Atkins Math Calculations Without Sims

I put together a google doc that has the math for the Atkins slot if ya wanna check it out.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ah3FavHMqrj9dFZhMnNlUk82RmkwSEYxUkU0V0R6VWc&usp=sharing

I think you may have had a smarter/more organized way to calculate combinations than I ever did when I tinkered around with slot machine math. It's definitely very useful for anyone interested in the topic.

But, fyi, the Wizard never did a simulation to calculate this return. I feel like your title is a little misleading in that regard.

I seem to recall the hit counts were arrived at via a simulation.

Edit: When I say simulation, I don't mean like a monte carlo. I mean the sample space was looped through to count the hits. Sorry, English is my third language.

Quote: nmacgre

I seem to recall the hit counts were arrived at via a simulation.

Edit: When I say simulation, I don't mean like a monte carlo. I mean the sample space was looped through to count the hits. Sorry, English is my third language.

Ok, yeah, most people here will call a "simulation" a monte carlo approximation. He may have used a computer loop to enumerate all of the possible combinations instead of a spreadsheet; I'm not sure which method he used. For more complicated slot designs, he recommends enumeration of all the combinations instead and scoring them instead of doing spreadsheet math because spreadsheet math has more opportunities for error.

Quote: nmacgre

I put together a google doc that has the math for the Atkins slot if ya wanna check it out.

Looks good. Do you mind if I make a link to it?

Quote: tringlomane

I'm not sure which method he used.

I use five nested loops, one for each reel. I avoid simulations wherever combinations can be used.

No, go for it.