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Gaming GuruPaybacks in Vegas, RNG Activation, Slots on Cruises16 October 2003
Dear Adam, Thanks for the kind words about my columns. Nevada does not release slot payback numbers by casino, so it's impossible to know which casinos have the best slot payback percentages. There are some general rules of thumb you can follow, though. Off-strip casinos generally pay better than on-strip casinos, and casinos that cater to locals also pay better. In addition, casinos with high-paying video poker also tend to have high-paying slots. A few notes: The Coast Casino properties used to have tons of high-paying video poker, but it seems like they're removing all the good machines at their properties except for those at Barbary Coast. Almost every Station Casinos property has some high-paying paytables. The Palms and Las Vegas Hilton each have quite a few good games. As for Let It Ride, if I'm not mistaken, the basic paytable is the same at all casinos, but variations can occur in the payoffs for the side bet. The side bet has a very high house edge (13%-36%), so it's not worth making. Best of luck in and out of the casinos,
Dear Ray, The RNG is constantly running, generating number after number. At some point, the program running the slot machine will check to see the latest number generated by the RNG and use that number to determine the results of the spin. Machines produced in the past few years wait until the very last moment possible to poll the RNG and lock in the result. That moment is sometime after the player has initiated the game by either pulling the handle or pressing the spin button. Best of luck in and out of the casinos,
Dear Phil, The problem I have with advice about switching machines after a certain number of losing spins is that there's no mathematical basis for it. The chances of hitting any winning combination on a machine are the same on every spin and nothing has changed just because you've had a few losing spins in a row. I like your plan of funding 100 or so spins for a session. I find that I usually run out of desire to play before I run out of session money when I have that much available. Sometimes I'll play just one or two machines and sometimes I'll try a few machines. In either case, I have enough money in my session stake to fund 100 spins. Now, maybe you're thinking of playing the "once-through" system. I don't care much for this system because you're making a commitment to play a certain amount of money through a machine and you're making a commitment to stop at a certain point. I think you should leave a machine if you're no longer having fun playing it and I certainly wouldn't stop playing a machine that has been paying off well just because I'd played a certain number of spins on it. Best of luck in and out of the casinos,
Sorry, I don't know of any online casino that has Double Diamond Deluxe. Best of luck in and out of the casinos,
Dear Garry, The Las Vegas Hilton used to have excellent Video Blackjack, but from what I've heard those games aren't there anymore. Your best bet for blackjack in Las Vegas is at a table. Best of luck in and out of the casinos,
Dear Mel, I've heard that rather than playing the slots on a cruise ship, you can get a higher payback on your money by throwing it into the ocean and collecting what washes up on shore. Because you're a captive audience on a cruise ship, their slots tend to have very low paybacks, perhaps even below 90%. The good news, though, is that luck will have a greater effect on your results than payback percentage with the limited amount of play you'll give during the cruise. And most slot directors today order the same payback on all their machines of a particular denomination, so it doesn't matter which machines you play. Best of luck in and out of the casinos,
Dear Mel, Table games are a different matter. In order to win more money from a blackjack table, for example, the casino has to have more rules that favor the casino and they have to tell you about the rules. It's much harder to change the house edge on a table game. Check the blackjack rules and I think you'll find that they're not quite as favorable as the rules at other casinos. Craps will probably be exactly the same, though. And I suspect other tables games will be the same as at other casinos because they usually have relatively high house edges to begin with. Best of luck in and out of the casinos, Send your slot and video poker questions to John Robison, Slot Expert, at slotexpert@comcast.net. This article is provided by the Frank Scoblete Network. Melissa A. Kaplan is the network's managing editor. If you would like to use this article on your website, please contact Casino City Press, the exclusive web syndication outlet for the Frank Scoblete Network. To contact Frank, please e-mail him at fscobe@optonline.net. Recent Articles
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