Slots Machines Tricks

The casino slot floor area is a battleground. It's the slot player against the casino. Knowing how to play is half the battle. Knowing what the casino doesn't want you to know is the other half. If you play the slots, here are ten casino tricks and the simple steps you can take to avoid them.

TRICK 1.
Casinos promote the fiction that they're places of fun and entertainment. "So bring the kiddies. There's something for everyone in today's family friendly casinos." But not much. There's really little else to do in a casino but gamble. It's the sole purpose of its existence. But the casino industry avoids the use of the word gambling. It's now called entertainment.

Except a casino isn't in the entertainment business. It's in the business of making money. And as in every other business, someone has to pay for employee salaries, operating expenses, stockholders, etc.

It's hard to believe that people really think of losing money as fun. The next time you're in a casino, take a good look around. Are those the happy, smiling faces of people having fun? Or are they more like the grim determination of a Kamikaze pilot? There are cheaper and better ways of having fun than pressing a button or pulling a handle.

TRICK 2.
Casinos mold many slot players into the "jackpot mentality," meaning that they don't want the player to be satisfied with a small win -- just the 'big one!" a This is an all-or-nothing attitude that guarantees the player stays glued to a slot, betting down to the last dollar. It's the casino's way of setting the player' s win goal.

TRICK 3.
Many casinos use "comps" (short for complimentary) to entice people to stay and play exclusively at their casino. When you insert the casino's slot club card into a slot's card reader, a central computer records the amount of your play, which determines the kind and amount of casino freebies you are entitled to: free meals, show tickets, reduced room rates, etc.

The comp is one of the biggest lures the casinos use to get a crack at your money. So don't just play for comps. They could end up costing you more than they're worth.

Really big winners get the best comps of all: free suites, clothing, jewelry, gifts -- whatever it takes to keep them in the casino. Down deep, casinos are sore losers. And they don't like to see lucky winners walking out the door with their money!

TRICK 4.
The goal of the casino is to empty your pocket as quickly and as painlessly as possible. But psychologically, they don't want you to know how much you're losing. So they program their slots to give you back a little now and then. Just enough to keep your hopes alive.

What they're actually doing is conditioning you to accept losing. They want you to go home believing you got good entertainment value for your money. In casino lingo ... a happy loser.

TRICK 5.
Another fiction pushed by the casinos is the "winning attitude." Which means they want you to go into the casino expecting you'll win big. But a "winning attitude" is nothing but wishful thinking. A passport to poverty. The slot is a computer-driven machine. It doesn't care about your attitude. To believe otherwise is pure superstition.

TRICK 6.
Most casinos set aside a slot area with a huge sign touting "Up to 97.4% payback." Note the "up to." In reality, there may be only one or two of these higher-paying machines mixed in with many lower-paying ones.

Since there's no way to tell which is which, it might help to ask the change person, carousel attendant or cocktail waitress for advice on what slots to play. They'll usually be glad to point out what slots they've seen hitting on their shift, but there's no guarantee that they'll hit for you.

Just don't tip up front for any advice proffered. Tip only after a win. And only if you want to. You don't have to.

TRICK 7.
Unless you hit a really big jackpot, the casinos pay off slot wins in cash. They don't like to issue checks. But some do if asked. Paying you in cash is another way they have of getting back some (or all) of the money they lost.

TRICK 8.
Some casinos have introduced slots that let you play with your VISA or Master Card. You simply insert your card into the machine and charge your play to the outstanding balance. Casinos say that this is a convenience for the player. But guess who's really getting convenienced.

TRICK 9.
To attract customers, some casinos advertise THE LOOSEST SLOTS IN TOWN, implying that the player has a better chance of winning. But the term "loose" has no real meaning. It's mostly casino hype. It doesn't guarantee you'll walk out a winner.

TRICK 10.
Another way casinos have to camouflage your losing is by encouraging you to play with credits. That's why most of today' s slots come with bill acceptors ($1 to $100). But when you play with credits, money loses all meaning. You don't think of those little figures in the CREDIT meter as real money. Somehow losing 400 credit's on a quarter slot doesn't seem so bad a~ losing $100.

Casinos know that there's a 99% chance that the credit player will play down to the last credit. So here's a good tip: if you play with credits, put a mental dollar sign before the figure in the credit meter. And set a loss-limit figure. When you reach it, hit the CASH-OUT button and walk away.

You can, however, use the bill acceptor as a quick way to get change. After inserting your bill and getting the appropriate number of credits, hit the CASH-OUT button. Then play with the coins that drop into the tray.

It may be tiring to hand-feed coins into a slot, and few players do. But it slows down your game and s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-s your playing time. It's a good way to keep control of your bankroll.