Player
optimism aside, every slot machine is required
to produce its weight in gold to hold its placement
in the slot lineup. Internal control makes it
possible for casinos to keep track of the coin-in
history of every machine from the moment it was
placed in operation. Under-achievers are either
relocated or simply removed. The sine qua non
of slots is to create and maintain a mix of slot
machines that generates the most profits.
Sure, Sandrine, back in the good old days slot
floor managers did tactically place slots in strategic
locations, but micromanaging slot placement today,
especially when managers are dealing with thousands
and not hundreds of machines, is no longer cost
effective.
What most slot managers do today is order about
the same payback percentage for all of their machines
in a particular denomination. Hence, similar slot
machines on the end of an aisle will more than
likely have the same payback percentage as the
machines in the middle.
What you can pretty much count on, Sandrine, is
that dollar machines usually have higher long-term
paybacks than quarter machines. Paybacks are based
on the long haul, not on a short run, and most
matching machines in the same denomination have
roughly the same long-term payback.
Email to a friend 
More
Columns By Mark Pilarski
Have a question? Ask Mark pilarski@markpilarski.com
Learn
More On Slots
Slot
Tournaments And HIGH Payout Slots
How slot tournaments work in a slot tournament
there just happens to be one simple strategy:
Get in as many spins as you can.
Slot
Machines And Their Payback Percentages
You need to look at slot paybacks this way: The
more a machine gets played, the closer its actual
payback gets to its theoretical payback.
Slots
Playing Max Coins On A Budget
Is stretching your bankroll by betting one coin
at a time a good idea?
Finding
Those Loose Slot Machines
All casinos have "loose" and "tight"
machines commingled in the casino . "Loose"
machines are defined as those machines returning
more of the player's money; the "tight"
machines return less.