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Slots Lower variance slots

Discussion in 'Slots' started by VegasSchemer, Mar 8, 2017.

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  1. VegasSchemer

    VegasSchemer VIP Whale

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    I'm planning to do the quest for rewards at the 8 CET Strip properties, mostly just for the fun of trying them out as I'm usually an mLife guy. And I know I'm easily looking at a few hundred in losses but want to limit it if there's any way I can (Just don't play, right? hehe)

    Do y'all have any knowledge on which types of slots tend to be lower variance? My hunch would be that the new fancy video ones pay out less and like in VP, the paytable that shows several ways to win small amounts is better than any kind of big jackpot machines. I also know that higher denoms pay better.

    So as I'm pumping $125 through the slot machines at each joint, what games would you advise I look for?

    I'm planning to play $.50 to $1.25 per spin, depending on the machine. For many machines, playing max bets means you have access to certain bonuses, correct? I'm kind of counting that out and think getting in 120 or so spins is better than Max bets on quarter machines.

    I know this is a silly premise but I'm wondering if you guys had any real tips on picking how I play this. :)

    Thanks!
     
  2. Chuck2009x

    Chuck2009x VIP Whale

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    Double Diamond 3 reel $1 denom with a 2 coin max and an 800/1,600 top line jackpot.

    I did 7 of the Strip casinos one right after the other on my last trip. They all had this machine. I lost $61.

    If you only want to spend 2 - 3 hrs on it, stick to at least $1/spin and stop as soon as you get the 25 TCs. I think it took me about 2.5 hrs.
     
    Last edited: Mar 8, 2017
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  3. VegasSchemer

    VegasSchemer VIP Whale

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    Thanks, Chuck. I'll plan on $1 spin.
     
  4. nostresshere

    nostresshere Mr. Anti Debit Card

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    For sure, the higher the jackpot, the higher the variance. After all, it has to take in more money make that big payout.

    Lower "jackpots" are usually better.

    Those newer penny slots, even if they take $10 to play give very little indication what their top jackpots are, so that is difficult. You can usually figure it out by going through all the detail screens, but it would take more than a calculator - LOL!

    Older dollar level with low jackpots are your best bet.
     
  5. Multifarious5

    Multifarious5 VIP Whale

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    I used to love, love love Quick Hit $1.50 max bet as you have access to the top jackpots. But, they seem more and more popular and I have found them less and less friendly to me.

    BUT if you do one, I find if I avoid the ones with an extra icon (quick hit platinum, etc). Instead, stick the the ones where you just have the Quick Hit icon or standard symbols, they're better. Throwing in Platinum or "cash spin" etc. just seems to give the machine one more "mess you up" symbol to contend with. Case in point: I was playing quick hit Platinum at max bet last trip. ($1.50 a spin) 5 platinum symbols = 17k. For the first time EVER, I got FOUR symbols, one away. My reward was a whopping $37. Don't get me wrong, I like 37$ for anything else, but it is SO hard to get that many platinums, I was NOT impressed. Basically I just view those icons as filler icons, that often break a string of cherries, money symbols, whatever is paying. Quick Hit Simple = good for me....to many variations of wins on quick hit = burn through bankroll for me.
     
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  6. tornadobox

    tornadobox High-Roller

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    Digging this back up (rather than starting a new thread), would love to get some more input for my upcoming trip. I'd like the entertainment of playing longer while making my losses as minimal as possible (i.e.: lower paying, lower variance machines).

    Appreciate the tips on the Double Diamond and Quick Hit machines! What else?
     
  7. nostresshere

    nostresshere Mr. Anti Debit Card

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    Older 3 reel machines.
    $1 denom. Play the 2 or 3 is better for the higher payout on 2 or 3 coins. Not counting the highest payout, your odds on 1,2 or 3 coins are the same.

    As you mentioned, the lower the possible payout, the lower the variance and chance to stay near even.
     
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  8. Chuck2009x

    Chuck2009x VIP Whale

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    Yeah, any 3 reel machine, no bells and whistles. But let the paytable be your guide. As low a top line jackpot as you can find for one coin. And then for multiple coins, look for the top line to be as close to an exact multiple of 1 coin as possible.

    Example: if you want to play only 1 coin,

    A machine that has a 3 coin option and top line of:
    800 / 1,600 / 2,400 would be best
    800 / 1,600 / 2,500 would be OK, you won't be giving up too much by only playing 1 coin
    800 / 1,600 / 10,000 - no good - you're paying too high a penalty for only playing 1 coin
     
    Last edited: Oct 18, 2017
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  9. nostresshere

    nostresshere Mr. Anti Debit Card

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    Two ways to look at that last example. You pay a high penalty if you hit the jackpot with only one or 2 coins.

