Slots
Myths Debunked
Many
myths around slots machines have sprung up
over the years. What follows is a compilation
of some of the most common slots myths and
their explanation.
Warm
tokens mean the machine is about to pay
off:
False. This myth is based on the theory
that, since the coins have been in the machine
long enough to get warm, it must be "ready"
to pay off. There are half a dozen explanations
for the tokens being warm, none of which
have anything to do with the machine being
"primed" to pay off. You leave
a cold machine, the next player wins your
jackpot: False. The slots machine's program
decides where the reels will stop at the
instant the player pulls the handle or presses
the play button. Only if you were going
to press the button at the exact millisecond
that the winning player did would you be
in line for his jackpot.
Using
a Player's Club Card decreases the potential
payoff:
False. When you insert your player's card
in the slots, the player's club computer
is notified that you are playing at a certain
machine. Your amount of play, wins, and
losses is also recorded as long as your
card in in the reader. This entire operation
is totally separate from any other function
of the slots machine. It has no affect on
payouts whatsoever.
Casinos
control the payout and can switch the machines
on and off (to pay) at will:
False. There are no switches in a central
office, and no dip switches in the machine.
The payouts are set at the factory and can
only be changed by swapping motherboards.
This cannot be done without the approval
of the state gaming board.
Slots
pay more if the player plays off the credit
meter rather than inserting the tokens by
hand:
False. The reverse, that playing off the
credit meter is more profitable, is also
false. The program running the slots machine
has no idea how the credits arrived, and
it doesn't care. The method of betting has
nothing to do with where the reels stop.
A
hot machine will stay hot:
False. Some players subscribe to the pay
cycle/take cycle theory. If true this theory
holds that a hot machine will stay hot,
for a time. That time might be one more
pull or a hundred more pulls. Certainly
not enough to bank on.
A
cold machine is due to get hot:
True. But when it gets hot is an open question.
A machine could be cold for five thousand
pulls. After the first thousand, you could
say that is due to get hot, and that is
true, but maybe not for another four thousand
pulls, long after you are out of money.
It
is easier to manipulate an electronic machine
with a video screen than a reel machine:
False. They are both governed by a computer
program that is set up at the factory, the
whole process being inspected by the state
gaming authority. The program running a
video screen is no more susceptible to manipulation
that one running a reel machine.
Casinos
reward or punish players by observing them
and hitting a jackpot button:
False. There are no "jackpot buttons"
or dip switches that can change the payout
characteristics of a slots machine on the
fly.
Slots
machines pay off more often at maximum coin
than minimum coin:
False. The amount bet has nothing to do
with where the reels stop. However, jackpots
get progressively higher as more coins are
bet. It is true that slots pay off more
at maximum coin, but not more often.
Each
machine has a sequence of outcomes that
can be determined if the player is patient
enough:
False. Each outcome (pull) is a random event.
The sequence of outcomes is as random as
mathematics and computer programming can
make them.
Slots
machines are the worst gamble in the house:
False. Many slots return up to 97% to the
player. A miniscule 3% advantage to the
casino. Keno, the Big Wheel, many bets on
the craps table are not as good as that.
Pulling
the handle in a certain way will bring better
results:
False. The slots machine program does not
care how the handle is pulled.
A
machine that has just paid shouldn't be
played:
False. Every pull is a random event. Over
time a machine with a 92% payback will pay
back 92% regardless of when, in it's life,
you begin to play.
Players
win more on dollar machines:
True. For two reasons, one the payback percentages
are usually higher (97%+) on dollar machines,
and the absolute amounts of the wagers being
placed are also higher. Conversely, players
lose more on dollar machines because the
amounts bet are higher.