Why Do I Love Slot Machines

Slot machines often display a series of spins where players appear to be only one symbol away from a win, therefore leading them to falsely believe that they almost won. Slot games do not work on any kind of cyclical basis - and slot machine jackpots don't become due. Why I Believe Slot Machine Games are Not Random. Slot machines often display a series of spins where players appear to be only one symbol away from a win, therefore leading them to falsely believe that they almost won. Slot games do not work on any kind of cyclical basis - and slot machine jackpots don't become due. Why I Believe Slot Machine.

MalcomD
Hi Hardcore Slot Players,
I have a question. Why do you play slots. What do you get out of it? Is it exciting? Have you ever won big, IE won more in a month than you lost in a month? I ask this question because to me any game other than blackjack, with the exception of poker, seems a waste of time and money. I personally don't play poker because I don't know how to play but I know skilled players who can make good money playing. My most recent casino visit I tried to play slots to understand why people play agame that will guarantee leave you walking out of the casino a loser, but I left not able to understand. I played like 20$ on various machines and decided I would haverather bought 20 1$ scratch off tickets. So please enlighten me why you play.
AZDuffman
I don't play. People that do seem to play because they make a big hit once in awhile and the like the 'show' the slot machines put on.
Add in that anyone can play if you are smart enough to insert bills and press a button and you have a game many people like.

Why Do I Love Slot Machines Without

All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others
RonC

My most recent casino visit I tried to play slots to understand why people play agame that will guarantee leave you walking out of the casino a loser, but I left not able to understand.


Every game in the casino has a way of making money for the house. Poker has a rake and all of the games have HA. Slots have a payback %.
What game does anyone play in a casino that guarantees that they will walk out a winner?
Yes, slots have a higer edge for the house than most games (but not all bets--some craps bets are high HA also), but you can win some days. This weekend I played craps and lost. I played 3 card poker and lost. I played Mississippi Stud and lost. I played roulette and lost.
I played slots and had an overall win on them.
Slots don't offer as good of a bet as other games but you can leave a winner. You can also leave a loser.Why do i love slot machines without
Mission146

Hi Hardcore Slot Players,
I have a question. Why do you play slots. What do you get out of it? Is it exciting? Have you ever won big, IE won more in a month than you lost in a month? I ask this question because to me any game other than blackjack, with the exception of poker, seems a waste of time and money. I personally don't play poker because I don't know how to play but I know skilled players who can make good money playing. My most recent casino visit I tried to play slots to understand why people play agame that will guarantee leave you walking out of the casino a loser, but I left not able to understand. I played like 20$ on various machines and decided I would haverather bought 20 1$ scratch off tickets. So please enlighten me why you play.


