It's
easy to spot these proportional differences among
payoffs by looking at the machine's paytable.
For example: One coin could pay 500 coins, two
coins 1,000, and three coins, KA-BOOM, 4,000.
So, Betty, if you can afford to play the maximum
coins allowed, I recommend you do so. And if quarters
are too rich for your blood, switch to nickels.
But, Betty, because you want to extend your playing
time, plus you seem to be sticking within your
budget, and yes, we do have to include the fun
factor here, I have decided to make you a candidate
for an exemption.
Although returns vary from one gaming jurisdiction
to another, let's look at a typical Red White
and Blue slot machine that pays back, say, 92
percent when you play one coin at a time, and
95 percent if you play the maximum three coins.
You are better off playing three coins at a time
if you play a specific amount of action. For instance,
if you run $2,000 through a machine that has a
95% payback, your expected loss would be $100
whereas your expected loss would be $160 while
playing one coin at a time at 92% payback.
Betty, you may have a shorter gambling timeline
before catching the Greyhound back to Hackensack.
So let's look at playing one coin versus three
in a slightly different manner, that of playing
for an hour, which is about 800 spins. At one
coin per spin, you'd wager $200 (800 X .25) and
have an expected loss of $16 with a 92% return.
But playing three coins per spin with a 95% return,
you'll wager $600 (800 X .75) and expect to lose
almost double, $30.
Even though playing the maximum coin amount with
a higher payback, you will lose more because you're
wagering more.
Naturally, Betty, -- No I'll put it this way:
If you take the exemption I offered, play one
coin, line up three treasure chests and get a
teeny jackpot, please don't write me a nasty "you
said" letter. It's all in a day's work.
.
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Columns By Mark Pilarski
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