In the long run, slots are a losing game for the player. In the short run, though, anything is possible. Some of my biggest wins have been on slot machines. That is just the nature of the beast.
Quick Disclaimer:
I’m not trying to tell you which slot machine is going to pay out for you. If I could do that, well … I can’t. What I will try to share is how to choose the slot machine for the experience you want.
I am not looking for a life-changing event when I play a slot machine. I’m looking to earn comps a little faster than if I were playing video poker or a table game and/or I’m looking for some entertainment.
When I’m playing with comps in mind, I like to find an old 2-coin reel slot machine like Double Diamond with linear payouts. When you look at the paytable, you will notice that even on the jackpot, the win on a 2-credit bet is just twice that of the 1-credit bet. Also, the top payout isn’t overwhelming. It tends to be 800 for 1-credit and 1600 for 2-credits. What that means for the player is that you will get small and medium wins more often than you would on a machine with a huge jackpot (since it isn’t trying to offset a big top payout). It also means you have the same EV% (expected value) whether you are playing 1 credit or 2 credits. Both of those things work for my slot playing style.
If you are looking for a life-changing event when playing a slot machine, look for a progressive machine (Wheel of Fortune is a popular one) and bet the max bet. If you aren’t going to bet the max, do not play a progressive machine. Stories of people putting in a single quarter (as if you could actually do that these days) and winning the jackpot are BS. When you bet less than the max on those machines, part of your bet still goes towards the jackpot even though you are missing out on the option of winning it.
When I play for entertainment value, I like to find a video slot machine with a theme or branding that I enjoy. The “Alien” , “Men In Black” and “Walking Dead” video slot machines are some of my favorites. One of the great things about the video slots is that the modern machines include a lot of video and bonus features which are fun to watch. Even though you can find most of the games as penny slots (1 cent denomination) the max bet can be hundreds of credits. A $4 max bet on a penny machine is not unusual. While you won’t win the big money playing fewer credits, you can still enjoy many of the video and bonus features.
Another benefit of the video slots is that they are multiple payline machines. Many have 20-25 paylines and a few actually have hundred of lines. When you have that many lines, the odds of hitting something with each spin goes up. Many of your wins will be less than your bet, but you are getting something back and getting the excitement of a win more often.
If you are looking for a specific slot machine, you can do a search for them on a slot finder website. Not only will they tell you which games the casino has, but some of them will give you a basic location for the machines, too.
Here are a few of the links:
B Connected Slot Finder (Boyd Casinos)
WMS (Slot Manufacturer) Slot Finder
Great Idea, must try the other day in Las Vegas
NICE STORY.
Thanks!