1.) I play Slots because they are fun, it is amusing to try to figure out what aspects of a slot machine, 'Hook,' a player, whether it be near-misses, high hit rate, frequent Free Games, or a set Jackpot amount that automatically goes off when the Progressive amount is reached...such as the recently discussed G+ games.
Further, while it may seem oxymoronical, it is possible to play slots at an advantage. This usually involves a Progressive machine of one kind or another where the Progressive(s) have reached such an amount that combined with the Odds of hitting for the Progressive(s), every spin you take is done at an advantage. It is apparent that the Odds of hitting the Jackpot(s) still aren't great, but if you have a VP machine that pays out 100.0001%, then you play that at an advantage, inclusive to the Royal Flush, which is also an unlikely result.
2.) I have had two Jackpots, $1,250 and $4,088.xx, respectively.
3.) I have won more in my life than I have lost. It is unlikely that will remain the case forever.
4.) Most people go to the casino to waste time and money. The vast majority of people go there for the possibiity, not the expectation, of winning. I would suggest that the draw for the slot player is the potentiality of turning an inconsequential sum of money into a consequential, or even very consequential, sum of money. It only takes one pull. One time.
5.) If Slots GUARANTEED that you would walk out of thee casino a loser, then nobody would play them. Besides, if you are there for fun, and you have fun, then you have not lost. Do you, 'Lose,' money going to a concert if you have fun there?
The point when it comes to Slots is, the winners are just as important to the casino as the losers.
6.) The ER of scratch-off tickets is far worse than Slots. The odds of a winning ticket usually hover around 1:4, including break-even pays...a shitload of break-even pays. That which plays quicker, pays quicker. Then you have the cost of printing/distribution of the tickets, the vendor gets a cut, it's a terrible buy from an ER standpoint. You talk about the probability of hitting for $100 on a $2 ticket vs. a $2 slot pull, I suggest the pull is a better bet. I was playing QuickHits Progressives fairly exclusively one night at Max $1.50/pull, hit for $100 or more five times in one night, left nearly $700 ahead on the session. I probably played $2,000 or more in total pulls. I just don't think that's happening if you buy $2,000 in lottery scratch-offs with the same frequency. I could be wrong, but I doubt it.
7.) I could be wrong, but I'm guessing that $20 didn't get you any really good pulls or, 'Good looks,' when it comes to a big pay. It happens sometimes, you either missed the draw or the draw just doesn't appeal to you. Slots are not for everyone. Blackjack AP play is slow and methodical, the most you can win going Split-Split Double-Double-Double and winning all is 6x the Base Bet with 6x Base Bet at risk. It's pretty unlikely that you end up with such a hand, anyway. Slots are for people who like the variance, as is Video Poker, but VP generally pays better overall. Either way, you either want to approach it methodically by winning small amounts (relative to the bet) at a higher than expected rate, or card-counting AP play, or you want to take a shot at getting it the, 'Quick and Dirty,' way with VP and Slots. I like both, but Slots have the edge, probably because Lady Variance has been more attracted to me than she has most people. When I lose the 5K+ for life that I am ahead (my session amounts are low, so it would take many losing sessions) I might decide I'm not especially attracted to the hard and fast variance anymore, who knows?
Vultures can't be choosers.

Why Do I Love Slot Machines Jackpots

Why Do I Love Slot Machines
MalcomD

Every game in the casino has a way of making money for the house. Poker has a rake and all of the games have HA. Slots have a payback %.
What game does anyone play in a casino that guarantees that they will walk out a winner?
Yes, slots have a higer edge for the house than most games (but not all bets--some craps bets are high HA also), but you can win some days. This weekend I played craps and lost. I played 3 card poker and lost. I played Mississippi Stud and lost. I played roulette and lost.
I played slots and had an overall win on them.
Slots don't offer as good of a bet as other games but you can leave a winner. You can also leave a loser.


I understand that all games are exposed to the house edge, but slots with their high house edge couples with the fast rate of play means you will lose your money faster than anything else. Poker, Blackjack and Baccarat are games of skill with an element of chance. Slots is a pure random game of chance, it is really the best example of the adage gambling is a tax on stupidity yet so many people play slots and I don't understand why.
s2dbaker
I play mostly for entertainment value. I like the bonuses.
Someday, joor goin' to see the name of Googie Gomez in lights and joor goin' to say to joorself, 'Was that her?' and then joor goin' to answer to joorself, 'That was her!' But you know somethin' mister? I was always her yuss nobody knows it! - Googie Gomez
DRich

I understand that all games are exposed to the house edge, but slots with their high house edge couples with the fast rate of play means you will lose your money faster than anything else. Poker, Blackjack and Baccarat are games of skill with an element of chance. Slots is a pure random game of chance, it is really the best example of the adage gambling is a tax on stupidity yet so many people play slots and I don't understand why.


Since when is Baccarat a game of skill?
Living longer does not always infer +EV
MalcomD

