"He doesn't know how to Play"

A phrase that is often shouted in Atlantic City Casinos when fresh faced 21 year olds enter the arena and plop down $20 hoping to strike it rich! Usually it occurs at a Blackjack table when a newbie does something against basic strategy like hitting hard 15 vs dealer 5.

But for the first time in my life, I was told this while playing Penny Slots by an old lady! I never knew there was a "right way" to play them, I always thought you spin and hope to win. Most here would say the right way is not to play them at all. However, I had $40 in free play to use and nearly all the machines were full.

This utterance occurred when I got a bonus game awarded and had to choose between 8 spins with 60 wilds added, 16 spins with 40 wilds added or 25 spins with 20 wilds added. No sooner than the bell rang on my machine indicating I won the free bonus trigger, the little old lady jumped from her chair and ordered me to choose 8 spins! I looked at her sideways and said "Nah, I'll go for 16 spins." And she starts telling everyone "He doesn't know how to play"

I just shook my head and enjoyed my $45 win. While she kept spinning her machine at 50c a pop.
Gotta love the irony of a minimum bettor telling others how to play their money!

Quote: BedWetterBetter

A phrase that is often shouted in Atlantic City Casinos when fresh faced 21 year olds enter the arena and plop down $20 hoping to strike it rich! Usually it occurs at a Blackjack table when a newbie does something against basic strategy like hitting hard 15 vs dealer 5.

But for the first time in my life, I was told this while playing Penny Slots by an old lady! I never knew there was a "right way" to play them, I always thought you spin and hope to win. Most here would say the right way is not to play them at all. However, I had $40 in free play to use and nearly all the machines were full.

This utterance occurred when I got a bonus game awarded and had to choose between 8 spins with 60 wilds added, 16 spins with 40 wilds added or 25 spins with 20 wilds added. No sooner than the bell rang on my machine indicating I won the free bonus trigger, the little old lady jumped from her chair and ordered me to choose 8 spins! I looked at her sideways and said "Nah, I'll go for 16 spins." And she starts telling everyone "He doesn't know how to play"

I just shook my head and enjoyed my $45 win. While she kept spinning her machine at 50c a pop.
Gotta love the irony of a minimum bettor telling others how to play their money!

My experience from looking at many PAR sheets indicates that usually playing the least spins is the best return percentage.

Quote: DRich

My experience from looking at many PAR sheets indicates that usually playing the least spins is the best return percentage.

So the free spins are independent?

I thought the amount of your win including any free games bonus was decided the moment you originally pushed the initial spin.

Choosing how the free games are played just presents different animations but resolves with the same amount won in either case

Correct me if I am wrong

For example on linked progressive machines with the winning amount determined by a wheel spin, the other machines will reset before the wheel is even spun because it know I already won regardless of the bonus

I assumed they all worked that way

Quote: darkoz

So the free spins are independent?

I thought the amount of your win including any free games bonus was decided the moment you originally pushed the initial spin.

Choosing how the free games are played just presents different animations but resolves with the same amount won in either case

Correct me if I am wrong

For example on linked progressive machines with the winning amount determined by a wheel spin, the other machines will reset before the wheel is even spun because it know I already won regardless of the bonus

I assumed they all worked that way

I always believed on a Class III machine that each spin was independent and determined at the time you hit the button for that spin. Not in advance over all x bonus spins. That programming would be waaay too difficult. They know the expected value of a bonus spin, so they can just calculate into the RTP that the bonus is worth X spins at $y per spin and let the math take it from there.

I don't believe your bonus win is pre determined regardless of how many free spins you get 5-10-15-20 etc.

Perhaps, but there is no right way to play a bonus round. I've been burned many times choosing the low spins with more wilds option winning pitiful amounts like $28, $24, $16, and the worst was $9 on a Max bet of $2.50. So I prefer to get the middle option of twice as many spins with the 2nd highest amount of wilds.

This woman has no business telling me how to play my money, no matter what her intentions are.

I recently had an elderly gentleman instruct me to play $5 minimum on the match the dealer bet in BJ. I politely told him "No thanks" and he flipped out. Telling the dealer, "He's not playing the match? Why even play the game if you're not gonna play match, that's where the money is!"

After I cashed out $230 ahead, I glanced over at his dwindling pile and said to the dealer "I thought the money was on the match? Looks like I found out the house secret...but don't tell that guy, you might crush his little world!"

This is something that will always be annoying. I notice it more than anything if I'm at a UTH table. "You've got to play the trips." "You aren't playing the light? That's the only way to win!" Whatever. If everyone just let everyone play or bet how they wanted things would be so much better.

Quote: darkoz

So the free spins are independent?

I thought the amount of your win including any free games bonus was decided the moment you originally pushed the initial spin.

Choosing how the free games are played just presents different animations but resolves with the same amount won in either case

Correct me if I am wrong

For example on linked progressive machines with the winning amount determined by a wheel spin, the other machines will reset before the wheel is even spun because it know I already won regardless of the bonus

I assumed they all worked that way

Yes, the spins are independent on Class III games. The bonus awards are not predefined for the free spins.

Quote: Minty

This is something that will always be annoying. I notice it more than anything if I'm at a UTH table. "You've got to play the trips." "You aren't playing the light? That's the only way to win!" Whatever. If everyone just let everyone play or bet how they wanted things would be so much better.

There are other players at the table? I never noticed.

Back seat gamblers.

Not their money, not their buisness.

It is worse on BJ, when you are playing basic strategy and people say "never hit 12"... countless other BJ examples.... I just ignore...