MI Consumers Not on the Need To Know List
November 6,
2009
Dear Mark: Is
it my imagination, or have the casinos in
Detroit tightened up the percentages won by
them? Before building the new casinos,
my husband and I seemed to have more luck
than we do in their newer ones. Not
only that, but they didn't bring over some
of our favorite quarter machines. Dorothy D.
Dear Mark: Could you
please supply me with a figure as to the
return on slot machines on Indian
reservations in Michigan? Robby B.
.
Unfortunately, Dorothy, and you
also, Robby, I can’t provide you with
percentages won or return figures for
Michigan casinos, because no public
information is available regarding payback
percentages on Detroit’s gambling machines,
and the Indian casinos of Michigan are not
required by law to release information on
their slot machine percentage paybacks.
Nonetheless, according to the Michigan
Racing Commission, which is responsible for
regulating the tribes’ slot machines, the
casinos must meet the same standards for
machines as in New Jersey or Nevada. In New
Jersey the minimum return is 83%; in Nevada
it’s 75%. Thus, Michigan Indian casinos must
return at least 75% in order to comply with
the law, which, at that rate of return,
suggests you might as well mail in your
money and save the travel costs. Luckily,
what cures minimal returns is a dose of
healthy competition. With Detroit's three
casinos, Caesars Windsor and tribal gaming
throughout the state, there is some, but
with competition today being so fierce for
your entertainment greenback, it really is a
shame that Michigan doesn’t allow you to
compare returns from Casino A versus Casino
B.
Moreover, Michigan just so
happens to be one of the few states that
doesn’t report returns. For example, in
Nevada, they break the returns down to
geographic areas, like the Strip whose
quarter machines return 91.09% versus
Downtown’s higher return of 94.42%. In
states like Illinois, figures from the
Illinois Gaming Board tell me the average
slot payback percentage on all slot machines
for individual casinos. For instance, the
Alton Belle averages 93.61% a year.
So folks, for those of you who gamble
outside the Great Lake state, percentage
returns are public information and can
usually be found in your local paper, so,
let me scream here, SHOP FOR VALUE!
Back to you, Dorothy, and where did
those favorite quarter machines of yours go?
Well, in the eyes of the Casino Wizard, aka
the slot manager, slot machines need to show
reasonable results or their replacement is
inevitable. A slot machine’s performance is
measured in two ways: the value of coins
wagered daily (“coin in”) and the value
collected daily by the casino (“win”).
Possibly the performance of the machines
that you enjoyed playing was not up to par,
or, they simply weren’t the newest, latest
greatest, one-armed bandits, and the slot
manager decided a change in the slot mix was
needed.
Dear Mark:
My wife and I are headed back to Las Vegas
in November. I usually play video poker and
craps. I'm going to play some three card
poker during this trip. I've been practicing
playing on a web site, but your insight on
some basic strategy would definitely help.
I'm not sure if always placing a bet on the
“Pairs Plus" spot " is the smart play. Craig
L.
Stick with this
simple betting strategy, Craig. Only make
the “play” wager if you have at least a
queen, six, and a four in your hand. By
using this approach, the house edge on the
“ante” wager is about 2.1%.
Although placing a bet on the “Pairs Plus”
has a slightly higher casino edge of 2.3%,
it’s tolerable, and worth an occasional
play.
Oh, and while I’m at it,
Craig, don’t forget searching out the best
paytables for video poker and use basic
strategy. With craps, limit your play to a
pass line bet with odds or placing the six
and/or eight. All the wagers recommended
won’t necessarily guarantee you’ll leave Las
Vegas with a small fortune. For that you’d
start with a large one. But it should keep
you in action longer, and yes, give you some
fun while you’re there.
Gambling Wisdom of the Week: “However
beautiful the strategy, you should
occasionally look at the results.” --Winston
Churchill
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