calculating the return to player for slot game
February 23rd, 2016 at 1:37:53 AM
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Hi there,
I have been to some casinos recently to play some slot games with stacking symbols or wilds. For example, there is one game 5 reels and 4 rows, it is possible to have one reel full of the same symbol. e.g. the second column is all K. After getting home, I keep thing how to estimate the return to player for that kind of game if I know the reel strips. Let say the game has max 20 lines to play. The first thing come to my mind for calculation is to enumerate all possible screen out of the given reels. On each screen, we assume to bet 1 line and 1 unit bet. And then count how many lines won and how much total won for that screen. We record all wins for each screen, the return to player is total win over total bet.
My first question is. Is it enough to consider only playing 1 line? or we need to consider playing all 20 lines? I seems good to me to use 1 line only because all 20 lines should have the same weight and way to play. If we play 20 lines, winnings will be 20 times but betting will be 20 times as well, so the ratio is same as playing 1 line. Is that correct?
But what happens in there are some column on the screen are all same symbols (i.e. stacking symbols), will above algorithm changed so we must consider all 20 lines?
Now, what happen if we allows stacking wilds, i.e. one or more columns on a screen are all wild. In this case, do we have to consider all 20 lines instead? This wild feature is very confusing to me. Let's say I play 2 line, they cross at the second row, second column. Let's say the second column are all wilds. So for line1, at the crossing position, if we consider the wild as K, it wins the most for that line. But for line1, crossing at the same spot, it wins the most if we consider that wild to be J. So how do we deal with that paradox? Could the same wild as different symbol for different line? or once the wild choosen as a specific symbol, it should use that symbol for all line as well?
I have been to some casinos recently to play some slot games with stacking symbols or wilds. For example, there is one game 5 reels and 4 rows, it is possible to have one reel full of the same symbol. e.g. the second column is all K. After getting home, I keep thing how to estimate the return to player for that kind of game if I know the reel strips. Let say the game has max 20 lines to play. The first thing come to my mind for calculation is to enumerate all possible screen out of the given reels. On each screen, we assume to bet 1 line and 1 unit bet. And then count how many lines won and how much total won for that screen. We record all wins for each screen, the return to player is total win over total bet.
My first question is. Is it enough to consider only playing 1 line? or we need to consider playing all 20 lines? I seems good to me to use 1 line only because all 20 lines should have the same weight and way to play. If we play 20 lines, winnings will be 20 times but betting will be 20 times as well, so the ratio is same as playing 1 line. Is that correct?
But what happens in there are some column on the screen are all same symbols (i.e. stacking symbols), will above algorithm changed so we must consider all 20 lines?
Now, what happen if we allows stacking wilds, i.e. one or more columns on a screen are all wild. In this case, do we have to consider all 20 lines instead? This wild feature is very confusing to me. Let's say I play 2 line, they cross at the second row, second column. Let's say the second column are all wilds. So for line1, at the crossing position, if we consider the wild as K, it wins the most for that line. But for line1, crossing at the same spot, it wins the most if we consider that wild to be J. So how do we deal with that paradox? Could the same wild as different symbol for different line? or once the wild choosen as a specific symbol, it should use that symbol for all line as well?
February 23rd, 2016 at 7:07:06 AM
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If you assume that every symbol has an equal chance of appearing in a particular position, then yes, you need only consider 1 line.Quote: konglifyMy first question is. Is it enough to consider only playing 1 line? or we need to consider playing all 20 lines? I seems good to me to use 1 line only because all 20 lines should have the same weight and way to play. If we play 20 lines, winnings will be 20 times but betting will be 20 times as well, so the ratio is same as playing 1 line. Is that correct?
Yes, and here's why:Quote: konglifyBut what happens in there are some column on the screen are all same symbols (i.e. stacking symbols), will above algorithm changed so we must consider all 20 lines?
Let's say your 4-line machine has stacking wilds where a wild on any line becomes a wild on all of them on that reel. Also assume the reel has 9. 10, J, Wild, Q, K, A on it in that order. If 9-10-J-Wild, 10-J-Wild-Q, J-Wild-Q-K, or Wild-Q-K-A show up, then the first line's symbol is replaced by a wild, so, in effect, the reel on the first line is Wild-Wild-Wild-Wild-Q-K-A. However, on the second line, the "replaced symbols" are 10, J, and Q, so it is 9-Wild-Wild-Wild-Wild-K-A, and the probabilities are different. The same goes for the remaining lines.
February 23rd, 2016 at 7:10:18 AM
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Quote: ThatDonGuyIf you assume that every symbol has an equal chance of appearing in a particular position, then yes, you need only consider 1 line.
Not 100% sure that's true.. it depends on the game. If there are scatter pays (ie: bonus symbols) that don't have to be aligned on a payline, taking the one line approach is not going to give an accurate answer.
