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Slots what is the deal with penny slots?

Discussion in 'Slots' started by lucky13, Jan 23, 2013.

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  1. lucky13

    lucky13 Low-Roller

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    just got back from tunica but this question applies to anywhere we gamble
    why do the slot machines that are penny slots have such high wagers ?
    some have .5 bets to start and some have .9 bets to start but after that they get crazy ...max bet 5.00 or max bet 2.50 ...ect ...
    hell i played a hillbillies game that had a starting bet of .50 ...damn
    oh yeah and why in the hell do most of these games have the a,k,q,j,10, 9, symbols in them ? even if the games have different themes it seems these symbols are way too common ....
    seems the designers are getting lazy
    i played one called monster jackpots ....loved it !!!! it was the only one like it in the whole casino ....
    wanting you to play up to 40 lines on a penny slot is just crazy , at that point you might as well play a dollar slot , pays would be alot better
     
  2. dmr

    dmr Registered Abuser

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    What kinda p*sses me off is the newer so-called penny slots that have a minimum bet per spin of 40-50-even 80 units. (Yeah, I'm cheap!)
     
  3. nostresshere

    nostresshere Mr. Anti Debit Card

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    Why? Cause they do. Actually, I ran into the opposite issue at Venetian in Vegas. Many of their penny slots max out in the $1.50-$2.00 range. Actually, there are machines in Tunica that have max play in that range. I generally walk away from them as I like to play closer to $5 a spin.

    I think it is great that they have options. Okay, maybe 20-50 lines which comes to 20-50 cents a spin to cover all lines. Then an option to play 1 or 2 or maybe even 10 cents per line. You can then pick your poison. Lots of machines offer that. I often am playing $5 a spin and somebody next to me is at $0.25 a spin for example. Works for everybody.
     
  4. Drambler

    Drambler High-Roller

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    Boy you sure noted a sore point with me. 80 cent minimum I'll spend the extra 20 cents and go play a 3 reel dollar slot.
     
  5. nostresshere

    nostresshere Mr. Anti Debit Card

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    It comes down to what people want. As you walk through casinos, those so called penny machines are usually much more in demand vs the older 3 reel slots - no matter what denomination.

    Everybody has machines they like better or less. The casino then tries to find the right mix. In most cases, the older 3 reel machines have many more open seats than the penny machines.
     
  6. BreakEven

    BreakEven High-Roller

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    I assume the appeal is that a multi-line slot gives you more chances to win something. On a 3 reel $1 slot, I think there's just the one payline.

    With penny slots, I think you also get more frequent "wins", even though they are for much less value. Another downside of the 3 reel slots vs. 5 or 7 line slots is that they play much faster.
     
  7. woodsie

    woodsie VIP Whale

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    The max bets are what they are because at the end of the day, the casino has a $10,000 piece of equipment sitting on fairly expensive floor space that need electricity 24/7 and a staff to maintain it. There's no way they could break even let alone make money on the house edge on nickel and dime bets these days.

    People see slots as an automated reverse ATM that costs nothing to run and makes pure profit but that's just not true.
     
  8. dfalk

    dfalk VIP Whale

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    They're penny slots cause 1 credit = 1 penny. It has nothing to do with the minimum bet. If they wanted they could make a penny slot where the minimum bet is $100 bucks.
     
  9. lucky13

    lucky13 Low-Roller

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    you like to play 5.00 a spin ?
    do the penny slots pay better at that level than say 5.00 a spin on a dollar machine ?
    i could not imagine betting that much on a penny machine
    how big have you won ?
     
  10. lucky13

    lucky13 Low-Roller

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    somehow i doubt the casinos are not making a huge profit .....
    yes they have overhead but just how much money do you think they take in every day?
    their bottom line looks good i am sure and minimum bets on penny machines are not gonna be their downfall ...
     
  11. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    Most state gaming reports will tell you "no". But that also could be due to video poker being lumped into the slot machine results.
     
  12. leo21

    leo21 VIP Whale

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    Why are those max bets so high? Because there are a lot of former nickel, quarter and even dollar slot players now playing pennies at max bet, some of this is about giving them the same betting level options. Is it smart to play pennies over dollars? Probably not, but just because you have the option to bet $5 on a penny slot doesn't mean you have to. The bulk of penny slot games don't offer any incentive to bet more than your comfort level.
     
  13. WrongWayWade

    WrongWayWade VIP Whale

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    You have a point. If you want to play $5.00 a spin you are FAR better off playing a dollar reel slot (many are 'Play 5 credits') or a $5 slot than a penny slot. The difference in edge is something like 5% instead of 11%. But if you get a kick out of the 'game' itself on the video penny slot, go for it. Usually you can get all the action with 1 credit per line so you can keep your spin down to 0.30 to 0.80 a spin (play all lines at 1 credit) and still get all the bells and whistles; that's my approach.

    It also seems that most $1 and $5 slots can have substantial jackpots in 4 or 5 figures but the penny slots even when you are really lucky you're only looking at payoffs in the hundreds.
     
  14. nostresshere

    nostresshere Mr. Anti Debit Card

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    I have a folder full of W-2s. Some as large as $7,000 on penny machines.
     
  15. tacallian

    tacallian Low-Roller

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    An example from a local native casino. 20 line Monopoly in 5 cent denom. 5 of a kind wild pays $500. My GF had a bonus on a $2 bet, multiple 5 line wilds that ended up paying $3500. And in Canada with no tax :D.
     
  16. Steve in RI.

    Steve in RI. Low-Roller

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    I'm not a big fan of the video machines. From what I've heard, in order to maxamize your chance of reaching the bonus round, you need to play all the lines. However, you do not have to play max coins except to get the top jackpot. I could not see myself playing even $2.50 per spin on these machines. I would rather play the tradional reel slots if I'm not playing video poker.
     
  17. LV_Bound

    LV_Bound VIP Whale

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    Funny I was thinking the same thing.
    You find a game with a creative theme and futuristic graphics yet it includes the A,K......and numbers.
     
  18. Film-Noir

    Film-Noir High-Roller

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    Nice

    Bless Canada!!!!
    No Tax on @Winnings! :beer:

    Hate those Stupid 1099-G's
     
  19. blackjacknut

    blackjacknut VIP Whale

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    Whats the deal with them? They suck and are a rip off....one of if not the biggest gaming money maker for the casinos. If you don't believe me count the penny slots versus other denomination machines on the casino floor.
     
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