My History in Video Poker

[cddenver]

Normally this is not a problem but you never know when a paytable is there by mistake and bringing it to the casinos attention will result in pulling the game.
 
Wouldn't you think that for what a given paytable should be that a casino would see a lower hold than expected and take action on its own?  The situation gets complicated with multidenom/multigame machines, but still...the longer the wrong paytable is in there, the more likely that it would be spotted. 

[mickey crimm]

UNLINKED FLUSH ATTACK
 
You can call them "stand alones, or "individual" or "unlinked."  In order to end the controversy over players sitting and waiting for flush attack mode, many houses just unlinked the machines.  So if a player put the game into flush attack mode there was no danger of that player not getting the bonus flush---if they played long enough. 
 
Sometime in 1998 someone told me there were unlinked flush attacks in Elko, Nevada.  So I made a trip up to give it a try.  I found 8  flush attacks in the Red Lion Hotel & Casino and 2 across the street in Gold Country Hotel & Casino.   It was my first experience with the unlinked variety.  And I also found 10 unlinked House a Rockin'.   Plus there were some advantage slots. 
 
I incorporated the "sweep" strategy, playing each machine until I got the bonus flush, then cashed out and moved to the next machine.  Once I swept out the flush attacks, I moved to the House a Rockin'-then back to the flush attacks. 
 
The Red Lion was the perfect place to sweep those games.  The hotel chain was founded by an old guy out of Vancouver, Washington.  His name was McClaskey.  He owned many hotels throughout the Northwest.  He owned about 5 hotels in Elko.  He started his own airline called Casino Express.  It wasn't a big airline, just 4 or 5 jets.  He billed Elko as "the real Nevada" and brought in two flights a day from 17 or 18 different states in the West, Southwest, Northwest, and Midwest. 
 
This is what made sweeping the machines out so good.  It was just a 700 machine casino so the FA and HAR got lots of action.  And the people playing them were novice gamblers. 
 
I always tracked the number of flushes I had to make to clear a play.  I kept, and still do, a 3 X 5 notebook in my shirt pcicket and would write down how many flushes I had to make on every play. 
 
The flush attacks were of the 7/5 variety coming in at 100.78% playing straight through.  But by sweeping my Elko average was 3.1 Flushes per play.  That put my theoretical up to 103.45%.  And, of course, I played several thousand hands per day. 
 
I was in and out of Elko and few times a year, generally staying for 5 or six weeks on a comp. 
 
I call Elko, Nevada, "the town that cut off it's nose to spite it's face."  McClaskey brought lots of business to Elko.  Besides gambling the tourists spent money all around town.  But civic leaders went into screwing Old Man McClaskey.  He was in his eighties by the time I was hitting the town. 
 
They kept raising the Airport Head Tax, and the Hotel Bed Tax on him.  It got really ridiculous.  Finally it had reached the point to where the taxes were quadrupled.  But the straw that broke the camel's back was when civic leaders allowed the owners of the two downtown casinos, Stockmen's and Commercial, to build a shuttle stop across the street from the Red Lion so they could steal McClaskey's customers. 
 
He finally got PO'd.  He cut out one flight a day and laid off 500 people in a town of about 28,000, and used a couple of his jets to charter flights into Laughlin, and charter flights  for college sports teams. 
 
The townspeople used the Airport Head Tax to build a very very modern Airport.  It's probably the nicest airport anywhere in the country for a town that size.  But the problem is there is no longer any air traffic.  Old Man McClaskey died a few years ago.  His heirs didn't have the talent he did.   They cut the flights out alltogether.  More job loss. 
 
The flights now go to West Wendover, Nevada, to the Peppermill properties.  But if you are ever in Elko, stop by and take a look at the airport.  It's pretty nice.  Only problem is they only get one 19 seater in a day.  That's it the last I heard.  Good luck. 

[New2vp]

As usual an interesting read.

