Romancing the Slots
14 July 2006
By Mark Pilarski
Dear Mark,
All too often I am able to line up two of the
highest jackpot winning symbols but never the
third. Sometimes the third will appear, but not
directly on the line needed for me to win the
machine's highest award. My question is: is the
casino doing this to induce play, or is it just
a coincidence? Sue L.
We've all been there, Sue; Treasure Chest,
Treasure Chest, and then…why you blankety-blank!
What you are describing, Sue, -- winning
combinations appearing more often than would
occur randomly -- is called "near-miss"
programming. Although I can't speak to the
legality of "near-miss" programming for each and
every gaming jurisdiction, I can state that it
has been ruled illegal in both New Jersey and
Nevada; and most states' Gaming Commissions tend
to follow the big boys.
Because the reel display of modern slot machines
is controlled by computer software, sure, a slot
machine could be programmed to frequently
display combinations that are close to winning
combinations. Repeatedly displaying Treasure
Chest, Treasure Chest, and a non-Treasure Chest
can tease players into a playing frenzy because
they think they're almost winning.
We need to also consider, Sue, with 20 symbols
on a reel and possibly 256 stopping points,
Treasure Chests can appear above or below the
payline and seem as a "near-miss," but even so,
slot machines cannot be specifically programmed
to show "winning combinations" at a
mathematically impossible frequency. The "near
miss" must be just as likely to occur as any
other equally randomly distributed combination.
Dear Mark,
Getting paid "to" one versus "for" one to the
player means what? Steve S.
A payoff of "9 to1" means the winner is paid
nine chips for every chip bet; and since the
winner keeps the chip wagered, he winds up with
10 chips in hand.
When the payoff is "9 for1", the winner is paid
nine chips for every chip wagered; however,
Steve, the house keeps the originally wagered
chip, leaving the winner with 9 chips in hand.
Words to watch for!
Dear Mark,
After going through two rolls of quarters, I got
up from a cold machine and moved one machine
over. A lady then started playing on the machine
I had just left hits a $10,000 jackpot on her
first three quarters. Was I a day late and a
dollar short? Del E.
Not even a second late and six bits short.
Most players, Del, falsely reason; "If I had
played just three more quarters, that $10,000
jackpot would have been mine." But even gluing
your hopeful fanny to that same machine's stool
would not have given you that $10,000 jackpot.
Why? Because the results of a modern slot
machine's spin depend on exactly when the spin
began.
The Random Number Generator (RGN) within the
machine is constantly generating random numbers
at a rate as high as a million per second. As
soon as the lever is pulled (or the "Play"
button pressed) the most recently generated
random number is used to determine the outcome.
Since results vary depending on exactly when the
handle is yanked, an earlier or later pull by
you would have created a completely different
outcome.
Consequently, Del, it is highly unlikely that
you would have received the same result if you
had played three additional quarters. The only
way you could have had the happy lady's booty
was for her to say to you, "It's all yours,
Buster" at the end of the down pull, and she
gives you her seat while the reels were still
spinning. Sure, it's a corny example, but I'm
trying to drive home the point on how improbable
the 10K was of being yours.
Gambling Wisdom of the Week: "Poker is the game
closest to the western conception of life, where
life and thought are recognized as intimately
combined, where free will prevails over
philosophies of fate or of chance, where men are
considered moral agents and where – at least in
the short run - the important thing is not what
happens but what people think happens. —John Lukacs
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