1.) I play Slots because they are fun, it is amusing to try to figure out what aspects of a slot machine, 'Hook,' a player, whether it be near-misses, high hit rate, frequent Free Games, or a set Jackpot amount that automatically goes off when the Progressive amount is reached...such as the recently discussed G+ games.
Further, while it may seem oxymoronical, it is possible to play slots at an advantage. This usually involves a Progressive machine of one kind or another where the Progressive(s) have reached such an amount that combined with the Odds of hitting for the Progressive(s), every spin you take is done at an advantage. It is apparent that the Odds of hitting the Jackpot(s) still aren't great, but if you have a VP machine that pays out 100.0001%, then you play that at an advantage, inclusive to the Royal Flush, which is also an unlikely result.
2.) I have had two Jackpots, $1,250 and $4,088.xx, respectively.
3.) I have won more in my life than I have lost. It is unlikely that will remain the case forever.
4.) Most people go to the casino to waste time and money. The vast majority of people go there for the possibiity, not the expectation, of winning. I would suggest that the draw for the slot player is the potentiality of turning an inconsequential sum of money into a consequential, or even very consequential, sum of money. It only takes one pull. One time.
5.) If Slots GUARANTEED that you would walk out of thee casino a loser, then nobody would play them. Besides, if you are there for fun, and you have fun, then you have not lost. Do you, 'Lose,' money going to a concert if you have fun there?
The point when it comes to Slots is, the winners are just as important to the casino as the losers.
6.) The ER of scratch-off tickets is far worse than Slots. The odds of a winning ticket usually hover around 1:4, including break-even pays...a shitload of break-even pays. That which plays quicker, pays quicker. Then you have the cost of printing/distribution of the tickets, the vendor gets a cut, it's a terrible buy from an ER standpoint. You talk about the probability of hitting for $100 on a $2 ticket vs. a $2 slot pull, I suggest the pull is a better bet. I was playing QuickHits Progressives fairly exclusively one night at Max $1.50/pull, hit for $100 or more five times in one night, left nearly $700 ahead on the session. I probably played $2,000 or more in total pulls. I just don't think that's happening if you buy $2,000 in lottery scratch-offs with the same frequency. I could be wrong, but I doubt it.
7.) I could be wrong, but I'm guessing that $20 didn't get you any really good pulls or, 'Good looks,' when it comes to a big pay. It happens sometimes, you either missed the draw or the draw just doesn't appeal to you. Slots are not for everyone. Blackjack AP play is slow and methodical, the most you can win going Split-Split Double-Double-Double and winning all is 6x the Base Bet with 6x Base Bet at risk. It's pretty unlikely that you end up with such a hand, anyway. Slots are for people who like the variance, as is Video Poker, but VP generally pays better overall. Either way, you either want to approach it methodically by winning small amounts (relative to the bet) at a higher than expected rate, or card-counting AP play, or you want to take a shot at getting it the, 'Quick and Dirty,' way with VP and Slots. I like both, but Slots have the edge, probably because Lady Variance has been more attracted to me than she has most people. When I lose the 5K+ for life that I am ahead (my session amounts are low, so it would take many losing sessions) I might decide I'm not especially attracted to the hard and fast variance anymore, who knows?


This was a great answer and pretty much what I was looking for. I'm not saying that I would buy scratch off lotto tickets and win but to me the slots didn't do anything for me. I won a few pulls, the lights flashed and music played but I'm not an animal that can be conditioned to continue gambling just because lights go off and music plays, I found that to be insulting.While I was playing I was asking other slot players if they ever won money, and alot of them gave stories similar to what you said. They had won jackpots and won more in a lifetime than lost, but that isn't really winning. If you won a 1000$ jackpot 5 years ago, but lost 600 in the past few months than you are actually losing.Good answer though, thanks!
Mission146

This was a great answer and pretty much what I was looking for. I'm not saying that I would buy scratch off lotto tickets and win but to me the slots didn't do anything for me. I won a few pulls, the lights flashed and music played but I'm not an animal that can be conditioned to continue gambling just because lights go off and music plays, I found that to be insulting.While I was playing I was asking other slot players if they ever won money, and alot of them gave stories similar to what you said. They had won jackpots and won more in a lifetime than lost, but that isn't really winning. If you won a 1000$ jackpot 5 years ago, but lost 600 in the past few months than you are actually losing.Good answer though, thanks!