[mickey crimm]

FLUSH ATTACK AND HOUSE A ROCKIN'
 
FA and HAR were staple plays for me for several years.  I played them right up until they were no longer available.  What made these plays so strong was I had a win without the royal flushes, or even the straight flushes.  
 
In the case of HAR, with my average value of 17 instead of 12.5 on the full house, I was at 104.5%.  The royal flush contributed 2% to the payback, the straight flush contributed .5% to the payback.    RF chances were 40,249, SF chances were 9294.  So I had an ER of 102% without those hands.  And the next biggest cycle was the Four Aces at 4814.  How would you like to have a 2% advantage with the biggest cycle being 4814. 
 
It was likewise with FA.  The RF contributed 1.8%, the SF contributed .65%.  My theoretical worked out to 103.45%, so I had a 1% advantage up through the Four Aces, and the cycle was just 4565. 
 
Of course the RF/SF hands are going to come in but it was great to have a win without them.  Compare that to playing progressives where you run a loss rate between royals.   
 
Throw in cashback, comp, mailers, promotions, and these were super strong plays.  As a matter of fact, once I got into the unlinked machines I virtually never played the linked banks anymore.  On linked banks one didn't run much action, consequently not much comp or mail.  But on the unlinked I ran lots of action everyday and got treated very well by the casinos involved. 
 
Even though I ran lots of action I was not on one machine for very long; about twenty or so minutes.  If I made three sweeps a day I was not spending more than an hour or so  a day on any machine.  Consequently, the machines got lots of ploppie play and the houses made their money.  I was just cutting into their bottoom lines an unnoticeable amount. 
 
 

[mickey crimm]

I've made several references to advantage slots in this thread.  I know that some don't have an understanding of how advantage slots work.  After I had been playing these slots for a few years, Charles Lund came out with a book called "Robbing the One-Armed Bandits."  I bought the book just to see what he knew.  It turns out he knew alot.  I knew most of it already but I did learn some things from him. 
 
The advantage slot boom is pretty much over.  At least you don't see 10% to 20% of the casino floor dedicated to them anymore.  But their are still advantage slots out there.
 
As I said before it wasn't just video poker with us.  We used every angle to make money in the casinos.  Everything adds to the bottom line.   
 
The book is going for very, very, cheap these days on Amazon or Alibris-$3 or $4 a copy.  It's an excellent primer.  It gives the reader an excellent clue as to how advantage slots work and how we exploited them to our benefit. 
 
 

[EDC1977]

Are these books available to read for free in the library or strictly something that has to be bought? I scored a updated version of Paymars book for $3 with free shipping so I didn't quibble. I play some slots but strictly for fun to kill time. the last thing I'd look to do is try to win at something you're guaranteed to lose at.

[mickey crimm]

Are these books available to read for free in the library or strictly something that has to be bought? I scored a updated version of Paymars book for $3 with free shipping so I didn't quibble. I play some slots but strictly for fun to kill time. the last thing I'd look to do is try to win at something you're guaranteed to lose at.



 
EDC, those of us who learned to play the advantage slots RIGHT never had a losing year on them, never had a losing month on them, never had a losing week on them, never had a losing day on them.  
 
You are typical of the masses.  You don't understand the concept of a "banking game" or the concept of a "short term advantage."  So, you can get an advantage at video poker, but there is no way possible to get an advantage on a slot machine?  It's a thing called "reverse engineering."  Reverse engineering was used to determine that one could get an advantage at video poker---and reverse engineering was used to determine that one could get an advantage on some slot machines. 
 
 
Every new slot machine that hits the floor of a casino anywhere is analyzed by a pro(s) to see if there is a way to get an advantage.  It has been going on since there has been casinos. 
 
And I'm not shilling for Charles Lund.  As a matter of fact he's not one of my favorite people.  I think he's a dumb genius.   He did his best to kill advantage slots for those of us who made money on them.  Not just by the book he wrote. 
 
