Pay percentage?
I thought a read an article about, a way to check out the pay percentage of a slot. I've checked the help on the slots, but there is no information on pay percentage. Is this a requirement?
Also on some slots there was data on the payout over a 7 day period. Is this information available on all the slots or is it hidden on some of the machines?
I did a small test on a slot.
I'd played $100 @ max play ($2) and the return was terrible. I played another $100 on the same machine, but for only $0.90 the return was much better. I thought the higher max you played the the better returns.
Quote: R0gue
I did a small test on a slot.
I'd played $100 @ max play ($2) and the return was terrible. I played another $100 on the same machine, but for only $0.90 the return was much better. I thought the higher max you played the the better returns.
Looks like you played more than twice as many spins at the lower bet amount. I'm not sure that gives an apples-to-apples comparison of the two bet levels.
Also, usually, you get better returns by playing a higher denomination machine ($0.05, instead of $0.01 regardless of total amount bet). This type of variation is hard to detect without looking at long-term statistics. It's slightly more rare to see a machine that pays better for playing the max than for playing another total bet on the same machine, but you can detect this type of situation without even playing. If the max bet gets you a disproportionately high payout on some awards (i.e. bet 1, win 3; bet 2, win 6; bet 3, win 12), or more free spins, or access to a progressive jackpot, then the max bet returns a higher percentage than the lower bet amounts.
Quote: R0gueI've been in Vegas for a couple of days, I've been checking out the casinos.
I thought a read an article about, a way to check out the pay percentage of a slot. I've checked the help on the slots, but there is no information on pay percentage. Is this a requirement?
In Nevada, the only requirements are that (a) they pay at least 75%, and (b) if the chance of hitting the jackpot is 1 in 100,000,000 or worse, the probability must be displayed (reportedly, the Megabucks jackpot chance is slightly better than 1 in 50,000,000).
The only place I have seen where it was required to display the payback percentage is in Victoria (the state Melbourne is in), Australia. (It is apparently a state law, as the slot machines in Sydney (New South Wales state) do not have this.)
Quote:I did a small test on a slot.
I'd played $100 @ max play ($2) and the return was terrible. I played another $100 on the same machine, but for only $0.90 the return was much better. I thought the higher max you played the the better returns.
As rdw4potus pointed out, the higher the per-credit amount, the better the return. (Presumably, this is because a $1 machine can "earn" $1 in 100 spins with a 99% payback, but a 25c machine would have to be a 96% (and a nickel machine an 80% payback) to earn $1 in 100 spins.) I am not even sure that a machine is allowed to chance the probabilities of its outcomes based on how much you bet (change the relative payouts, yes, but I mean something like, "three Red 7s becomes 2% more likely with 3 coins than with 2").
Any signage mentioning payout must be accurate but watch for signs that apply to one machine or to a group of machines and of course the famed "up to" language which is misleading since only one such machine must comply.
Are you confusing payout with pay tables?
I know of no casino that reports weekly information... they would have too much trouble collecting and verifying it.
Several threads here have shown the payouts for slots by geography and denomination based on official Gaming Board annual printouts. That is the Gold Standard of information.
In general, you will be best off on the Boulder Strip, then Downtown and then on The Strip but this varies with denominations of the machine. Unusual denominations that might identify a licensee means the information will not be released by the Gaming Board.
Rarely would it ever be worth the cab fare to go from The Strip to the Boulder Strip. North Las Vegas is separately reported and often a bargain but there are so few licensees that a sneeze or a good hard stare can affect the stats involved.
Quote: ThatDonGuyIn Nevada, the only requirements are that (a) they pay at least 75%, and (b) if the chance of hitting the jackpot is 1 in 100,000,000 or worse, the probability must be displayed (reportedly, the Megabucks jackpot chance is slightly better than 1 in 50,000,000).
The only place I have seen where it was required to display the payback percentage is in Victoria (the state Melbourne is in), Australia. (It is apparently a state law, as the slot machines in Sydney (New South Wales state) do not have this.)
For some strange reason, the little cafes with 5 VLT machines in WV do show the programmed return of 91-92%, whatever it was. It has been 2 years since I have probably been in one, but those little places pay better than most casinos overall.
