I need my head examined

Okay - I've asked many stupid questions in my day. This will probably be right there with the worst of them.

Machine pay off percentages:

Are these odds per specific machine - or per specific game within each machine - or some grand assumption that you played the whole set of machines with perfect play for some statistically relevant number of hands?


Scenario: At a given bar in the Imperial Palace, I see the progressive amounts for each game is the same for each denomination.

i.e. - The JoB and the bonus poker and the Dub poker and the dub/dub poker have the same payoff. So, if someone hits a 4 of a kind on one machine - can/does that impact the payoff on the other machines? Given the nature of the RNG - it would seem this answer is No.

BUT!!!! I realize perceptions are not reality - but surely you folks have experienced what seems to me to be "Ebb and flow". That is, I'll start my session with 40 bucks on a dollar denomination JoB machine. Only rarely do I get a couple of Two Pair, with a garbage hand or a couple of pairs for even money. It generally goes something similar to this:


40 credits Garbage
35 credits One pair
35 credits garbage
30 credits garbage
25 credits One pair
25 credits one pair
25 credits two pair
35 credits garbage
30 garbage
25 garbage
20 garbage
15 credits Trips
30 credits trips
45 credits Full House
85 Credits pair
85 credits Full House

And then junk and sparse pairs until nothing is left.


Or conversely - the session will play down to 5 or 10 credits and then it will just deal win after win after win.

It just doesn't seem like these can be random - as if the RNG has determined that you're losing too much and kicks in some wins.

Am I crazy? Do I need to take a nap?
Or is all truly random?

It's random.

I think you need more money to effectively play dollars. 8 rounds of bets just isn't enough.

I rather enjoy 3 and 5 line. $40 is a decent start to play nickels, in my limited experience.

Well, as you say, it's random. I'm not sure why I settle in on 8 rounds of play - but my experience tells me that it is enough for JoB.

The question is - "Enough for what?"
The answer is - "Enough to either lose it all or increase my initial stake from 40 to 60 or more."

More often than not, I get $60 or more. I'm superstitious, sort of. I generally pick the machines with full ash trays. Seems to me like other folks were probably not playing "perfectly" and left some money in the machines.

My play has evolved, or devolved - or maybe it's just changed in the past 15 years. I used to just put 40 bucks in the dollar machines and play until I got a full house - which invariable would have me at about 60 credits due to the ebb and flow of the payable hands.

On weekends, I'll just bring 400 and play until it's gone or I'm up a couple hundred. (give or take a bit)

For me, it can be pretty relaxing - so the comps and the money are a bit of a bonus.

I don't think I'd ever have the nerve to invest/speculate thousands to pursue a royal. I just appreciate it all the more when they hit. (Got one progressive on a $2 denim for 11553.46 so, I'm way ahead on the year.


Thanks for your reply.

Its random
I've played tons of video poker.
I've had runs where 100 bucks just drains.
I've had runs where I stay even the whole session, cant lose.

I once put a 100 dollar bill in a quarter machine that just pays quarters at the Freemont.
I thought it was ticket in ticket out.
My mistake.
Oh well, I figured I will play the 100 to zero.
After an hour, still hovering around 100, i gritted my teeth and cashed out 400 quarters, ugh

I was at NYNY, they have a few JOB 99.54 quarter machines
Put in a 100, went to zero in about 20 min.

Its random.