Pot O' Gold-Superball Keno

Yesterday I stumbled upon a couple of old Pot O' Gold machines with Superball Keno on them. This is the Montana progressive version with a 50 cent bet and a max payout of 1600 for 1 ($800). And in the Montana version this is what I found out:

The 7-spot, 8-spot, 9-spot, and 10-spot are all progressive and all linked to the same meter. So you can take your pick as to how many spots you want to play....but the progressive meter is the same whether you are playing the 7,8,9 or 10. Here are the frequencies involved:

With the 7-spot you have to hit the solid 7 to win the progressive. The frequency (cycle) is 40,979.

With the 8-spot you have to hit the solid 8 to win the progressive. The frequency is 230,115.

With the 9-spot you have to hit either 8 out of 9 or 9 out of 9 to win the progressive. The frequency is 30,115.

With the 10-spot you have to hit either 9 out of 10 or 10 out of 10 to win the progressive. The frequency is 160,440.
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So it looks like a no brainer that the 9-spot would be the best to play. The machines at Viejas may be set up the same way.

Now, for the game of Superball Keno itself. This game is almost the same as the Power Hit game I posted up here in the "Keno Math Help" thread. In that thread I wanted to know that I did the math right for hitting a 6 out of 8 with the last ball being a part of the hit. I had put the frequency at 1408 and asked for opinions on whether I did the math right. CrystalMath, Mission, Tring, and I think a few others confirmed that I did.

Superball Keno works the same way as the Power Hit game. If the last ball is part of the hit then you get payed 4X the regular pay. For example, if you hit a 4 out of 9 but the last ball is not in the hit then you get payed 1 for 1. If the last ball is part of the hit then you get payed 4 for 1. It works the same for 5/9, 6/9, 7/9. With 8/9 or 9/9 you win the progressive.

One of the drawbacks to these old Pot O' Gold machines is you can only get out 10 games a minute. You might be able to play two machines at once and get out 20 games a minute (1200 games per hour).

PBguy put up a picture in a post of the $143,000 hit on a Pot O' Gold 10-spot progressive at Viejas. I can't find the picture because I can't remember which thread he put it in. I've searched for but can't find it. If any of you remember would you please tell me where it's at. I can use the picture to analyze the 10-spot game.

https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/gambling/other-games/18302-a-new-machine-with-potential-for-exploitablility/4/#post367877

That is the pic you need. Harrah's Cherokee has progressives on these devices with a $1 bet for some outcomes that expand with a $2 bet iirc. The smaller of the two casinos at Mystic Lake, MN had them too the last time I was up there a few years ago.

Where did you find POGs in MT? I had never seen them up there before but never ventured out of the eastern side. All of the lottery machines there are the old VLTs.

Edit: That CAL POG keno hit was a $10 bet. Surely that isn't the trigger for a progressive is it?

Quote: Pokeraddict

https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/gambling/other-games/18302-a-new-machine-with-potential-for-exploitablility/4/#post367877

That is the pic you need. Harrah's Cherokee has progressives on these devices with a $1 bet for some outcomes that expand with a $2 bet iirc. The smaller of the two casinos at Mystic Lake, MN had them too the last time I was up there a few years ago.

Where did you find POGs in MT? I had never seen them up there before but never ventured out of the eastern side. All of the lottery machines there are the old VLTs.

The Motherlode in Helena and and Smith's Bar in East Helena. They are extremely rare here. Montana has all modern equipment and the Pot O' Gold's are antiques. The meters run at only 1% here and there is nothing exploitable on them. Thanks for the link.

I have an older generation POG in my house if you have any questions about the potential game setup.

Quote: Pokeraddict

I have an older generation POG in my house if you have any questions about the potential game setup.

Pokeraddict, I'll keep that in mind. I was only in Helena overnight. I'm racking my brain to try to remember if I have ever seen any in Great Falls. So far I can't come up with anything. So if a question comes up I'll post it up to you. Thanks.

BTW, I've encountered keno games where the payoff odds increase with a higher bet. But, so far, in working out the math for the cost, I've always found the minimum bet to qualify for the progressive has the best value.

Quote: mickeycrimm

Pokeraddict, I'll keep that in mind. I was only in Helena overnight. I'm racking my brain to try to remember if I have ever seen any in Great Falls. So far I can't come up with anything. So if a question comes up I'll post it up to you. Thanks.

BTW, I've encountered keno games where the payoff odds increase with a higher bet. But, so far, in working out the math for the cost, I've always found the minimum bet to qualify for the progressive has the best value.

Correct, the older generation machines (and maybe the new ones too, I don't have access to one) do not increase the player return on higher wagers outside of the jackpot. The pay tables simply go up one more increment for every coin wagered no matter what. The operator sets a pay table based on the percent he is willing to spread, what percent of the wager goes to the progressive, and how many coins are needed to activate the jackpot.

Some of the machines are programmed so that they can have different denomination games with different pay tables in up to 16 combinations. For example, the machine could have $.05 $.25, $.50 and $1 Shamrock 7's (which would count as 4 games) and set better pay tables on the higher denoms and still offer up to 12 other poker/keno/bingo games that do not necessarily have the same denominations or even a progressive. Each game, including denominations, are completely separate in every way.