How to capitalize on slot machines that give you the edge
By Frank Scoblete
Once you’ve identified a slot machine that has a positive expectation, there are certain rules you must follow to maximize your wins. The following rules for play are not suggestions—they are requirements.
Editor’s Note: This column is excerpted from Frank’s new book Slots Conquest: How to Beat the Slot Machines.
This chapter will show you specific machines that can actually give the player an edge over the casinos at slots. These machines have been discovered by Jerry “Stickman” Stich, a columnist for Casino Player, and have been put through extensive computer studies and casino play. Stickman analyzed the minimum bankrolls that are needed for each machine, and also figured out which machines are most volatile—that is, which machines have the greatest swings between wins and losing streaks.
The machines I’m about to describe can be considered “banking machines” because they build up redeemable credits, objects or multipliers that are not wiped out when one player leaves the machine and another player replaces him. In fact, you will need these other players to play these machines in a negative mode so that the banking credits build up for you.
There’s one thing we don’t like about slot machines that we wanted to get out in the open right away. The worst thing about slot machines, from the perspective of a player interested in strategy. You can never know the house edge for a particular slot machine. There’s no wagering system which will allow you to beat the house edge in slots, although there are systems which will allow you to lose the minimum – with slots this essentially comes down to choosing machines found to have a smaller hold percentage, and playing maximum wagers at all times, to enable you to at least hit the full jackpot.
This is because at a certain point the “accumulated bank” causes the machine to become positive for any player who plays the machine from that point onwards. In short, more money will come out of the machine from that point than goes in the machine. This is when you want to be playing it.
Now let’s get the obvious question out of the way for the dreamers in the land of slots. Yes, while some of your wins can be fairly big, most of them will be modest. But every win is a reason to smile, because you’ll be doing something very few players have ever done—getting an edge over the casino at the slot machines.
Keep in mind, you can also lose, since even a machine in positive mode can take your money if you’re unlucky. In poker, it’s called a bad beat; you have a great hand, and still lose. But overall, if you play these machines the way you should, more money will flow from the machine than you put in.
The advantage slot machine is similar to progressive slot machines in the sense that something builds. It’s not a jackpot dollar amount, though. Instead, something else builds. It could be coins, hats, gems, fruit or even firecrackers.
On these machines, the pool of items builds when a special symbol or some combination of symbols appears on the reels. This can be one particular symbol, a combination of symbols, or even the absence of symbols (sometimes called “blanks” or “ghosts.”) For example, if a cherry appears in one of the nine positions that are visible on the reels, a cherry might then be added to the corresponding section of a pie. Each different machine that uses this type of format has its own criteria.
Once a certain combination of symbols appears, or a section of the collection area is filled, a bonus is paid that is proportionate to the number of hats, gems, fruit, or whatever symbol that’s been banked. For example, a diamond is added to one of three columns corresponding to the reel that contains a diamond. When a column is filled with diamonds, a bonus of 10 credits is collected and the column is emptied.
The more things that are in the collection, the better chance the game might be positive. And this chapter will show you which games can become positive as well as when they become positive. It will give you the best method to play them and let you know how much money you should have available once you decide to play a given advantage machine. A proper bankroll is absolutely necessary to give yourself the best chance to win.
Once you’ve identified a slot machine that has a positive expectation, there are certain rules you must follow to maximize your wins. The following rules for play are not suggestions – they are requirements.
Here goes:
- Only play when you have an advantage.
- Have the required bankroll in your pocket.
- Once a machine becomes positive, it remains positive until someone collects the bonus and then the collection is reset and the positive machine is no longer positive.
- You must play until you collect the prize and if you don’t do this then you are purposely giving up your advantage.
- Quit playing when you no longer have an advantage.
- Once you collect the bonus, verify if you still have an advantage. There are times when you will continue to have an edge even after collecting a bonus. Most games lose the advantage once you collect the bonus; most, but not all. When you collect, look at the game. Do you still have an advantage?
Here is one such advantage-play machine from the book:
S&H Green Stamps
How it Works
This is probably the most widespread of advantage slot machines. As you play, whenever a green stamp appears on the reels it will be added to your “book.” The stamps have a multiplier (1X, 2X, 5X) that multiplies the number of stamps that are collected. It takes 1,200 stamps to fill a book. Once a book is filled, you are given the option to continue collecting, or play the bonus games.
What to Look For:
If the game has 600 or more stamps in a book, the game is positive. One stamp is displayed in the book for each 100 stamps collected, so look for six stamps. Six stamps is one row, or half a book. The actual number of stamps is also displayed near the books.
How to Play:
Play 25 lines at one credit per line until you play the free games. This amounts to 25¢ a spin for a 1¢ machine, 50¢ a spin for 2¢ machines and $1.25 a spin for 5¢ machines. Once you fill a book (1,200 stamps), you will be given a choice to play free games or to continue filling another book. Play the free games! DO NOT continue filling another book.
