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Since it’s
a statistical fact in gaming jurisdictions nationwide that casinos
derive approximately 80 percent of their gaming revenues from slot
and video poker machines, it’s important to arm ourselves
with as much knowledge as possible to keep the playing field as
level as we possibly can.
The edge will
always tip in favor of the casinos no matter what we do. That’s
the nature of the business. Some of us will win over the short term,
but over the long haul the casinos will always win and players as
a collective group will
always lose.
I have prepared
the following list of tips for average recreational gaming enthusiasts
who wish to keep the factors that work against them in slot machine
play as minimal as possible. In most cases it takes lots of self
control and discipline, but it is the lack of those particular qualities
in a majority of players that keeps the casino gaming industry thriving.
This list is
geared toward nickel, quarter, fifty-cent, and dollar players. Playing
the five-dollar slots requires a greater starting bankroll if you
wish to stand any chance of beating the odds that are stacked against
you.
- Always play
in affordable increments to derive as much mileage as you can
from your outing. If you bring $100 to the casino for an evening
of play, break your bankroll down into five $20 sessions. If you
bring $160, break your bankroll down into eight $20 sessions.
You can always put in another twenty dollar bill if you fail to
generate profits on your first attempt. Loading up a machine with
too much “out of pocket” money at one time creates
the temptation to play too much too fast.
- Play at a
comfortable pace. The best way to do this is to insert coins,
but that takes a lot of patience. Playing off credits at a feverish
pace increases the vulnerability of your money to the “house
edge”. The more you play in a given period of time, the
more the casino’s advantage is going to work against you
and grind away at your bankroll.
- Even though
player’s club cards exist primarily for the casinos to create
data bases, track play, and serve as their most important marketing
tool, it is to the player’s advantage to always use them.
Make the cards work for you by deriving benefits based upon play
that’s comfortable for you and not increased or more frequent
play that the casinos wish to entice from you.
- Use a money
management system. One disciplined approach is to start with a
$20 buy-in. Play the entire $20 in one machine. If you have any
winnings to collect after playing, cash them out and split the
money 50-50: Half in a bucket that you put aside and the other
half for another playing session on the same machine. Repeat the
process as often as luck will allow. When you have depleted your
original buy-in, preserve the profits you have put aside and go
on to another machine with your next $20 bill.
- If you make
a nice score, cash out the winnings immediately and put them aside.
The level at which you do this is an individual matter, but certainly
if you hit for $100 or more it’s the wisest thing to do.
Keeping your winnings on the machine in credit form makes it too
easy to play them down and watch them disappear right before your
eyes. Keeping them in coin form in a bucket means you'll be less
likely to throw caution to the wind. It’ll also give you
the opportunity to take a break, bring them to the cashier, and
see your winnings in the form of cold, hard cash.
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