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If slots acted like VP - which would you play?

Discussion in 'Casino Gaming' started by FountainFiend, May 1, 2014.

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  1. FountainFiend

    FountainFiend Low-Roller

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    For myself, I like to play video poker because I know the pay back percentages and the variance just from looking at the paytable. I really have little interest in selecting the right cards (in fact, I see it as a disadvantage in terms of perfect play).

    If you could look at a slot machine and could determine its payout (which would never happen, but let's just say it did), would you rather play a slot machine or video poker if it was pound for pound the same chance of outcomes? (also assume that slot clubs rate slots and VP the same for this exercise).
     
  2. DeMoN2318

    DeMoN2318 The DERS

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    if it were the same outcome...what is the difference?

    Maybe I dont understand the question
     
  3. Buddha

    Buddha VIP Whale

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    With the key word in your question being "IF", I would need to be absolutely convinced as to HOW I could determine the payout of the slot machine. A bank of slot machines can be programmed with the same symbols, but what about knowing the info on stopping on spaces between symbols, and how many "stop positions" are there, or whether there is an "extra cherry" or an "extra 7" that you might not know about ? And, even though the casino "might" label a specific slot machine as a "guaranteed 99% payout", how do I know that for sure, without the answers to my questions above.

    In a video poker machine, there is one random deck of 52 different cards, which can only appear once each. That is all you need to know to calculate the exact payout percentage. Slot machines ... ??? I would not trust them.

    JMHO ....
     
  4. The Furry One

    The Furry One Low-Roller

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    A little confused about the question here too - are you just talking about paybacks being easily identifiable on both and therefore choosing between a 98.48% VP machine or a 98.48% slot?

    If you are it would entirely depend on how tired or not I was and how long I'd been gambling. I'd nearly always choose VP because most often I like to feel my mind is being kept active, of course in this hypothetical situation I assume the slot is pretty much the usual mundane play unless perhaps a bonus is hit. If I was especially tired though or had been playing VP for quite some time I'd then choose the slot for a little mindless 'downtime'.

    Furry
     
  5. AllNetDad

    AllNetDad Tourist

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    I think the question is, Would you rather play a game that requires skill and "perfect play" to achieve a 99.5% payback, or would you rather just push a button for a guaranteed 99.5% payback?

    I'll stick with VP, because I like it. For me, it's a fun mental exercise.
     
  6. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    I'd still play both, but I probably play slots more than I do now, especially the newer flashy ones that currently pay about 85%. I think Australia is forced to disclose individual slot paybacks; I wish the US would do the same. 95% of slot players wouldn't even care to look for it anyway.
     
  7. stackinchips

    stackinchips VIP Whale

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    To the bolded part above, you would know "for sure" just as much as you know for sure that the VP machine is dealing randomly from a deck of 52 cards. Regulations say that if a machine is labeled as 99% payback (not "up to") it MUST have a 99% payback. So if you're comfortable assuming that every VP machine you play is dealing randomly from a 52 card deck (which is certainly reasonable to assume) why would you assume any different on a slot machine that is required by law to payout 99%? It's not like you can see a physical deck of cards in a VP machine, it's simply programmed that way and you trust it. Shouldn't be any different for a slot.
     
  8. WHIVGOYTUBE

    WHIVGOYTUBE MIA

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    I would do both. VP gets boring after awhile. Along with all the focusing, I get tunnel vision, and do not notice my surroundings so much.

    The slot gives me a breather, just kick back, people watch, (keep an eye out for the CW too), and hope for a bonus round.

    So to answer a simple question, if the variance and payback were the same, I'd do 50/50.

    Today, its about 75/25, VP/Slot.
     
  9. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    Yeah, class II video poker exists and that's not from a 52-card deck with equal probability, but if you play with the autohold (or rarely make a mistake), you'd struggle to easily notice the difference in results. The only thing you can trust is that casinos and game manufacturers follow the laws where a 52-card deck with equal probability is required (i.e. most states including Nevada).
     
  10. higgiel

    higgiel Low-Roller

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    Let's say we're talking about a VP game with a 98% payback, with perfect play. But what percent of the time is it being played perfectly? 20%? 50%? I don't know, but I would guess that it's not near 100%. So what does that do to the "potential" payback for the machine? Casinos can advertise their high payback on VP games because they are not held to actually paying out 98% of the money played through. The only requirement is that they deal randomly from a 52-card deck. So the real return might actually be 80-85%, similar to slots. It could be even lower at VP bars, where heavy drinking and loud sports could reduce the player's results even further.

    I don't think casinos would ever offer guaranteed payout of 98% on a slot. There will always be the "up to" qualifier.

    So if you want that higher payback, you not only have to play VP, but you have to play it correctly. That's OK with me because I much prefer the challenge of VP to pushing buttons on a slot machine.
     
  11. AllNetDad

    AllNetDad Tourist

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    You are over thinking it. All other things being equal, would you rather require skill to achieve the payback or just mash a button. Sounds like you choose skill.

    I mean no disrespect to the button mashers out there. I do it. On occasion it can be fun; Fun being proportional to the amount of alcohol imbibed, but that's for me and entirely my opinion, no judgement. I just don't happen to have that head patting, butt slapping, nipple pinching, black suit checking mojo that helps me win more often than I should.

    So I might play more slots if the payback were better, but probably not, since the alcohol induced coma might kill me.
     
  12. wrxrob

    wrxrob High-Roller

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    I would probably switch to slots that were not as crazy volatile as the newest penny machines out there.

    New games are fun, but it really irks me when you hit a bonus round for less than 10x your bet (and in some cases, $0 )

    This is probably why I already lean toward older slot machines, and some of the earliest video slots. With those, the bonus rounds may not have been as frequent, but you knew you were usually getting SOMETHING for your efforts.
     
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