Try this: get a pencil and pad and start recording the results you are getting on a slot machine. See if you are noticed by the casino. Than ask
what advantage you could possibly achieve by recording RANDOM results.

Fair enough. Unfortuanately, that means that people here may be unable to help you. The casinos are too big and have too many regulators to mess with the slots. Besides, given the amount of money they make off the slots, they don't need to.

Outside of the curiosity factor, they won't care. In fact, they may prefer that you do so. Roulette betting went up significantly after the casinos started listing the numbers that had previously won, since players thought they could detect patterns. Outside of a tilted wheel or a dealer with a particular throw, though, roulette is also totally random.

The mathematical (and real-world) naivete displayed here is astonishing. Get it through your head: ALL THE SPINS ARE RANDOM!!!

According to the "Wizard of Odds"? Encarta gives one definition of wizard
as: Male Witch: a man who is supposed to have magical or wonder-working
powers. And, who designated this guy a "wizard"-he himself? Get it through your head-you sure are naive if you believe everything you are told.

I do however believe what I am told when many sources say the same thing. I feel no need to research and quote a number of sources when the "wizard" has explained it so well. Do a google search. Ask the gambling commission. You will find that every spin is as random as the last and as random as the next.

Good Luck at the slots.

Um, okay. Look, I think you're in the wrong place. You've been given the correct answer. You don't believe it. I'm cool with that. But people here aren't going to change their minds because you have a conspiracy theory. Good luck on the slots!

Mike

Why in the world would a casino want a non-random slot machine? The last thing they need is an insider posting what observed pattern means a jackpot is near.

Your conspiracy theory doesn't make any sense for the customer (the casinos).

I agree with, mikeef and opus 17; I'm not really sure what you (standby my man) are looking for.

If you are looking for loopholes, these are very rare; and quite frankly most errors get shut down right away. If anyone does know of some, they would be foolish to post that type of information for numerous reasons. Even keen video poker players are reluctant to post and/or share errors involving cash back or promotions that are flawed; since doing this is the fastest way to get the machine removed or the flaw shut down.

Too bad you didn't come to Caesars Indiana this past summer; I remember discussing this with some folks in the DL at Caesars Indiana shortly after the fiasco.

Good LUCK in your slot quest !

BTW, in case you were interested, just a few details about the Wizard :
The Wizard of Odds is Michael Shackleford, A.S.A., a professional actuary who has made a career of analyzing casino games. He runs the numbers on new games for casinos and game developers and has helped design many of the popular slot machines on the Internet. He is currently an Adjunct Professor of Casino Math at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, a former contributing editor to Casino Player magazine, and the author of the book Gambling 102, recently published by Huntington Press. The Wizard's landmark research into the actual returns of slot machines on the Las Vegas strip garnered international attention in 2002, and he has appeared numerous times on national television as a recognized expert on gambling strategy.

I still laugh when I remember when I hit a 7-7-7 for about a $400 payout at the LAS airport and some drunk fool came up to me asking what my strategy was...

he didn't get it when I explained my strategy usually involves walking past the slots and VP machines.

I am also a member of several other message boards, and there, a definition of a "troll" is someone who goes on message boards will the sole purpose of being belligerent and antagonizing to the other members of the board.

Trolls are often banned from message boards as they don't get the concept; treat other posters with respect and you get respect in turn.

Impressive credentials

Actually if you check out the slots page referenced, it explains that the reel stops are more or less for show. The casino can (and does) make it look like you "almost won" as the psychological aspect to keep you playing.

From the wizard: For example consider the following mapping table that takes a random integer from 0 to 127 and maps it to one of 22 stops. This is my best estimate based on a sampling of 4000 spins of a Reel Strike machine I played at the Silver Legacy in Reno. Note how only two numbers (85 and 86) are mapped to the highest paying symbol, the double red 7, while 8 numbers are mapped to the blank above it, and 9 to the blank below it. For more details on the experiment please visit my


The outcome was actually determined by a boring RNG the instant you hit the button, but a screen showing

739492742934 - Lose
883281929347 - Lose
938237429912 - Pay 3 coins
239901003010 - Lose

would not be much fun.

I highly recommend the book "Flaws and Fallacies of Statistical Thinking". It is not the most exciting, but it is a great reference for all of those things "you've heard" about probability and statistics. http://www.amazon.com/Fallacies-Stat.../dp/0486435989

Use of psychology is huge in casinos, but that does not mean that games of chance are fixed or the casino is cheating.

I'm dumbfounded by this conspiracy theory, but it did pique my curiosity. I understand that the Gaming Board regulates that the slots must be run by the RNG. So, does anyone know what the minimum legal payout % is for RNG in Nevada as set by the Gaming Board?

It's in the low-mid 80's, but I don't remember the exact number.

Mike

14.040 Minimum standards for gaming devices. All gaming devices submitted for approval:
1. Must theoretically pay out a mathematically demonstrable percentage of all amounts
wagered, which must not be less than 75 percent for each wager available for play on the device.
(a) Gaming devices that may be affected by player skill must meet this standard when using a
method of play that will provide the greatest return to the player over a period of continuous play.

This can be found in the gaming commission document about slot regulations

or visit NEVADA GAMING COMMISSION and STATE GAMING CONTROL BOARD Gaming Statutes and Regulations web page

In the environment of regulated casinos; you can find almost everything out on the web. I often like to see the drop for various table games and the win by the casinos (which can be found broken down by game).