Does playing with my player’s card on a slot affect the outcome?
Buddy: This is a classic question and a true gaming urban myth. The absolute answer is NO. By regulation, any and all players clubs cannot have any connection to the game computers or RNGs (random number generator). Of course, you may not trust me, but you can confirm this with some other sources such as professional video poker player Bob Dancer who swears that if you don’t use a card, you are leaving money “on the table.” We do track your “level of play,” but our purpose is to fill your mail box full of free offers, discounts on food, drawings and invites to special events. From your perspective, we can also give you an accurate tax statement at the end of the year to help reduce your taxes on winnings. If you don’t have a player’s card statement, good luck in proving your exemption.
Will you and every other casino please stop using the term “loosest slots”?
Buddy: Great comment. (Also: We don’t use this term in any of our marketing) “Loose” is an old term that meant the mechanical slides that held coins would over-pay if they were worn and got too “loose”. All claims (except states like New Jersey) are essentailly false, since there is no way to compare (California data is not public). There are some very false campaigns run by magazines that claim “certified loose” or “rated loose.” Don’t believe these for a minute. They are bought and paid for by the sponsoring casinos (take a look at the magazine ads accompanying the claims!!!). Basically, most Southern California casinos have very similar odds, and they are very close (within a single percentage point) and, with only one or two exceptions, are just slightly better than the payouts on the Vegas strip.
Should I ever play a slot after it just hit?
Buddy: This is truly random; but no one believes it. I once ran a promotional campaign where I posted the previous week’s wins and losses on top of each machine. When there was a machine with 140% payback posted, half the players would avoid it like the plague since they thought it “had cycled” or wouldn’t pay out for weeks. But the other half of the crowd flocked to the same machine because they thought it was “hot” or on a lucky streak!?!?!? It is random. Period.
Does it matter what type of bonus round you choose when given a choice?
Buddy: Bonus rounds are the hottest trend in slots. The most popular now are free spins bonuses and “nested free spins” where you can keep repeating and repeating. A few manufacturers’ bonus rounds are pre-determined so your choice has little outcome on the payout. But most of the newer machines do give you a “pick-em” feature where you can win more if you pick one bonus over the other. However, current regulations dis-allow any form of skill (the exception being video poker), so there is no right or wrong choice on your bonus selection….only good or bad luck.
For basic non-bonus play, there is one good choice: cover all the lines. You don’t always have to bet max (check the paytable for exceptions), but you should always cover the lines.