Him and his old lady were making $1500 a day playing "Money Maze" an advantage slot game, at Bellagio shortly after it opened.  We all had our profit centers in Bellagio.  We were all making that kind of jack.  It was advantage slot heaven.  The machines invollved in this "money maze" game were slant tops with weak lids.  One day a  floorperson gave one of these machines a fill then locked the lid down.  The floorperson walked away but the lid popped back open.  Lund brought it to their attention.  They thanked him for his honesty and gave him 2 buffet comps. 
 
Then every time one of these lids popped open Lund would call the hired help over and tell them about it and demand 2 buffet comps.  This went on for several days and they noticed that him and his old lady were in the joint every day---and cashing out bigtime everyday.  They finally got PO'd and 86's them. 
 
Lund was the editor of a retirement magazine called the "Vegas Valley something or other."  He started writing about his 86'ing at Bellagio.  As far as he was concerned he was wronged by Bellagio.  He even called Slot Operations to get quotes from them.  It was the start of the decline of advantage slots in Bellagio.   It didn't last much longer.   Not only did he piss off his/her $1500 a day gig over a couple measly buffet comps, but he pissed the whole thing off for the rest of us. 
 
I could also write about how he lost Tropicana in the same manner, and pulling the same crap by writing about it, and costing us another good spot in Las Vegas, but I have to get some sleep tonight. 
 
 

[mickey crimm]

ADVANTAGE SLOTS 101
 
First, let me say that if I'm knocking a casino for $1500 a day on advantage slots I'm goiing to do everything possible to go as unnoticed as possible.  I'm not even gonna use a slot card.  I'll buy my own lunch.  I'm gonna avoid the hired help as much as possible. 
___________________________
The term "advantage slot" does not mean it's a machine that the house loses money on.  It generally means it's a game that has some kind of banking feature. 
 
In VIDEO POKER PROGRESSIVES what is being banked?  Money is being banked.  Those who play quarter  9/6 Jacks progressives below  $1240 are at a disadvantage while those who only play when the progressive is higher than $1240 have an advantage.  So once enough money has been banked the better players come into the game.    The same principle applies with advantage slots.
 
For many years one of the most popular 3-reel slot machines was the IGT game Double Diamond.  There were many offshoots of this game.  And one of the offshoots was a game in the IGT Vision Series called Double Diamond Mine. 
 
The symbols on each reel were the Double Diamond, Triple Bar, Double Bar,  etc.  This was the BASE GAME--trying to line the symbols up on the reels.  It's what's know as LINE PAYS.   There was another symbol on each reel--a diamond. 
 
Up at the top of the machine was a computer screen.  On the screen were three MINE SHAFTS.  Mine shaft A corresponded to the first reel, Mine shaft B corresponded to the second reel, and Mine shaft C corresponded to the third reel. 
 
When a  Diamond landed on the line of the first reel a corresponding diamond would fall into Mine Shaft A  up on the computer screen..  If a Diamond landed on the line of the second reel a corresponding diamond would fall into Mine Shaft B.  When a diamond landed on the line of the third reel a corresponding diamond would fall into Mine Shaft C. 
 
ONCE TEN DIAMONDS WERE COLLECTED IN ONE OF THE SHAFTS YOU WERE AWARDED A TEN COIN BONUS.  Then that shaft would empty out and you had to fill that shaft again in order to get another ten coin bonus. This is the "game within the game."  You're actually playing two games at once; trying to hit line pays--and trying to fill up the shafts.    The Diamonds are what is being banked in this game. 
_________________
Guess what?  Slot machines operate with a random number generator too---just like video poker.  The odds never change for any event.  Just like playing VIDEO POKER using a consistent strategy.  But in the case of video poker the sharp player can use probablility theory to determine where he is at.  He uses the card odds of a 52 card deck and the payscale to do this. 
 
