I play a fair number of slots. I know in the long run, I am going to be a loser (and probably in the short run) ... but at least I want to have lots of fun doing it.

There are some trends in slots which are hindering the fun aspect of slot machines.

For example, "Penny Slots". I love the "idea" of penny slots --- a smaller bet that gives you the fun of playing the games, but doesn't hit the bankroll as hard. In practice, penny slots actually end up hitting your bankroll harder. Why?

The lower the denomination, the worse the payback percentage on a machine (as I outlined in some of my slot tips earlier). The chances of hitting something substial on a penny machine are remote, so people usually continue to play until they drive their $20 bill into the ground. If you were to "graph" the coin-in and coin out averages, you would see a $20 bill does not stretch as far because of the poor payback percentage (less chance to hit a bonus round, less chance to hit something substantial). Even a decent win on a penny machine is not enough to make you stop and "walk away" (say, more than $100). So, you end up better more to try to win more, and this just compounds the issue because you should be playing a higher denomination machine with the same total payout.

My solution -- base the payout percentage on the size of the total bet, not the denomination.

/\/\/\/\ the Shamus /\/\/\/\