Many players want to know – how do you identify looser slots? The simple answer is it’s not always easy – slots won’t tell you as a general rule what their payback percentage, although there’s rare exceptions, and so it’s hard to compare one to another.
But there is information out there that can hone you in on looser slots. Let’s take a look at a few ways you can identify the potential to get a better shake when it comes to slots.
Look at Casino Payback Reporting
Many commercial casinos are required to report the payback percentages for their slot machines in some form, whether by denomination or overall, and that data gets shared publicly.
By looking at a variety of casinos in a region or market, you can get a sense for which casinos have better overall paybacks. Better paybacks means, over time, you’ll get more mileage out of your gambling budget, or lose less, over time.
Slots are negative expectation games, so they’re designed to capture revenue over time, but what they’re set out will determine, in the long run, how fast that money is captured.
Play a Higher Denomination Game
If your bet level allows, playing a higher level denomination can get you a higher payback percentage than their lower denomination counterparts. The reporting previously referenced shows general steps up with each increase in denomination.
If you’re betting $1 a spin on a penny slot, vs. $1 on a quarter or dollar slot, you’ll likely see a difference over time. In the long run, that can have an aggregate impact on your overall gaming performance.
Look for Signage Advertising Better Payback
In some casinos, certain banks of slots are set up to pay a higher payback percentage, and casinos will market those as looser slots with signage. Gambling regulations require signage to be accurate, so if they mark a game as having a higher payback percentage, you can count on it being registered as such on the inside or it will be a very problematic outcome for the casino for deceiving customers.
Not every casino has this, and not every casino that does have it does it consistently, but they’re definitely out there, calling to those players willing to play them. And you don’t have to be in some lesser-known market – I’ve seen them in both Las Vegas and Atlantic City, both at major properties.
Review the Video Poker Pay Tables
This comes up often in my conversations with those in the know, and was backed up by a slot floor director’s comments. Slot machine paybacks are set with a goal in mind. Every machine is configured to work towards that goal.
If a casino is aiming for a looser floor, you’ll usually see more favorable Video Poker paytables. But if you are at a casino where they have a tighter philosophy, so, too, will the Video Poker pay tables lean.
So even if you’re not a Video Poker player, it’s wise to know how to read a few common games’ pay tables to know what it will mean for you.
