Gaming Guru

Should I Change My Pace When a Slot Is Cold?

First Question:

Given the basic tendency of slots when they are hot. Is it better to change your average time per spin? Sometimes you can get in patterns hitting spin as rapidly as the slot will allow giving a basic average time you are spending between spins. If a machine is cold is it better to change the pattern? Is the converse true if a machine is hot do you want to try to keep to the same time pattern?

Second Question:

Given that it is a pseudo RNG and there are averages in # of spins per payout and average pay on a bonus equaling x times your cost of bet. For example, on one penny machine the average number of spins per bonus is 125 based on over 100k spins and the average payout is 25. Can you make an educated general mathematically estimate of your probability of hitting another bonus within a certain number or range of spins or trends?

Thanks,
Mark

Dear Mark:

First answer:

You can speed up, slow down or play at the same pace when a machine is hot, cold or choppy. The pace at which you play has no effect whatsoever on the results of your spins.

Second answer:

If a bonus hits on average once every 125 spins, then your chances for hitting the bonus are 1 out of 125 on each and every spin. It's relatively simple to figure out your chances for hitting the bonus in a certain number of spins. Still your chances ofr hitting the bonus on any spin are 1 out of 125.

Best of luck in and out of the casinos,
John

Send your slot and video poker questions to John Robison, Slot Expert, at slotexpert@comcast.net. Because of the volume of mail I receive, I regret that I can't reply to every question.