slot machine malfunction when it is not configured properly?20 May 2026
I received an email from a paralegal asking if I would speak with her about a denied jackpot case in which her attorney was representing the person who was denied the jackpot. We set up a time for her to call me.
The appointed time came and went with no call from her. Fifteen minutes late and still no call. ... (read more)
Ask the Slot Expert: Another slot machine malfunction with a happy ending13 May 2026
Question: I just read your article about slot machines malfunctioning. I have a story to tell you. I don’t know every detail but I still think you’ll find it interesting.
My friend was in a bonus round on an Aristocrat machine. I don’t know which one. This was at a Seminole casino in Florida. ... (read more)
Ask the Slot Expert: Getting data from slots before they talked6 May 2026
Slot machine malfunctions are extraordinarily rare. That rarity, I think, makes them newsworthy when they happen, though perhaps only when there is a disputed jackpot.
I once played a machine that unequivocally malfunctioned.
It was a Quick Hit Blitz machine. I hit the bonus round multiple times. ... (read more)
Ask the Slot Expert: On the slot floor, sometimes the grass is greener on the other side29 April 2026
A long time ago, in a casino far, far away...
Actually, it was in The Mirage about 30 years ago. I was walking through the casino with my cousin's boyfriend.
As we passed a bank of upright video poker machines, he said, "I like to play those Draw Poker machines." Draw Poker was the name on the top glass.
... (read more)
Ask the Slot Expert: Advantage slot play for everyone22 April 2026
In my unpublished book on video poker, which may never get to the printed page, I wrote that the casino will let you get the edge over it, but it won't make it easy.
Card counters at the Blackjack table can determine when the odds have shifted in their favor and thus raise their bets.
(A quick aside: One ... (read more)
Ask the Slot Expert: Here yesterday, gone today - Part 215 April 2026
Last week I asked you to think about things that used to be on the casino floor but are not there today.
My example last week was the Cash/Credit button on some slot machines. Someone realized that slot players could play faster if machines didn't have to drop coins for a win and players didn't have to insert coins for each spin. ... (read more)
Ask the Slot Expert: Here yesterday, gone today8 April 2026
Jack White's keyboard player had a short organ solo in the middle of White's first song on the April 4, 2026, Saturday Night Live. I wanted to watch him play, but a few seconds into the passage the director cut to a shot of the drummer, who was just providing a background beat.
I get mad when a director ... (read more)
Ask the Slot Expert: Going beyond just seeing the future on a slot machine1 April 2026
Last week I described a parlor trick in which, under certain circumstances, you could see into the future on a slot machine and know whether you were going to get a bonus on a spin before the machine has revealed that result.
Let's take it one step further this week.
I'll begin by describing an experiment.
... (read more)
Ask the Slot Expert: Seeing into the future on a slot machine25 March 2026
One tip that gaming writers give to help players stretch their bankrolls is to play more slowly. Do anything to slow down the rate of play. Things like: taking a sip of your beverage or looking around the casino at regular intervals (possibly can be done), pausing between plays (very difficult not to speed ... (read more)
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