6 slots tips and tricks how to win at casino slots. There are a few things you need to know about how slot machines work. The best way how to win at slots is to understand how they are made, how they run, and how (and when) they are liable to drop a payout. Slot-techs.com is your on-line reference guide to technical resources for slot machine technicians, including: Slot Tech Forum Hosted by Pete Bachran 'On behalf of Table Mountain Casino I just wanted to express our thanks to you and your team.

Wizard Recommends

• €1500 Welcome Bonus
• €100 + 300 Free Spins
• 100% Welcome Bonus

No, the machine does not have a huge element table of over two billion elements. The random number generators choose each number once in the cycle using mathematical algorithms and do not need to keep track of which numbers were already chosen. Regarding the pause, it has nothing to do with how much it is going to pay. I think the game does some internal auditing from time to time. There is no such thing as hot and cold cycles with slot machines. The ups and downs are just normal random variation.

These are just random events. The laws of probability dictate that some days will be dry with a few big winners and others will have a lot of lower payouts. Most days will have a balanced mix and these days are always the first forgotten by the player. There is no switch the casino is throwing to alter the mood of their machines. I tend to think you're just remember what you want to in order to substantiate your theory.

No, this does not happen. How much the slot machine pays is determined by a microchip called an EPROM, which is generally left alone. To change it, at least in Nevada, the casino would have to get permission from the gaming authorities. Even without permission, they would have to open up each machine and change the EPROM by hand.
I speculate that the reason for what you observed about all the machines on a carousel getting hot at the same time is due partially to chance, partially selective memory, and partially to a snowball effect where players will gravitate to an area where they hear a lot of winning and simply add to the number of wins because of more players.

Your explanation of virtual versus physical slot machine reels was most informative.

1. Given the random number generator stops on a virtual Cherry say, how does the machine make the physical reel stop on a visible cherry? I mean technically speaking.
2. Does this explain how pachinko machines from Japan can electronically alter payout percentages without altering the physical reel symbols?
3. Suppose the machine decides its time for a BAR, the only BAR on the third reel, just as one passes the pay-line. Does it let the reel go one full turn and catch it on the next go-round?
4. Suppose a physical reel stops on a paying combination by mistake, i.e. a symbol other than the virtual one pre-ordained. What happens then?

Thanks much.

Let me answer each question individually.

1. It is just programming code that dictates to the machine that if the virtual reel stops on a cherry to make the actual reel stop on a cherry. There are actual notches on the reels which may help the machine to stop in the right place. If you peer through the glass at and angle you can sometimes see these notches. However, I am not an engineer and am not sure exactly how the machine knows to stop at just the right moment. It just take it for granted that it can.
2. Theoretically, the casino could change the payout on a slot machine with just a remote control. The remote control could tell the machine to use any previously programmed virtual reels. Practically speaking, the major casinos need to get approval from the gaming authorities to change the payback of a machine. If they did get such authorization all a slot technician has to do is replace a chip inside the machine, known as an e-prom. This happens infrequently and would not warrant the expense of a remote control.
3. It seems to me the reels spin at least several times before stopping.
4. In the unlikely even that happened, then I think it would trigger a malfunction and the bet would be voided.

I will say that for class 3 slots by major slot makers like IGT, Bally, and Williams do not resort to these sort of tricks. With respectable slot machines every play has the exact same probability of winning. If you don't believe me then why don’t you go from machine to machine playing each one for half an hour.

Not often. Contrary to popular myth the casinos don’t tighten the machines on weekends or whenever it is busy. Here in Las Vegas the casinos have to fill out a form every time they change the percentage on each game. Most slot managers I have spoken with have a policy on what coinage is set to what return. I tend to think the most likely reason to change the percentage would a change in ownership and/or management, which do not happen often.

No. Neither the amount you put in nor the denomination affects the odds. The same is true of slots.

From what I hear anything you can configure at the machine you can configure remotely through the server. This would include the theoretical return percentage. However most casinos report that changing the theoretical return of a slot machine necessitates a lot of paperwork.

Even if it were effortless to move the slot machine return up and down, it strikes me as a conspiracy theory to think the casinos would do that on a player by player basis. Living here in Vegas, I hear all kinds of theories about the lengths the casinos go to in order to win, like pumping in oxygen and playing a subsonic mantra that says 'lose lose lose.' These are just urban legends. Most casinos correctly believe that if you give the player a good experience and a fair gamble then he will keep coming back. As they say, you can only slaughter a sheep only once, but you can shear it many times. (My webmaster, Michael Bluejay, who is a vegetarian, tried to get me to use this analogy instead: 'You can seize all of a sheep’s money only once, but you can force it to take you bowling many times.')

I asked a source of mine who works at one of the casinos that utilize this technology. Besides the Treasure Island, this technology is also used at casinos in California, Michigan, and Mississippi. Here is what he said,

'Nothing can be changed if there are credits on the game. The slot machine will always reject any changes sent when there are credits on the meter. In Nevada, the machine also has to be idle for four minutes prior to and following any changes. It’s also not completely transparent to anyone standing in front of the slot machine. A black window pops up that says ’Remote Configuration In Progress’ (or something like that).

