Suspects Accused of Slot-Rigging Scheme in Two States: "Two men are accused of rigging slot machines and illegally winning nearly $1.4 million from Las Vegas casinos. The men allegedly targeted specific machines in an elaborate scheme that spanned coast to coast. The FBI is heading up the investigation and made the arrest in dramatic fashion."
LINK
Today I had the pleasure of meeting a former slot technician, who chooses to remain anonymous. Over a few beers, he revealed some "inside information" that was really very interesting.
He revealed some "secrets" to me, some of which I had already known, but some were new to me:
- Don't play penny slots if you are trying to make money. They are programmed to eventually take your money away. Psychologists designed them to do this. They are OK to play if you just want to have fun, but like a pinball machine, don't expect much more than some free play as a reward. If you walk away a winner, consider yourself very lucky, but don't go back to the same machine you just won from.
- Over time, some machines that aren't being played or are not paying out will have their percentage return increased to encourage play ( this is a manual process ) or they are removed and replaced by more popular machines.
- I asked him specifically about my favorite game, Cleopatra Keno. He said it is a good game, but always play it at the 25 cent or dollar denomination level ( but dollar is too rich for my blood! ). Quarters and dollars have better odds for the player. They never change the percentage return for dollars, and these are set to pay at a higher percentage return. Never play nickels or pennies.
- I asked him where the best machines were. First of all, he recommended the older machines in downtown Las Vegas like the Union Plaza or The El Cortez. If you are on the strip you are really at their mercy. Go a little off the strip, try places that advertise the highest returns like South Point and The Joker Wild in Henderson on Boulder Highway.
- Eventually all slot machines in a casino will be networked to one central computer, where the percentage returns for any machine can be changed in real time ( by "pushing one button" ) and the new chip programs can be remotely loaded and installed!
Fourth generation or "4G" is a name to describe some invention or innovation that has gone through several levels of improvement. Sometimes it may seem that there are four distinct stages. An example I am very familiar with is the evolution of computer programming languages from machine language to Fourth Generation Language ( which uses Artificial Intelligence methods). Other examples abound in technology: the vacuum tube was a first generation invention that was replaced by the transistor and printed circuit board, which further evolved into the integrated circuit chip, which will eventually evolve into nano-technology. Another example would have been the automobile: some may argue that because of the powerful international oil cabal, the American automobile industry has not been allowed to evolve much beyond the first generation internal combustion engine. Any innovations in engine design that reduces or eliminates the need for gasoline fuel are quickly bought out and the inventor is silenced, or worse. Or so the conspiracy theorists , uh, well, ... so they theorize.
Yet another example of 4G innovation is the modern casino gaming device. Notice I did not say "improvement", I said "innovation". The jury is out on whether these new machines are improvements for people who play. Let's review a brief and incomplete history of the casino gaming device:
1) Antiques - these are typified by the "one-arm bandit" of the Old West -- completely mechanical with gears and moving metal parts.
2) Traditional single action - these are the older ancestor of the modern video poker machines I played back in the late seventies and eighties. You put five quarters in them and then pull the handle --- each pull is completely independent and if you win it dumps the quarters in your tray. Coins in, coins out. Simple to understand. Biggest drawback: dirty hands ( from touching the coins).
3) Modern credit machines - the big innovation here was that you could play without putting more money in as long as your balance was positive. This led to machines that took bills ( paper money ) and then multi-denomination games that allow you to choose amongst several games and your unit of play --- penny, nickel, dime, quarter, etc... This also led to the "ticket in --- ticket out" machines that pay in vouchers that can be fed for credit into another machine. This also led to the casino's ability to track your betting habits, wins, and losses in great detail with their slot club cards.
4) So called "penny slot machines" - These 4G gaming machines may use more electricity than the traditional machines, but based upon their growth, they are big money makers for the casinos. Oddly enough, they tend to pay less, but many people like to play them more than the traditional machines.
At the center of concern are new penny, 2-cent, 3-cent and nickel machines. Many look much like video games, sometimes with interactive touch screens, TV or movie clips and attractive themes like "Wheel of Fortune," Monopoly or "The Wizard of Oz."
These aren't your average one-armed bandits.
Psychological studies, focus groups, surveys and other intense research goes into empowering these slots to keep gamblers playing longer and betting more - and ultimately losing more, but somehow leaving happy.
"There is a science to everything," says Scott Herrington, a senior producer for WMS Gaming Inc., a major slot machine designer and manufacturer based in Waukegan.
At WMS' trendy programming office on Chicago's North Side, he walks along rows of new, vibrant slots in a small side showroom.
Jumping from machine to machine, Herrington illustrates the alluring elements his team of researchers and programmers have created to keep gamblers entertained and spending:
- Bonus round: All of these new slots offer gamblers a chance to enter a second game level where they can rack up extra cash, sometimes by selecting boxes or targets to reveal prizes.
