That skinny path on the up ‘n up.
October 29,
2010
Dear Mark: Since
big jackpots seldom hit, when you play a
three-reel mega-jackpot progressive like
Megabucks, can you really be certain that each
reel has the top symbol for the biggest jackpot,
and if so, can it be programmed to never land on
that symbol? Jenny D.
Rest
assured, Jenny, that if a combination is listed
on the pay table, it has to be possible for you
to hit it on that machine, or on any other
machines wired together on a network. Also feel
comfortable that each machine’s payback
percentage, while admittedly extremely low
because it is a monster progressive, is the same
as the payback percentage of all the others that
it is linked to.
Here’s the deal,
Jenny. Casinos are not interested in exposing
their gaming license to loss through any inkling
of cheating, which would be certainly the case
if they eliminated an Eagle Megabucks logo from
the third reel, or jimmy rigged the machine so
it would never land three Eagles across.
The gaming industry is probably the most
regulated business in America. State gaming
regulatory agencies would close a casino down
for defrauding, or appearing to defraud, the
public by having machines that can’t hit the top
jackpot because of a top symbol missing from a
particular reel, or a stop position inserted for
that icon.
Dear Mark: A bus
takes us senior citizens to the casino once a
month and I budget my play to what I can afford,
which is $100. With that amount, what
denomination slot machine should I be playing
on? Will it be enough to get some perks? Ruth M.
I’m glad to see, Ruth, that you are
prudent player, with a budget, and only gambling
with money that you can afford to lose. As for
which machine denomination, you need to keep
your slot machine selection proportionate to
your bankroll. With a $100 bankroll, obviously
you shouldn’t be playing dollar slots. A few
unlucky pulls and within mere minutes, you’re
parked on a stool, sipping free coffee – there’s
your freebie – waiting for the motorcoach to
take you home.
I would recommend
starting off on quarters, tops, and being
willing to move down a denomination to nickels
or even to pennies if your bankroll falls below
$50. But watch out for penny slots. Penny
machines should be just that, penny machines.
Not a buck a spin when betting ten pennies a
line times ten lines.
As for some
goodies, Ruth, absolutely. Casinos give away
over a billion dollars in comps each year, and
as a slot player, you deserve your fair share.
You have the ability to “comp yourself” by using
one of their player’s club slot cards.
Sign up for player rewards cards wherever you
play. They're free, and they should bring you a
little something extra, whether it's just a
2-for-1 buffet or possibly cash back. Comps are
awarded based on the number of coins you cycle
through a machine, so you might as well get
credit for all those quarters you are going to
be inserting. Besides earning rewards while you
play, you will also get offers in the mail for
comps designed to attract a return visit. You
always want to treat “freebies” as a form of
profit, but you never want to gamble just to
receive them. I recommend you learn to play
video poker, where – even with poor play on a
video poker machine – you will have a better
payback than you’d get on most “reel” slot
machines. Remember, Ruth, that you are there to
stay in action longer and possibly win, not to
lose your whole $100 for a free trip to the chow
line.
Gambling Wisdom of
the Week: When I was young, people
called me a gambler. As the scale of my
operations increased I became known as a
speculator. Now I am called a banker. But I have
been doing the same thing all the time. - Sir
Ernest Cassel, Private banker to King Edward VII
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