Dear Mark,
Today's machines seem so complicated.
Lines going everywhere, coin amounts needed to insert confusing,
and of course, try figuring out the payoffs. Most confusing though
is multipliers and multiple paylines machines. Help!
Also, is there any consistent way to win at playing these new
machines?
Helen G.
Slots, Helen, like burnt toast,
haven't really changed that much over the years. They all work
the same way; you kiss a coin a fond farewell, insert it, pull
the handle, and fish through pocket or purse for more money. If,
by some weird brain short circuits, you think you have any chance
of winning consistently, not a chance.
The only consistent winners at slots are the casino owners. Both
the slots of old and today's cybernetic one-armed bandits are
machines designed by wizards not, wherefore, you should never,
ever, think you can beat these gambling marvels with regularity.
As to multipliers and multiple payline machines, here's the skinny.
A multiplier is a machine that has a given payout for a certain
symbol, and the number of coins you play multiplies it. For example,
If the machine pays five coins for three bars when you play one
coin, it would pay 10 for the second coin and 15 for three coins
played. What I like about this machine is that it does not penalize
you for NOT playing maximum coins.
If you are the type of player who typically plays one coin at
a time, this is the type of machine you should look for. However,
Helen, if you tend to play the maximum amount, look for a Bonus
Multiplier machine. This machine operates like the multiplier
except that it offers a bonus when you play maximum coins and
hit the jackpot. Three treasure chests may pay 1,000 for one coin,
2,000 for two coins and 10,000 for maximum coins. As plain as
day, the bonus makes it clearly worth going for the max.
As for a Multiple Payline machines, they have more than one line
of play, and each coin inserted activates a particular line. If
you hit a winner on an activated line, whoopee!, but winning on
a non-activated line gets you nothing.
All of the slot machines, Helen, have the information you need
posted somewhere on the front. Before you sit down to play, I
recommend taking a moment and studying the machine. True, some
of the older machines had but three lines and some of the newer
slots have lines criss-crossing in every direction, but if you
just take the time to educate yourself on any machine you're tempted
to play, you will become a smarter player (Now, there's an oxymoron
to treasure: a smart slot player.) and this will help you pick
the machine that is best for you.
Dear Mark,
While watching the World Poker Tour on the Travel Channel, they
used the term "belly buster." The game was moving so
fast that I did not quite get what they meant by that term. So,
what is a belly buster? Chuck R.
That's nicey talk for the gut
shot, Chuck,. A belly buster is a draw to an inside straight;
a straight that can be made only with a card of one rank, usually
somewhere in the middle. For example, you are holding a nine-eight-six
and a five, and only the seven will give you a straight. Then
there's the double belly buster. An example of a double belly
buster would be a queen-ten-nine-eight and a six. This is technically
an open-ended straight because either the jack or seven would
make your hand.
Gambling quote of the week: "A man who can play delightfully
on his guitar and keep a knife in his boot would make an excellent
poker player." Winner J. Florence, Handbook for Poker (1891)