True Value Of Penny Machines?

Hey Wizard!,

I have heard many times before, from here and other sites, that %'s of machines are loosely based off of the idea that .01c machines hit less than .05c machines... that .05c machines hit less than .25c machines... etc.. etc... My question is this, is a penny machine STILL a penny machine even if you max bet at say $3.00? I feel like this is the case, that the machine still considers your bet to be .01c.. not $3.00 hence leaving you with the lower odds of playing a penny machine. Any information on this is appreciated and GL!

Each and every single machine is set independently by the casino that owns it. It's set within a range of min-max. Usually state minimums are around 85% payback (not hit rate), and typically slot maxes are around 97-98%.

In general, yes, the higher denominations generally have a better payback (not necessarily hit rate). However, again, this is completely independent based upon slot machine type (some slot machine designers make their game so it must be within say "91% and 97%") and venue (I've seen some reports that $1 level slots were the best payback and after that the $5 and $25 and up slots actually started to go BACK DOWN in payback percent).

The only real way to know the payback value (if you're in the US - in Australia for example they have it in the settings so you can see the payback) is to map the reals and do some simple math with the pay table to know the true payback.

Lastly, whatever the base denomination is for the game is what it's considered. Your .01 min and $3 max on a penny slot is still exactly that, a penny slot.

It will always depend on how the casino configure the machine. Some of them configure at 0.01c per bet other configure it higher like 0.03c or more. I have played a penny machine the has a beginning og 0.10c per bet and the winning also change.

I wonder if the manual change machines pay the same as set machines. What I mean is there are slot machines at my local that are choices. 1 cent, 2 cent, and 5 cent. You can change the denomination anytime you want. There used to be a machine that was a set 5 cent machine. I read somewhere that playing a 5 cent machine in a multiple choice machine pays exactly the same way as a set 5 cent machine, but I am not sure. On a side note, I was playing a 2 cent machine that I manually changed from a 1 cent and was losing my money. I got up, went to the next machine, forgetting to manually change it back to the one cent, and a guy begun playing on it, losing his money too. He angrily called a casino employee and said,"This machine stole my money. I lost more than I should have! This game is broken and owes me money back!" The casino employee said,"Sir, this game is set to 2 cent! " The guy said,"Holy shhh.. i thought it was a 1 cent machine! "

The simple answer is that it could vary from machine to machine and depends both on what the settings make available and what settings the casino uses.

For example, many Video Poker and Video Keno games are multi-denomination. The paytables are better for higher denominations on some machines, but the same on other machines regardless of the denomination being played.

One thing to be said for VP/VK is at least you know what you're gettting no matter what.