But n the case of slot machines the odds of hitting mixed bars, single bars, double bars, etc., is not listed on the machine.  The houses consider this proprietary information and won't tell you.  But..........things can be figured out.  Call it deductive reasoning.........dead reckoning........educated guessing........but things can be figured out. 
_______________________
In the case of the Double Diamond Mine you just happen to know that the chances of a Diamomd landing on the first reel is 1 in 19, the chances of a Diamond landing on the second reel is 1 in 13, the chances of a Diamond landing on the third reel is 1 in 12.
 
Now let's take a stab at what the overall payback percentage of this game is.  It's a dollar machine so the payback is probably in the range of 93% to 96%.  We don't know for sure, it could be a little higher or a little lower.  So we are going to lowball it and say it's a 90% machine. 
 
Now, how much of the payback is represented by the ten coin bonus's for filling up the Mine Shafts?  We are going to figure this BETTING ONE COIN AT A TIME. 
 
The chances on the first reel are 1 in 19 to land a diamond.  Ten Diamonds must be collected to get the ten coin bonus.    That would be an average of 190 spins.  10 divided by 190 is 5.26%.
 
In the case of the second reel 130 spins per average would have to be made to get the ten coin bonus.  10 divided by 130 is 7.7%.
 
In the case of the third reel 120 spins per average would have to be made to get the ten coin bonus.  10 divided by 120 is 8.3%.
 
That totals to about 21%.  So we subtract that off the 90% payback to arrive at a figure of 69%.  That means the line-pays contribute 69% to the payback of the game. 
__________________
In VIDEO POKER the royal represents the highest pay on the machine, 800 for one.  But how much does it represent percentagewise in the game?  About 2%.  A High Pair pays only 1 for 1---but it represents about 21% of the payback of the game.  That's because you will make  a high pair about once every 5 games whereas the royal only comes around about every 40,000 games. 
 
Sots operate the same way too.  The lower pays represent more of the payback than the higher pays simply because you make those pays much, much, more often.
___________________________
So you walk into Brand X Casino and right up to this Double Diamond Mine machine.  No one is playing it.  You look up at the computer screen to see how many diamonds are in the mine shafts.  Shaft A doesn't have any.  Shaft B doesn't have any.  BUT SHAFT C HAS 9, REPEAT 9 DIAMONDS IN IT.  They were left there by the previous player of the machine who ran out of credits and walked off. 
 
What to do?  What to do?  What to do?  Well let's analyze it.  You know that the BASE GAME returns 69%.  You know that you will make an average of 12 spins to pop that Diamond in.  The bonus pays 10 coins.  So what's the expectation?  10 divided by 12 is about 83%.  So 83% plus 69% is 152%.  You found yourself a big edge, at least through popping that last diamond into Mine Shaft C. 
 
So you play the machine until you pop that last Diamond in.  Then what do you do?  You cash out.  The machine is now back into negative expectation.   
 
Just like in VIDEO POKER PROGRESSIVES you are letting someone else play the game when it is negative.  You only play when it is positive. 
 
For one play we are not talking about a whole lot of money here.  It's about a $6 win.   But get yourself 10 or 15 plays a day on just this one type of advantage slot and the money adds up.   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

[mickey crimm]

ADVANTAGE SLOTS 101
 
Double Diamond Mine
 
I did an empirical on catching the diamonds by tracking the number of spins I made on each and every play and counting the diamonds as they fell.  Is the math seven decimal perfect?  NO.  But it doesn't have to be.  What's a few percentage points either way when you are holding such a big edge?

[EDC1977]

Mickey, I'm certainly not going to argue with you since I'm not in a position to do so. slots  however, are CONTROLLED by the RNG and however much of deductive reasoning is used is no guarantee that you're gonna pop that 10th rock in the shaft or get that bonus on the buccaneers gold game. Perhaps it worked out for yourself and a few others which is great since we as players, really have no control over where the reels are going to stop. Some do have that "stop" feature on them but your timing must be impeccable. Garnering those kinds of wins vs. small ones at VP would give one an edge playing the slots if your luck and the situations are prime. Given todays economy, you'd be sitting around like a turkey vulture waiting for someone to play those machines back into positive territory.