- Theme: Many slots target demographic groups via movie, TV show or iconic themes such as "Star Wars" or "Happy Days." This is enhanced with video clips and theme songs. The longer a gambler plays, the longer the video and audio tracks run.
- Hits: The more gamblers bet on a spin, the more often they will "win" or hit a combination that sets off video, theme songs and other psychological rewards. But often, the "win" ends up being less than the amount bet, say $1 on a $5 bet. The machine constantly encourages the gambler to "Bet Max."
"If you don't play all the lines, you are not seeing everything the game has to offer," Herrington says.- Control: Some new machines give players the illusion of control, such as bonus rounds that require gamblers to pick boxes or targets to win prizes. The newest line from WMS offers "mechanical" reels that have video graphics displayed on top of them. Herrington says some gamblers prefer reels because they don't trust a computer. These slots, like all slots, are actually run by computer chips.
- Payout: Programmers set up these slot machines to pay out at different rates. Some "dribble" out small amounts to gamblers more often. Others hold back on small payouts to give fewer, larger ones. Herrington calls this "playing with the math" of the computer chip, which is set to withhold a certain percentage of total bets over a long period of time.
The best slot machine "is the perfect stew of all of this," summarizes Herrington. All of these new elements draw in more gamblers and more money, but none of them loosen the machine's tight payout. That is determined by the casino operators.
As long as gamblers keep flocking to more entertaining, tighter machines, there is little reason for casino operators to increase the overall payout.
"Casinos are a business and obviously their interests are in maximizing profitability," Eadington says.
Since my energy levels have been much diminished lately, I have not been able to post here as much as I wanted. So I missed writing about the Super Bowl Parties, and Romantic Valentine's getaways --- the two hottest topics of the recent season. Nevertheless, I will try to cook up for you to imbibe, some competitive gaming and pursuit of love combinations, but that may be a hard mixture to prepare or digest.
These are strange times. I keep hearing Paul McCartney singing his old song "Money Can't Buy Me Love". How true for him, considering his "Ticket To Ride" with Heather Mills is potentially costing him more than $3000 an hour. Yes, Three Grande for every hour he was married to the beech! How decidedly and emphatically not true for the average Vegas visitor. Here in Vegas, you can get a lot of love for much less than $3000 an hour...
But for those whose desire for intimacy is more social than romantic ( or physical ) may I suggest finding a socially networked slot machine and cheering loudly with your newfound friends during the jackpot events? I sat down at one of these networked slot machines with a group of five Vegas visitors -- strangers who became "friends", just like any social network. Social networked slots are where everybody playing at the same carousel ( can't remember the game's name, but it was not the "Wheel Of Fortune" ) gets a chance to cheer while drinking exotic drinks, for a commonly ( communally ? )shared random jackpot. I played one of these at ( of all places ) Circus Circus - the "newer" casino across from the Manor --- for about an hour --- while waiting for my wife to transact some legitimate nursing business in the Tower. I played the two cents minimum bet, which really stretched out my playing time. I met the coolest people, cheered until I could not speak, and walked ( more like staggered ) away with a forty buck profit. A social experience not unlike the average Super Bowl party, I mean "Big Game" party --- Money and "love" and free drinks. Now that's the Vegas I like. Even Sir Paul McCartney could not have done much better.
All of the following slot machine myths are all FALSE. To find out why, do a Google search on "slot machine myths". But don't be discouraged - you will be lucky sometimes, otherwise the casinos would not expect you to ever want to come back! And always remember, there really is such a thing as luck, that is, in hindsight. If you win you experienced "good luck" and if you lose you experienced "bad luck"!
I don't know about you, but I do not go to a casino to have a social networking experience -- I go to gamble and perhaps win some money. In fact, a snapshot of my mental state at any time while pushing the video poker buttons would be about as anti-social as one could imagine. In my semi-hypnotic state of mind, the only communication going on are thoughts like, "Why did this durn video poker machine just infuriate me by dealing four cards to the royal flush and then hold back the winning card -- twice in a row??" Sometimes I am glad that the glass protecting the video poker machine can withstand my banging fist and my purposely spilled drink. I am not a very good loser, nor am I very social while gambling. If I want "social" I would go to the craps table.
Slot machines way high tech
"...As for turning solitary slot playing into a community experience: International Game Technology, which is also offering wide screen slots, is building slots with shared bonus rounds that allow gamblers seated next to one another to bet on one another or compete collectively for a bonus.
Improvements in digital and reel technology are 'evolutionary rather than revolutionary,' said slot critic and gambler John Robison, who writes for the trade publication Strictly Slots.
'There's a lot more buzz about the community gaming developments because this is something that really hasn't been done before,' he said.
The first of these for IGT was last year's debut of the Wheel of Fortune "Super Spin" - a giant, colorful wheel much like that used in the original game show. Players sit at individual screens situated around a big wheel and can join in a neighboring player's "spin," or wait for their own, once they are eligible for a bonus. Each player's winnings are largely displayed. Rather than drawing accidental spectators, the game is intended to draw crowds that wait to witness the spin of the giant wheel.