1.) I understand your point, as stated, it's not for everyone, though I would be hesitant to reduce those who play Slots to animals. It's pretty simple, if someone (and my win goal is less) says, 'I will walk when I am ahead $500,' then they would simply rather have a shot at that sitting down with $50 in the Slot Machine rather than taking $50 to the Blackjack Table to be lost in two hands (or maybe even one) betting Green, or to try to grind it out betting straight Red, or Red&Press at certain amounts. Other than AP Side Bets, I've always felt that the Side Bet players are Slots/VP players in disguise, they see that Big Time pay...and they want it.
Most people see that Fire Bet, know it's a bad bet, and toss a Red or a White(s) at it, why? They want that big pay. They're essentially playing a Slot Machine, except it is at the table and the bet takes longer to resolve, while they are playing Craps. Other than the mechanics of the bet itself (Reels v. Dice, One Pull c. Multi-Roll) tell me what the difference is? There isn't one.
2.) I disagree with your second statement in its entirety. There's an AP BJ player here that got absolutely slaughtered for six months out of one year and still pulled out in the high five-figures for a year. You ask someone a question about life, they say, 'I'm ahead,' you say, 'No, you're really behind,' how are they behind? You can break it up into one hour, one day, one week, one month, one year or life. You're either ahead or behind that period. If you're ahead for life, you're ahead for life, there are no two ways about it. If you're ahead for a week, you're still ahead for the week, even if you lost your last spin. Are you losing for the week at BJ when you lose one hand, but are ahead $500?
Vultures can't be choosers.
MathExtremist

I understand that all games are exposed to the house edge, but slots with their high house edge couples with the fast rate of play means you will lose your money faster than anything else. Poker, Blackjack and Baccarat are games of skill with an element of chance. Slots is a pure random game of chance, it is really the best example of the adage gambling is a tax on stupidity yet so many people play slots and I don't understand why.

Why Do I Love Slot Machines For Sale


$25 blackjack at 100 hands/hour and the average 1.5% edge of a normal player earns the casino $37.50/hour. Multi-line slots at 25 lines, 5 coins/line ($1.25/wager) at 400 pulls/hour at 6% hold earns the casino $30/hour. Single-line quarter slots at .75/pull at 400 pulls/hour at 8% earns $24/hour. There are a lot of factors that go into house win rates and it's certainly not true that machines always win faster than tables.
Everything in a casino has a chance of losing. Making specious distinctions between blackjack and slots on the basis of how much you win or how much your skill impacts your average results is just rationalization. If it makes you feel superior or intelligent to play blackjack and not slots, go for it. The casino is there to provide entertainment, and feeling superior is highly entertaining for certain people.
But going to a casino is not the way to achieve a guaranteed income, regardless of what you play. And if you're not having fun gambling (whatever 'fun' means to you) then you shouldn't be gambling either -- again, regardless of what you play. Your value judgments elevate blackjack (and baccarat?) above slots, which is fine, but that's not an objective metric. They're just different forms of gambling, and all ultimately house-favorable games. If you want guaranteed income, spend more time at work. Patronizing a casino is not supposed to be work, it's supposed to be the entire opposite of work.
'In my own case, when it seemed to me after a long illness that death was close at hand, I found no little solace in playing constantly at dice.' -- Girolamo Cardano, 1563

The gaming industry is big business in the U.S., contributing an estimated US$240 billion to the economy each year, while generating $38 billion in tax revenues and supporting 17 million jobs.

What people may not realize is that slot machines, video poker machines and other electronic gaming devices make up the bulk of all that economic activity. At casinos in Iowa and South Dakota, for example, such devices have contributed up to 89 percent of annual gaming revenue.

Spinning-reel slots in particular are profit juggernauts for most casinos, outperforming table games like blackjack, video poker machines and other forms of gambling.

What about slot machines makes them such reliable money makers? In part, it has something to do with casinos’ ability to hide their true price from even the savviest of gamblers.

The price of a slot

An important economic theory holds that when the price of something goes up, demand for it tends to fall.

But that depends on price transparency, which exists for most of the day-to-day purchases we make. That is, other than visits to the doctor’s office and possibly the auto mechanic, we know the price of most products and services before we decide to pay for them.

Slots may be even worse than the doctor’s office, in that most of us will never know the true price of our wagers. Which means the law of supply and demand breaks down.