We mainly use ours to change the available denominations on our games. Similar to how table games will raise minimum bets on when the casino is busier, we will remove lower denominations on Friday morning and return them on Monday morning.'

So, rest assured, that the slot manager can not tighten up a game on you just because he doesn’t like you. As long as you have credit in the game, nothing can be changed.

If you are implying the casino is changing the odds of the game while you're sitting there playing it, then I would say that is just a myth. To change the odds of a game, the slot maker would have to open up the game and change the EPROM chip. With server based game, where this can be done remotely, regulations require that the game be unplayed for a certain number of minutes before any changes can made.

If you are implying that the casino sets a slot machine loose for the first so many days, to draw new players, and then switches the EPROM to a stingier one, then I would disagree as well. That could easily be done, and legally, but I doubt it is. In my slot machine survey I found that any given casino was fairly consistent in how loose or tight they set their slots.

For the benefit of other readers, the way slot machines have usually work is that a chip inside the machine, called an EPROM chip, determines how loose or stingy the machine is. The vast majority of slots today still function this way. Contrary to popular myth, slots don’t achieve their desired return percentage by paying more when the actual return is too low and less when it is too high. Rather, it is just subtle changes in the reel stripping on video slots and the virtual weights on stepper slots. It is usually up to the casino manager which chip to put in. Some jurisdictions leave that decision up to the state. A common myth about these slots is that the slot manager can flip a switch in his office and cause any slot machine, or all of them, to pay more or less. The truth is a slot technician has to open up the machine and physically change the EPROM chips.

However, with the new generation of 'server-based slots,' the myth has potential to be a reality. Slots on this system can indeed be controlled remotely. The slot manager is now able to change the theoretical return, pay tables in video poker, denomination, as well as the entire game, in the comfort of his own office. Here in Nevada there are safeguards to prevent abuse of this power. The Gaming Control Board has the following regulation:

'The conventional gaming device or client station must be in the idle mode with no errors or tilts, no play and no credits on the machine for at least 4 minutes. After this time, the conventional gaming device or client station must be disabled and rendered unplayable for at least 4 minutes. During the time the machine is disabled a message must be displayed on a video screen or other appropriate display device notifying the patron that the game configuration has been changed.' — Technical Standards for Gaming Devices and On-line Slot Systems 1.140

So the slot manager couldn't tighten up the game you’re playing just because he didn't like your polka-dotted hat. However, in theory, he could loosen or tighten every machine that wasn’t being played. To finally get at your question, would he loosen and tighten the slots like a yo-yo depending on the time of day or day of the week? On my forum, I argued that would be bad business, but many who submitted comments disagreed with me. To help argue my side, I asked Nick Dillon, Executive Vice President/Assistant General Manager at the Barona Casino in San Diego County about it. Here is what he wrote back.

'The concern with SBG (server-based games) is that the manufacturers and most casinos are looking at it mostly from a cost savings (less slot techs/labor needed to convert games, etc) perspective. At Barona, we really only want it if it proves a true value to the player. We have approximately 80 units on the floor that we began testing a couple of years ago. We are not yet at the point where we can say there is a true benefit to the player. We have tested many aspects of these games but have never raised/lowered the hold based on time of day, day of week, etc. We have, however, tested some other things. One is changing the minimum denom based on day of week (penny during the week moved to nickel on the weekend, for example). The idea being the same as table games whereby the denom (table minimum bet) moves higher when demand is peaking. This maximizes revenue. However, we found that was not the case with our test (likely because tables are limited and full capacity during the increase, but slots generally are not, and because a “penny” player can actually be a “dollar” player regardless of what min denom he is playing). We found more dismay from guests that were used to finding their preferred game/denom and that it was now changed. We also tested changing only the default denom from penny to nickel. This is the denom that shows on screen when the game is idle. The majority of players may not be aware of multi-denom and play the default the majority of time. Again, we found no real difference in revenue.

As evidenced by our Loose Troop and Manufacturers Best programs, best blackjack rules, loosest video poker, no ATM fees, etc. we truly believe the player deserves the best gamble he can get. We feel that providing the longest play time for the dollar is the best strategy we can employ. There is no need to play with hold percentages and adjusting them 1-3 points either way for a day or two. Of course, a Strip property may feel differently as they only have a limited amount of time to win the money.

We are hopeful that we can help push the manufacturers to continue to develop SBG in favor of the player. We are hopeful that a player can put his player card in and his preferred games, denoms, etc will appear for his enjoyment at whatever device he sits. There are so many opportunities for this to be a great product for the player, which we believe will be good for our casino and the industry. If cost savings also come, great, but that should not be the main focus of a product like this.' -- Nick Dillon

In conclusion, I think you are safe playing server-based slots. If you don’t believe me, keep an eye on the video poker pay tables. If you don’t see those going up and down on a daily basis, chances are the slot returns are being left alone as well.

