Here's a Slot I.Q. Test, including the answers. However, if you are superstitious, you may not agree with all of these answers!
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With permission from The Players Advocate:
A lot of what you've heard about casinos and how to play their high-tech computerized slots is wrong! If you happen to be a slot aficionado, take a moment to complete the quiz below. It not only tests what you know about slot playing, but it also uncovers some widespread myths and misconceptions concerning the game -- a slot reality check.
NOTE: This quiz does not take a position for or against casino gambling. Its goals are to reveal some insights into how today's casinos think and to provide a better understanding of the risks and rewards of slot machine playing.
Check whether each of the following is true or false:
1. A casino is a place of fun and entertainment.
( ) True ( ) False
2. A casino will cheat its patrons whenever it thinks it can get away with it.
( ) True ( ) False
3. Slot mechanics and change girls know where the best slots are and can usually tell when one is about to pay off.
( ) True ( ) False
4. It helps to play with a "winning" attitude.
( ) True ( ) False
5. All slots are basically alike.
( ) True ( ) False
6. Winning at slots is just a matter of luck.
( ) True ( ) False
7. A slot advertising a 98% payback will return 98% of the money you put into it.
( ) True ( ) False
8. If the coins in the slot tray feel warm, it means they've been in the slot a long time and it's a good one to play.
( ) True ( ) False
9. If you see a player walk away from a slot he has played a long time, getting little or nothing back, he has warmed it up for you and it's ready to pay off.
( ) True ( ) False
10. When the casino sees a player winning heavily, it has a slot mechanic open the slot up and adjust it so it stops playing.
( ) True ( ) False
11. Casinos place their loosest slots in certain locations on the casino floor.
( ) True ( ) False
12. Progressive slots are the best slots to play for your money.
( ) True ( ) False
13. You see someone hit a big jackpot with the very first pull of the slot you just left, chances are good you would have hit that jackpot had you made that next pull.
( ) True ( ) False
14. It's a good idea to always bet maximum coins at whatever denomination slot you choose to play.
( ) True ( ) False
15. Tricks like feeding in coins fast or slow or jerking or jiggling the handle have no effect on the outcome.
( ) True ( ) False
16. A slot's reels exist only to show whether you have won or lost. They have no effect on the outcome.
( ) True ( ) False
17. In a slot area with a banner announcing 97.4% payback, all slots in the area will pay back this percentage.
( ) True ( ) False
18. Joining a casino's slot club is a good idea.
( ) True ( ) False
ANSWERS:
1. False. Although the casino does provide a variety of opportunities for fun and entertainment, its primary business is not to entertain, but to make money. Someone has to pay employee salaries, operating expenses, stockholders, etc. It all depends on your point of view.
2. False. Every casino is licensed, and its activities are closely monitored by a state gaming board or commission. A casino makes no secret of the fact that it wants your money. But it would not risk losing its license to conduct a multimillion-dollar business just to cheat an unsuspecting player out of a few dollars.
3. False. Today's slots are controlled by a miniature computer that generates hundreds of win-lose symbol combinations every second, 24 hours a day, whether the slot is being played or not. And since the computer's generation of win-lose symbols is l00% random, no one can predict what symbols will appear on the screen and when. There is, therefore, neither a best day of the week nor a best time of the day or night to play.
4. False. A "winning" attitude is nothing more than wishful thinking. The slot is a computerized machine. And it doesn't care about your attitude, whatever it is. To believe otherwise is pure superstition. Perhaps the best attitude to have is to be optimistic, but realistic. Expect to win, but be realistic about your chances.
5. True. Beneath their fancy facades, all slots are basically alike. They're simply a cabinet housing the computer software and hardware produced by the manufacturer. And they all work on the same principle. You put in one or more coins and wait to see what Lady Luck (a.k.a. the slot's computer) has in store for you.
6. True. Like keno, bingo and your state lottery, slot playing is a game of chance; and winning is simply a matter of luck. If luck isn't with you, it won't matter what strategy you use or what you do.
7. False. Theoretically, a slot with an advertised payback of 98% will pay back 98% of all the money put into it. But the 98% is just an overall average, meaning that the slot is programmed to return 98% of all the money played, not just to one player but to all its players (hundreds, maybe thousands) and in no set pattern or period of time. So if you were to dump $100 into a slot with a known payback of 98%, you probably wouldn't get back exactly $98 in the time you were at that slot. You might get more, less, or nothing at all. This holds true even with slots having an advertised 99% or l00% payback.
8. False. Whenever coins feel warm, it simply means that the slot hasn't been played for a long time, and the coins were near internal light bulbs or other heat producing sources.
9. False. The longer a slot goes without paying, the greater the probability that it will. But not necessarily during the time you're at that slot. The slot's computer has no timer or counter that triggers a payout based solely on the amount of time or money you or another player may have put into it. So there's no such thing as a slot being due, overdue, or bound to hit.
10. False. If a slot is seen to be paying out more than what is normally expected, a slot mechanic may check it out -- but just to be sure it hasn't been tampered with or is functioning the way it should.
11. True. Casinos often put their loosest slots in heavy traffic areas and in locations visible from many directions on the casino floor. They know it's good advertising for others to see winners jumping up and down and shrieking with joy. It stimulates visitors to start playing and present players to play harder.
The best slots to try are located near the casino bar, lounge, change booth, and coffee shop. Avoid out-of-the-way corners, check-in lines, restaurant/buffet lines, show lines, and near keno, race/sports book; and non-gaming areas: gas stations, airports, cruise ships, etc.
12. False. Playing a progressive slot with the top jackpot in mind is a very unrealistic goal. To win big you must always bet max coins against ridiculously high house odds. And they give back fewer of the small paybacks that keep you going.
Your chances of winning on the giant multi-reel progressives like Megabucks, Quartermania, Win-a-Car, etc. are slim. Odds are as high as 1 in 30 million. It's OK to try your luck on the giants, but bet maximum coins and only for a small amount.
13. False. That player' s pull just happened to catch the winning symbol combination that existed that split second in the slot's computer program. You probably would have missed that jackpot even if you had made the next pull. It's all in the computer' s timing. The number or sequences of pulls has nothing to do with it.
14. False. In order to bet maximum coins at all times, you need to have a substantial bankroll. If you play the slots just to enjoy yourself and maybe win a few dollars now and then, it doesn't really matter how you bet: maximum, minimum, or combination of both. So ignore anyone who warns you to always bet the maximum. Just remember. It's not their money you're playing with.
15. True. There' s nothing a player can do externally to a slot that will affect its outcome. The slot's computer determines whether you win or lose.
16. True. When you pull the handle or press the button, the computer tells the reels to spin and display the win-lose symbol combination it has chosen for you. This is the only function the reels serve. They have no effect on the outcome.
17. False. If you take a close look at most banners touting a 97.4% or higher percentage payback, you will probably see the words "up to." In a carousel of 20 slots, you'd be lucky to find one or two that pay back the high percentage advertised.
18. True. It's a good idea to join the slot club of every major casino you play in, no matter how little or how often you play there. It's free. And the points you get for playing make you eligible for such "comps" as free meals, free show tickets, reduced room rates, and other freebies.
[This message has been edited by Veronica (edited August 20, 1999).]
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