By Bill Burton
Many of the nickel and penny slot machines have a higher hit frequency, which means you will have many smaller wins but not as many big jackpots. How To Help Your Payback Percentages If you still honestly believe that your casino is lowering the return rate on the slot machines you have several courses of action.
Over the last year, I have heard many players complain that they are not having as many jackpots on the slot machinesas they used to have. I first heard this from a few of my friends who said they believed that the casinos were tightening the machines because the bad economy was forcing people to make fewertrips to the casino. I did not pay too much attention to this but then I started to notice other players posting the same opinions on several Internet forums.
It seems many of the players have come to believe that every casino was lowering the paybackpercentage on all of their machines.
A month ago I was contacted by a newspaper reporter from Colorado who requested an interview with me. He said he was writing a story about the casinos lowering the payback on the slot machinesthat were making it harder for the players to win. He wanted my opinion on the subject and he was surprised by my answer.
Why Players Win Fewer Jackpots
I told him I do believe that some casinos may be ordering new machines with lower payout percentages but I did not believe that this was the main reason why players may not be winning as muchas they used to. I gave him the following reasons for my answer.
Over the years there have been many myths associated with casino gambling. One of the most common ones is the belief that a casino can raise and lower a machine's payback with the flip of aswitch. This is not true because the slot machines have a computer chip in them that determines the pay back percentage. These are set at the factory.
In order for a casino to change the pay back, they would have to change the chip. In most jurisdictions, there is paperwork that has to be filled and submitted to the Casino Control Commissionfor each machine if the chip is changed. It is time-consuming and the chips are very expensive. For this reason, the cost of changing the chip in numerous machines on the casino floor does notmake economical sense.
Many of the gambling jurisdictions around the country require the casinos to report the overall payout percentages on a monthly basis. (California is not one of the States) These figures are amatter of public record and are published in some newspapers and gaming publications. I looked back on these figures over the last year and saw that there was very little change in most casinosaround the country. In some instances, there were even some of the payback percentages had increased.
A reason why some players feel that they may not be winning as often is the fact that many players are making fewer trips to the casino so they are not playing as many sessions. So because theyare playing fewer sessions they will see fewer big jackpots and fewer winning sessions overall. It is all proportional.
Some players may have decided to play lower denomination machines. Many of the nickel and penny slot machines have a higher hit frequency, which means you will have many smaller wins but not asmany big jackpots.
How To Help Your Payback Percentages
If you still honestly believe that your casino is lowering the return rate on the slot machines you have several courses of action. The easiest thing to do is to play the older machines. It isdoubtful that a casino would go through the expense of putting a new chip in an older machine to lower the return rate. You can try a new casino. You may find that your luck is better at adifferent casino and a change is your routine will let you enjoy some new experiences.
You can switch to video poker. It is the only machine game that will let you know the payback of the machine by readingthe pay table. However, if you do decide to try video poker, make sure you learn the strategy or get a strategy card to bring along with you when you play.
Switch to the table games. Playing table games is exciting and they offer a lower house edge than the slot machines. Many casinos give free table game lessons so you can learn the basics beforeyou sit down.
Let me close by saying again that I do believe that there will be some machines on the casino floors with lower returns, however, I do not believe that is as widespread as the rumors would haveyou believe. The casinos are in competition with each other for your business so they do not want to alienate the players by offering games where nobody can win.
As a customer/player you always have the option of taking your business elsewhere. The ultimate decision of where to play is entirely up to you.
Until next time remember, luck comes and goes.....knowledge stays forever.
The name “Penny Slot” is something of a misnomer. Most people who don't know better might assume that a penny slot costs a penny to play but that's not the case. For decades, the most popular slot machines in U.S. casinos were nickel slot machines. In the late 1960s, Bally Manufacturing developed an innovative machine called the Money Honey, a penny slot that could be played for up to five coins simultaneously. These multi-line machines that accepted multiple coins per line were a hit with players—despite the fact that they were playing more per pull of the one-armed bandit's handle.
The New Penny Slots Offer Extra at a Price
The new penny slot games offer their fair share of electronic excitement with such features as theme songs from popular game shows and movies, bonus screens, and special mystery payoffs. However, all of these extras come at a cost. The most popular games from the Japanese video conglomerate Konami including 'Race Driver' and 'Beat the Field' require a minimum of 50 coins amounting to a dollar per spin. Several other manufacturers have games with up to 16 lines that require up to 100 coins per spin—totaling a whopping 1,600 pennies.
How Much Can You Win In A Penny Slot Machine Slot
While slot manufacturer IGT offers a penny version of its popular 'Megabucks' game that can be played for just a few pennies, for the standard 'Megabucks' machine, which is a $1 variety, the player must play three coins per spin, or $3. On the new 'Penny Megabucks,' the player is required to play the maximum of 300 coins per spin, so the price is the same.
The Odds Are With The House
These machines are built to be both fun and addictive. They require a minimum number of coins/lines to qualify for the bonus screens (where the bulk of the payoffs are made). Players must make sure to play enough coins/lines to get the payoff when a bonus hits.
For someone to play a 25-cent video poker game, they'll have to play five coins in order to qualify for a 4,000-coin royal flush. That's $1.25 per spin for a chance to win $1,000. On most penny slots offering payoffs of bronze, silver, and gold, the big payoff is much harder to win than the 45,000-to-1 odds on a video poker game. Plus, the player will likely risk $2.50 to $5 per spin to win it. That adds up.
The Psychology of Small Payoffs
Human beings are creatures of habit and thanks to the lure of instant gratification are prone to gamble. When players consistently receive small payoffs, psychology kicks in. The mind tricks itself into believing, 'Great, I'm winning,' when in reality, the player's initial deposit is usually being frittered away to nothing.
Penny slots have the kind of high hit frequency that ropes players in. As fun and exciting as the promise of winning may be, most of the time, the payoff is actually less than the initial wager on a spin. In other words, the bells and whistles go off on a regular basis but for small payoffs. For example, a player might risk something like 100 coins and only get a payoff of 18 coins.
Play Responsibly
The main issue with gambling in general—and penny slots, in particular—is that as a player, you mustn't forget that your personal bankroll is considerably smaller than that of the casino. Bear in mind that if you budget $200 for a trip to a particular casino where playing a penny slot takes 250 coins per spin, you won't get nearly enough spins to make a dent in the long-odds of hitting a substantial jackpot before your bankroll is exhausted.
How Much Can You Win In A Penny Slot Machine Machines
Fast Facts: Tips for Newbie Penny Slot Players
As with any form of gambling, playing the penny slot machines should be approached with caution.
How Much Can You Win In A Penny Slot Machine Jackpots
- Start by choosing just a few lines or just a single coin per spin.
- It's not recommended for players to automatically hit the maximum spin button.
- Read the help screen to find out how many coins it takes to have a bet on all the lines so you can better decide how many coins and credits to risk per spin.
Overall, players should enjoy their slot play, but never forget that gambling is gambling—especially on penny slots. A handful of pennies is still a dollar per spin. If you're playing more per spin, you'll bust-out fairly often—and it can happen very quickly.