This question was raised and discussed in the forum of my companion site Wizard of Vegas.

Thread Rating:

...what the hell? People are talking like they actually take this seriously... have I stumbled onto the wrong site?

...what the hell? People are talking like they actually take this seriously... have I stumbled onto the wrong site?

No, not at all your at the right place.
They were just discussing some of the nuances of AP baccarat

AxelWolf, One can make rent or bills by simply cashing in on Matchplay coupons (Betting 30 on bank and 20 w/Coupon on player at Baccarat and winning 10.00 for each 20.00 matchplay coupon) in Vegas all day long. .

Have you actually been to Vegas? They won't let you do
that, this is by far the most ridiculous thing you've said.Bob yes you absolutely can see the pay back screens when techs come key the machine's occasionally. I have seen them many times . I posted about this already. When I noticed what an 8/5 bonus poker was being played at (94 to 95% over a monthly auditing period).Varm different countries and states have different classes of machines. Some machines, you are correct in that. when some lower class machines such as I belive its a class 2, are set up like a lotto and are not random. When you calculate the the pay tables they come back with outrageously high payback percentages. In NV this is not the case, the machine's are as as random as possible. If you find a VP game in Las vegas with anything over 105%, and assuming the majority of the payback is not all tied up on the Royal or some extremely hard to hit hand. You will see a good profit very quickly.

Axelwolf is absolutely 100% correct that some slot machines can be beaten, Wizard has spoken to this on this very site as pertains to machines with, 'Must-Hit,' by jackpots.
Furthermore, if you know the probabilities of a certain progressive hitting combined with the Base Return of a machine, then based on the amount of the Progressive(s), you can be spinning at an advantage. That's basically the same thing with Video Poker Progressives being at an advantage, just a matter of knowing the probabilities.
Furthermore, there are also some slot machines in which the Bonus Games must hit at certain times, occasionally (ex. Rock Around the Clock) it is stupidly obvious, and other times, the, 'Game Rules,' menu will indicate how many spins the game can go before you get into Bonus Games. Machines of the latter type are even fewer and even more far between, but I've seen them in my experience...which is very limited compared to that of AxelWolf. In such cases, it is a matter of vulturing them at the right times, as with multipliers left on Ultimate X VP, the Rock Around the Clocks are easy to vulture, all you have to do is glance at them...the ones with the Must-Hit by Bonus Games take a little more work, because you have to sit and make a show out of playing a different machine...usually for $0.01/spin...and count off the spins other people go without hitting a Bonus Game.
In addition to that, there are other types of Bonus Games in which you don't know when the game itself is going to hit, but you can vulture on the result of the game being favorable. For instance, and I forget the name of the machine, (There are none at Wheeling Island) but there is a machine with fifteen boxes, and one of the boxes contains a Bonus, now you periodically get the chance to open three boxes at a time. If there are only three boxes left, then you know you must get the prize. I would speculate that you are at an advantage when there are six boxes left, because you only have to hit the Bonus Games twice (and could be successful on the first attempt), but I don't know for sure. You are almost certainly at an advantage if there are only three boxes left, and that happens sometimes when the previous player either:
A.) Tapped out going for it.
or
B.) Was a complete idiot.
I'm sure there are other ways, again, Axelwolf is a professional and I'm not, so I'm sure he has many more tools in his shed than I do.

Bingo24, may have thought I claimed one could just sit down at any random slot machine and beat it, with some wacky, it's ready to pay theory or something.
Their are a lot more to slots then people think and NOT just vultureing. One may Balk at vultureing however, at various times guys could make $400 a day for for years, with a very limited bank roll in the hundreds.
There has always been something around worth playing.

Ways To Beat Slot Machines

A few Guys in the 70' and 80'S made a fortune on slots, mostly progressives and promotions. One guy could Rhythm play old slot machines. Many of them guys migrated into VP, creating successful teams
I have seen slot progressives 70x over reset with a fairly short cycle, worth thousands per HR.
In the mid 90's to about 03 there were more slot bonus games then you could keep track of, maybe thousands, It probably kept 50 guys employed full time. The Bellagio at one time was a gold mine. They had a few bonus pooling games such as Net Pay and Globe Shopping that added over 20k to a few guys short BR, in just a few months. I had a guy play for me, I gave him $100 to start his day out with playing only 1 type of .25 machines(Net pay), each day he played he handed me back $300 to $400. I gave him 1/3 of the profits, Not including the money he probably pocketed.
there have been slot machines that were a play straight through, with over 100% pay back, not including the card
I believe Gambling with an edge had a Australian guy on the show, who made millions playing extremely profitable, Must hit by slot machines, with a team.
I could make a list a mile long of good slot plays from the past. Don't knock slots, Especially the new wave of VP players who think .25 FPDW and 2 times points is the gold to AP, It was the Slot guys who started pounding the VP games in the first place.

How To Beat Slots Machines