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Slots Playing that 3rd Coin. Not always a good thing?

Discussion in 'Slots' started by LV_Bound, May 26, 2012.

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  1. LV_Bound

    LV_Bound VIP Whale

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    Most machines increase the winnings per each extra coin-in.
    Usually the 3rd coin in continues with a slight extra for the top win.

    I noticed a few machines where the 2nd coin is 2x the first coin and for the 3rd coin in all the amounts were the same as with the 2nd coin in except for the single top prize which was only 1.5 times higher than the 2nd coin in instead of being double or more. I thought this was unusual and thought it actually lowered the total return by betting more.

    Has anyone else seen this and if so can you explain this?
    What is the advantage? Why bother betting the 3rd coin?

    I wish I took a picture of a machine or two to better illustrate this.
     
  2. Llew

    Llew Low-Roller

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    Usually, when the payouts aren't multiplied 3x for the 3rd credit, it's to qualify for the bonus round or the top prize instead.
     
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  3. engicedave

    engicedave VIP Whale

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    If the payouts are not increased by more than the rate of coin in (that make sense?), then it's not worth the added wager.

    If the top prize is 10,000 on a single credit, 20,000 on two credits and 30,000 on three credits, there is no advantage to playing three credits.
    If the top prize on three credits is say 40,000 credits instead of 30,000, then it MAY be worth it, but the chances of hitting the top prize is nearly impossible, so if none of the other wins are a multiplier greater than 3x for 3 credits, it's not worth it.

    This is why on $5+ slots I typically play a single credit, not because I am cheap, but because there's no real advantage.
    I'll play max bet on smaller denominations because many require it to make bonus rounds or max bet doesn't take as big a bite from the bankroll so quickly
     
  4. LV_Bound

    LV_Bound VIP Whale

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    I still do the max bet here to give extra action but what I was seeing is the following:
    Top prize is 10,000 on a single credit, 20,000 on two credits and 25,000 on three credits and that was only for the top prize. None of the other categories increased in amounts above the 2 credit.

    I did convert to betting only 2 credits, but had to believe there was some reason like increased possibility of a bonus or something else but couldn't find any reference.
     
  5. Auggie

    Auggie Dovahkiin

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    Do you at least know the name of the game?

    If the prize structure was like you describe it there had to be some other bonus/feature/payout that would be unlocked from the 3rd coin being played.
     
  6. LV_Bound

    LV_Bound VIP Whale

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    No, but its a good reason to plan another trip to Vegas. :thumbsup:

    Hopefully someone reason this thread is going soon and can take a picture of one of the machines. I saw a few at PH in the $1 section.
     
  7. Chuck2009x

    Chuck2009x VIP Whale

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    What engicedave said.

    When I play slots I mostly play video slots and I know the odds are bad, but I don't really care at the time.

    But when I go up to reels, I look for 2 or 3 coin machines where the payout ratio for the max bet (max coin) is the same as it is for playing 1 coin.

    Look at the maximum payout at the top of the machine.

    If it's
    10,000 - 20,000, - 50,000,
    then there's a premium applied to playing 3 coins. That comes at the expense of the people who play one or two coins.

    If it's 10,000 - 20,000 - 30,000,
    then there's no premium applied, and you can just go ahead and play one coin and not suffer marginally worse odds.
     
  8. luvstp

    luvstp High-Roller

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    Some of the reel games (Pinball and Top Dollar are two that come to mind) require that you play max bet to have a chance to play the bonus game. If you play those two games without playing max bet, you will be rewarded with credits and not get to play the bonus.
     
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  9. Boogaloo

    Boogaloo Low-Roller

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    There's a fairly detailed article on this very topic (when to play multiple credits at once) on The American Casino Guide:

    The Truth About Playing Full-Coin on Slots

    http://www.americancasinoguide.com/slot-machines/the-truth-about-playing-full-coin-on-slots.html

    The short answer is that it really depends on the paytables for the machine.

    For some machines, it only makes sense to play with max credits (Buy-a-Pay type machines), for some it doesn't matter at all in the long run.
     
  10. MTROH

    MTROH Low-Roller

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    The simple thing to do is to really read the paytables on the machine. They do vary greatly. and you will notice if the 3 coin jackpot is a large step up, say to $3000 or $10000, the lower wins are smaller than a machine with $800 like Double Diamond.
     
  11. MTROH

    MTROH Low-Roller

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    On certain dollar machines, like a Ten Times or Five times, I will play a dollar to start and when see quite a few losing spins in a row, hit the max bet once or twice. sometimes it really works.
     
  12. Vegas Dave

    Vegas Dave Newbie

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    Good observation! I never even though that just because it is 3x the money, it is no real advantage. I can get more drinks out of them with the same pay off per $ in now, thanks!
     
  13. engicedave

    engicedave VIP Whale

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    Also keep in mind, playing single credit can slow down your play if you're in bankroll save mode, because you have to hit single credit each time followed by the spin button
     
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