Bankroll Requirements:
Your minimum bankroll must be at least 2000 credits. This amounts to $20 for a 1¢ game, $40 for a 2¢ game and $100 for a 5¢ game.
Comments:
Most S&H Green Stamp games have a feature where you can immediately stop the spinning by hitting the spin button. Take advantage of this feature to minimize the time spent playing this game. The faster you play, the better for you. Get your winnings and leave.
This game is fairly volatile. You will tend to have many smaller wins and losses with occasional fairly large wins and losses. Don’t let a losing game tempt you to stop play before you collect the free games.
Frank Scoblete’s newest books are Slots Conquest: How to Beat the Slot Machines, featuring advantage-play slots; and Casino Craps: Shoot to Win, which comes with a DVD showing unedited controlled throws. Cutting Edge Craps: Advanced Strategies for Serious Players and Beat Blackjack Now are all available from Amazon.com, or at your favorite bookstore, or by mail-order by calling 1-800-944-0406. You can also call that number for a free brochure.
Advantage Play – Slot.
Slot machines use random number generators to ensure that each spin is independent of the next. But despite this technological innovation, there are plenty of players who still cling to the notion that they can beat the house by using a slot machine betting system. It should also come as no surprise that numerous individuals have looked to capitalize on this belief, offering all manner of “winning” slots systems across the Internet (for a fee, of course).
This article will highlight some of the most popular slot betting systems in the hope that you’ll avoid them in the future. While slot machines offer flashing lights, animation, and the chance for a large payday, they should never be viewed as anything other than games of pure chance. Once you’ve gotten this idea through your head, your experience at the casino should be much less frustrating.
The Zig Zag Method
This bizarre slot machine betting system relies more on the player’s powers of observation than anything else. To initiate the zig zag method, you’ll need to study several of the slot machines around you. Your objective is to find machines with certain reel patterns, especially those with the same symbols on all reels. According to the system, this means that the machine is “hot” and about to offer a big payday.
While horizontal and v-patterns are desirable, the most coveted alignment in the zig zag method is roughly the shape of a diamond. Adherents to this system will tell you that a diamond configuration is a harbinger for a big jackpot, but all forms of scientific analysis dispute this claim.
The biggest problem comes in the form of the slot’s random number generator. Since each spin is independent of the next, looking for patterns is useless.
The Hot and Cold Theory
This is a bare-bones system, but it makes about as much sense as the zig zag. All that’s required is for the player to hang back and observe people playing at a bank of slot machines. When another player vacates their seat at a “cold” machine, the system says to swoop in and start pumping coins into the slot. That’s because the cold machine is bound to turn “hot,” which will result in big winnings for the current player.
I shouldn’t have to say it, but the random number generators in all modern slots render this way of thinking obsolete. The appearance of hot or cold streaks is nothing more than an illusion.
The Martingale Technique
When it comes to betting systems, the martingale is the most well-known of the bunch. Its origins stretch back to 18th century France, and the basic premise of the system hasn’t changed much in several centuries. The idea behind the martingale is that the player doubles their bet after every loss. This is supposed to result in larger wins that cover any previous losses, as well as achieving a profit equal to the original stake.
The biggest problem with a martingale betting system is that players don’t possess unlimited funds. If they did, their increasingly larger bets would eventually pay off and bring in a vast payday. But since even the wealthiest players have a budget, a losing streak combined with a continual doubling of bets can quickly deplete even the most ambitious bankroll.
The Anti-Martingale Technique
Also known as the “reverse martingale,” this betting system calls on the player to reduce wagers after a loss and increase them following a win. This is meant to take advantage of hot streaks while minimizing the damage of those pesky cold streaks.
This system is flawed for the same reason as the traditional martingale theory. Each spin of the reels is entirely independent of the next, so concepts such as “streaks” are nothing more that figments of the player’s imagination. Add bankroll limitations to the equation and you have yet another slot system that fails to live up to expectations.
While slot machine betting systems offer players a sense of hope, they’re ultimately leading them down a path fraught with misinformation and outright lies. Some players swear by these systems, of course, but they seem incapable of admitting that their winnings are the result of nothing more than good luck.
Free To Play Slot Machines
The hucksters who sell “secrets” to winning slot machine strategies further muddy the waters, as they’re willing to say anything in the pursuit of the almighty dollar. The best advice I can give is to avoid these individuals and their schemes like the plague. Even if their systems yield some profits in the short term, you’re bound to give it all back to the casino by practicing a flawed gaming method.
Is There A System For Playing Slot Machines Required
The best solution is to look at slot machines for what they truly are: games of chance. All wins or losses are determined entirely at random, and each spin has as much chance of winning or losing as the previous one. Hardcore gamblers may find the preceding sentence decidedly unsexy, but pretending that slot systems are anything other than nonsense is a waste of everyone’s time.