Casino operators usually think of price in terms of what is known as the average or expected house advantage on each bet placed by players. Basically, it’s the long-term edge that is built into the game. For an individual player, his or her limited interaction with the game will result in a “price” that looks a lot different.

Why Do I Love Slot Machines Machine

For example, consider a game with a 10 percent house advantage – which is fairly typical. This means that over the long run, the game will return 10 percent of all wagers it accepts to the casino that owns it. So if it accepts $1 million in wagers over 2 million spins, it would be expected to pay out $900,000, resulting in a casino gain of $100,000. Thus from the management’s perspective, the “price” it charges is the 10 percent it expects to collect from gamblers over time.

Individual players, however, will likely define price as the cost of the spin. For example, if a player bets $1, spins the reels and receives no payout, that’ll be the price – not 10 cents.

So who is correct? Both, in a way. While the game has certainly collected $1 from the player, management knows that eventually 90 cents of that will be dispensed to other players.

A player could never know this, however, given he will only be playing for an hour or two, during which he may hope a large payout will make up for his many losses and then some. And at this rate of play it could take years of playing a single slot machine for the casino’s long-term advantage to become evident.

Short-term vs. long-term

This difference in price perspective is rooted in the gap between the short-term view of the players and the long-term view of management. This is one of the lessons I’ve learned in my more than three decades in the gambling industry analyzing the performance of casino games and as a researcher studying them.

Let’s consider George, who just got his paycheck and heads to the casino with $80 to spend over an hour on a Tuesday night. There are basically three outcomes: He loses everything, hits a considerable jackpot and wins big, or makes or loses a little but manages to walk away before the odds turn decidedly against him.

Of course, the first outcome is far more common than the other two – it has to be for the casino to maintain its house advantage. The funds to pay big jackpots come from frequent losers (who get wiped out). Without all these losers, there can be no big winners – which is why so many people play in the first place.

Specifically, the sum of all the individual losses is used to fund the big jackpots. Therefore, to provide enticing jackpots, many players must lose all of their Tuesday night bankroll.

What is less obvious to many is that the long-term experience rarely occurs at the player level. That is, players rarely lose their $80 in a uniform manner (that is, a rate of 10 percent per spin). If this were the typical slot experience, it would be predictably disappointing. But it would make it very easy for a player to identify the price he’s paying.

Raising the price

Ultimately, the casino is selling excitement, which is comprised of hope and variance. Even though a slot may have a modest house advantage from management’s perspective, such as 4 percent, it can and often does win all of George’s Tuesday night bankroll in short order.

This is primarily due to the variance in the slot machine’s pay table – which lists all the winning symbol combinations and the number of credits awarded for each one. While the pay table is visible to the player, the probability of producing each winning symbol combination remains hidden. Of course, these probabilities are a critical determinant of the house advantage – that is, the long-term price of the wager.

This rare ability to hide the price of a good or service offers an opportunity for casino management to raise the price without notifying the players – if they can get away with it.

Casino managers are under tremendous pressure to maximize their all-important slot revenue, but they do not want to kill the golden goose by raising the “price” too much. If players are able to detect these concealed price increases simply by playing the games, then they may choose to play at another casino.

Why I Love Slot Machines

This terrifies casino operators, as it is difficult and expensive to recover from perceptions of a high-priced slot product.

Getting away with it

Consequently, many operators resist increasing the house advantages of their slot machines, believing that players can detect these price shocks.

Our new research, however, has found that increases in the casino advantage have produced significant gains in revenue with no signs of detection even by savvy players. In multiple comparisons of two otherwise identical reel games, the high-priced games produced significantly greater revenue for the casino. These findings were confirmed in a second study.

Further analysis revealed no evidence of play migration from the high-priced games, despite the fact their low-priced counterparts were located a mere 3 feet away.

Importantly, these results occurred in spite of the egregious economic disincentive to play the high-priced games. That is, the visible pay tables were identical on both the high- and low-priced games, within each of the two-game pairings. The only difference was the concealed probabilities of each payout.

Armed with this knowledge, management may be more willing to increase prices. And for price-sensitive gamblers, reel slot machines may become something to avoid.