I like to think of myself as a tough-minded, hard-nosed realist, but when playing the slots, it's hard not to be a little superstitious, even if you "know" better. And you see dozens of articles online about various slot machine "myths" regarding some of the silliness that people spread about the locations of loose slot machines in the casino, how to know when to quit playing, and how to know when to increase your bets. I know that one of John Patrick's pieces of silly advice in his book about playing slots is to take one final spin before you hit your win goal or loss limit, then walk away.

Do you have any superstitions or rituals that affect how you play slots? If so, share them here.

__________________
Slotty McSlots

My Slot Superstitions:

1. Always use the MAX BET button
2. Press button with at a consistent pace
3. If I am playing $10 slots or higher, I insert my designated bankroll for that machine and press away.
4. I never leave a machine with winning symbols aligned.
5. I count to 8 before pressing the "BONUS" button
6. I don't drink cocktails while playing (ruins the flow).
7. I don't let people around me distract me.
8. I like to play when it is quiet (when everone is winning around you, except yourself, you tend to play differently or machines you don't like)
9. I don't usually sit, I do the "one knee on the seat" stance. If not, I'll sit.
10. WALK AWAY WHEN I AM AHEAD!!!

Interesting subject. About a year ago I wrote a 2 page article about the different supersitions I observed at different casinos--it's a somewhat humorous article. I submitted it to Casino Player's magazine but never got a response from them.

Would like to post it here for your entertainment, but not sure if it will fit on a message board.


Ricky

Give it a try and see. You might have to make it into multiple posts, but I'm sure everyone would enjoy reading it.

Here's a version without the fluff intro:


We?ve been to a large number of Casinos throughout the country over the past 8 years and no matter how many casinos we visit, there is one thing that is universal among them: the commonality of the superstitions exhibited by the many slot players. These superstitions are varied among people, but not among locations. You see the same wonderful rituals in Las Vegas that you see in the resorts in Atlantic City. The same ones exist in Delaware that exist in both Charles Town in West Virginia and Claude?s in Salt Hill, Ireland. These ritual actions are obviously performed with the expectation that they will help the player get a winning combination?with the ultimate goal of the highest of jackpots. This article describes some of the many rituals that you will see people perform at the slot machines.

By far, the most common practice is for the slot player to rub or tap the glass of the slot machine, as the reels are spinning. There are 2 varieties of this: the complete rub, where the player arbitrarily rubs the whole glass, in no specific direction, as the reels are spinning; and the partial rub, where the player is fast enough to rub that part of the glass that is covering each of the reels, as each of the reels begins to come to a halt?a sort of left-to-right rub. This latter action takes a lot of coordinated effort to perform. I tend to think that the history of this action stems from the rubbing of other lucky charms: e.g., rabbit?s foot. Or, perhaps the purpose of rubbing the machine is to transfer a sense of familiarity between the player and the machine??if I rub you, you will return the favor with a hit?. A further variety of the ?rubbing? motion is not to rub the glass that covers the spinning reels, but to rub the jackpot amount on the pay table as the reels are spinning.

Another very common superstition is for the slot player to actually look away from the machine as the reels are spinning. You frequently see players looking down at the floor, up at the ceiling, or just vertically throughout the casino in order to avoid looking at the slot machine as the reels are spinning. I?ve even seen players read newspapers while playing the slots. The rational behind this ritual is a mystery. Perhaps these slot players are under the impression that gazing directly at the reels will jinx the reels?and that turning away, not looking, will bring a winning combination?a variance of the ?what I can?t see won?t hurt me? principle. I tend to think that the player might be rationalizing that if they show the machine that he/she has no great interest in the outcome (by not looking at the reels as they come to a stop), then the machine will try to get the players attention by giving a winning combination: if the player shows the machine that they don?t need to look at it with the intensity of someone demanding a win, the machine will pay off. Or, perhaps they merely like the surprise of the sudden noise produced by a winning combination?and that, just listening, and not staring at the machine will facilitate the hit.

On other occasions, we?ve seen players cover up the reels with their hands as the reels are spinning. Sometimes they cover the whole glass, other times they cover only the last reel. In fact, we saw one of the more unique rituals just a few weeks ago at Resorts. One player was sitting in front of a slot machine with a piece of paper taped to, and completely covering the 2 right-hand reels?covering all three lines of both the second and third reel?rendering the 2nd and 3rd reels completely invisible. All three lines of the first reel were uncovered. So, the player could see the first reel come to a stop and not see the results of the second or third reel?hoping to be notified of a win solely via the bells and whistles of the slot machine.

One of the more technically-oriented superstitions is for the player to frequently remove and re-insert the payout ticket in the same machine?this usually occurs after the player would go several presses of the ?spin? button without a hit. The assumption might be that the machine will be fooled into either thinking that a new player has arrived and should payout, or that the current player is ?recharging? the slot machine by initiating a new play with the constant re-inserting of the payout ticket.

Of course, there is the usual plethora of lucky charms that people bring to the slot floor: rabbit feet, fuzzy animal dolls, lucky key chains and other items that will hopefully bring luck as the reels are spinning. Finally, there is perhaps the most common of all superstitions that can only be performed on the older slot machines: alternating between pulling the handle and pressing the spin button. The slot player feels that when one fails, they should try the other.

It appears that behind all these superstitions is the feeling that each of the slot players can influence the machine they are playing--that the machine can actually detect these superstitions and rituals and will respond in a positive manner for the player. The machine can feel your touch, your rub or your tap and will be appreciative and output a winning combination. But, unfortunately, as we all know, the microchip has no feelings, and can?t see or feel the interactions at or on the slot machine. So, while these superstitions might give us a sense of empowerment over the slot machines, the controlling microchip is the real lucky charm?one that can?t be influenced in any way.

Well, I think it?s time to go back to the casino floor: let me get my rabbit?s foot and my eyeglasses so that I can examine the ceiling and the carpet as the reels spin round. Nice microchip??..

haha i always give it a bit of a time in between pressing the button. let the machine think i dont know what im doing so it pays out thinking im a First timer.
haha this doesnt actualy work but I like to think it does!

__________________
Online Games