This fall IGT will introduce an 'Indiana Jones'-branded game with a bonus round in which neighboring players can compete, and has begun rolling out electronic versions of table games - such as baccarat, roulette and blackjack - allowing players more opportunity to interact around a table.
'This is a strange universe where people interact with a single computer,' IGT Chief Executive T.J. Matthews said at a technology conference last week. 'People want to interact with each other.' "
Craps table pictued above is for sale at the Gamler's Genral Store, Las Vegas
In a previous post, I recalled 10 times in the past when I made purchases from a Las Vegas gift shop. Most of these events occurred during the period when I could still play the enviable role of "tourist". I wish I could be a tourist again, but alas, I've lived here too long. Everything I see is tainted by my previous experiences, good and bad. I envy the "fresh view" - I envy anybody who can call themselves "tourist" in the same way I envy the innocence of small children who have not yet experienced the cruely and complexity of life or their first major defeat or triumph - or those who "broke their maiden" and keep coming back for more!
Not that being a realist is so bad. How do I recapture that experience of looking at the world as something new and exciting? By sublimation and fantasy, of course - I leave the world of mundane sensuality and enter the world of ideas and imagination, I leave the gift shop and travel to my favorite gambling book store!
( Phew! Finally on topic ) - I used to study gaming like someone studies Advanced Physics, trying to understand the order of the universe. If one could only understand God's laws, then one might at least have a slighty better than even chance if God does decide (against Einstein's reasoning) to play dice ( or any of His favorite table games ) with the universe. I've collected many gaming books in my time, trying to beat the house at its own game. I have a closet full of them. I still buy them because they intrigue me in a theoretical way. After all, my academic background is heavy in mathematics, probability, and science. ( They had me at Beat The Dealer
So where do I go today to purchase books on gambling? There are only two places in all of Las Vegas where I ever go, or ever have gone, and this has been true since 1983. There are no other places for me and these two friendly competitors are within a few miles of each other. If one doesn't have what you are looking for, they will gladly point you to the other. Looking for the perfect DVD that discusses a professional strategy for Texas Holdem? It's there. These two brick and mortar establishments in the Downtown area of Las Vegas are worth visiting even though both have a cyberspace presense (see web addresses below) - being there is a so much more enjoyable experience than web serfing! So, on your next visit to Las Vegas, pay them a visit!
You can't beat them in their choice of gambling books and the sales people are always friendly and go out of their way to assist you personally.
When I visited there today, I was told that it was OK to mention that the proprietor for over 40 years, Mr. Howard Schwartz, is looking for a buyer - the place is up for sale! I was a little short of the required funding, but anybody out there, here's your chance to participate in the future growth of this famous landmark establishment!
This place will blow you away when you walk through the door! They not only have tons of gaming books, but poker chips, slot machines, precision dice, and table layouts. Their free 88 page catalogue alone is worth the trip. I had my eyes on an IGT "Player's Edge" video poker machine for $1695. Maybe next Christmas. ( Owning a slot machine of a certain vintage for personal use only is perfectly legal in Nevada.)
Because you are going to win as often as you loose, in the long run, machines that claim 100% payback can and will make you experience a loss as often as those 98% machines. We humans live too short a life to experience the "long run" odds very often. Randomly select balls from a jar full of 50 black and 50 white balls. A casual sampling of 3 balls (with replacement) will yield three white balls (signifying a big win) or three black balls (signifying a big loss) in a fairly random way. You can and will still lose as often as you win, again: "in the long run". Because we naturally quit (unless we are compulsive gamblers) when we lose, we walk away after a losing session. Because you've had a few drinks and maybe you aren't playing optimal strategy on the video poker hands. Or maybe you think the machine is paying 100%, but there is only one machine in the bank of eight machines paying 100% payback, and you are probably not playing that one at this point in time! Those sneaky casinos always have a gimmick!
But what about those machines I've seen at the locals joints that claim a greater than 100% payback? Would the casinos be charitable enough to place a machine that pays out more than it takes in on the casino floor?
In his straightforward Video Poker Optimum Play the retired computer expert and part-time poker-dealer instructor Dan Paymar starkly outlines the matter. "Suppose you're playing 600 hands per hour on a five-coin $1 Deuces Wild at 100.75% average payback," he says of one of the machines known to pay back more than they take in. "At five dollars per play, you're wagering $3,000 per hour. Over the long term, you can expect to gain an average of .75% of your wagers, or $22.50 per hour ..." In other words, if you are willing to risk $24,000 a day, "over the long term" you might make a little more than $150 a day. You might. Or you might not!
Better bet: find a night job that pays $22.50 an hour!
I welcome your comments on this topic.
Posts
All Comments
|
|
|
Y'all come back again! |
Leaving "What's Happening, Vegas?"