    BUT - just playing that machine results in a low chance of win as it must take in way more money to pay out that $10k jackpot. The following comment is over simplistic, but bear with me. If the only payout was the jackpot , the 3rd example has to take in over 10,000 in bets vs the other machine that has to hold just over $2,400 before paying out - on average.

    Without getting all the hold percents, random chances, etc it still is much harder to hit the $10k vs the $2,400.
     
  10. Chuck2009x

    Chuck2009x VIP Whale

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    Sure, I agree with that.

    Let me see if I can clarify a little more to see if our thinking lines up.

    You have the 3 machines, we'll say they're Double Diamond machines, so you win the top line jackpot when you get 3 Double Diamonds on the payline.

    The top lines are:
    Machine 1: 800 / 1,600 / 2,400
    Machine 2: 800 / 1,600 / 2,500
    Machine 3: 800 / 1,600 / 10,000

    Let's assume they all have the same theoretical payback % (there's an exception, but I'll get to that in a minute). My assumption is that, for a specific single machine unit, the odds of getting the 3 Double Diamonds on the payline is the same no matter how many coins you play.

    So let's say for Machine 1, the top line hits every 30,000 spins. Doesn't matter how many coins you play - my assumption is that they can't or don;t program the probability based on the number of coins you play (for any of these 3 machines).

    For Machine 2, IF the top line also hits every 30,000 spins, then the casino is giving up a small amount of payback % compared to Machine 1. So in that respect, maybe it's like finding the 9/6 VP machine in a casino where all the other ones are 9/5. OR, the machine is programmed to hit the top line slightly less often, to maintain the same payback % as Machine 1. If it's the first scenario, then you don't really give up anything by playing 1 coin. If it's the second scenario, you do, you're a little less likely to hit 800. To me, the difference is small enough that if it's the second scenario, I would still be OK with playing 1 coin on that machine if I couldn't find a better one.

    Machine 3, in my mind there's no doubt that they will program it to hit the top line less often, or they will be giving up too much in payback %. And that lesser frequency also applies no matter how many coins you're playing. So by playing only 1 coin, not only are you giving up the chance of hitting the 10,000, you are also less likely to hit the 800 than on the other two machines. An alternative to "fund" the 10,000 jackpot would be to lessen the frequency at which the smaller amounts (2, 5, 25, 40, 80) hit, which is crucial to grinding out coin in. Either way, it's a worse machine to play one coin on if you want low volatility and to max your churn.
     
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  11. nostresshere

    nostresshere Mr. Anti Debit Card

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    You bring up a good point that I had not though of. To provide the higher jackpot, I always took option A below as the way to pay it out. But, maybe it is option B?

    Option A)
    : Frequency of smaller hits is the same on both machines, but it takes much longer and much more play over time for it to hit compared to lower jackpot. Said another way, much lower odds of it hitting. Same thing, just different way to look at it. I had assumed the smaller payouts along the way would equal to smaller jackpot machines.

    OR

    Option B). Machine makes way less of the other hits. It could be less small ones,or less mid size ones. Either way, the program is set to pay less on other wins so that it eventually pays the larger jackpot.

    The chances of being ahead for all players except the big winner are better on the $2,400 machine. To take that argument to the max, consider a machine with only one possible win of $10. It would pay out the jackpot very often.
     
  12. Chuck2009x

    Chuck2009x VIP Whale

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    Yeah I don't know which way it goes. You really need the reinforcement of those small hits (2, 5, 25) in order to keep playing - too many blanks and nobody will stick around. But you could severely reduce the probability of a 40 and/or 80 credit win and it would be much less noticeable to the average player.
     
  13. Eleven99isFine

    Eleven99isFine VIP Whale

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    I'd suggest those 5 line 25cent denom machines.. It's pretty easy to get 5 coins back on a 3-anybar hit.. Unless you hit a tight period, those are good for coin-in with low expectation of jackpots.
     
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  14. LV_Bound

    LV_Bound VIP Whale

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    Find a Sinbad Slot machine.
    You can slow play and your money will last a lone time.
    Very frequent bonuses.
     
  15. mickyblueeyes

    mickyblueeyes VIP Whale

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    That and the Rich Life game
     
  16. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    Better yet, find a machine close to the major goal and quit when you complete it. ;)
     
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  17. buffalo

    buffalo Low-Roller

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    Traditional 3 reel slots are more volatile than video slots on average. On many spins you will get back a fractional amount of your bet on video slots. With 3 reels, you win or lose it all. Video slots are death by a thousand paper cuts while 3 reels can eat your bankroll quickly. Of course wins on 3 reels are usually a larger multiplier of your original bet, and 3 reels have a narrower volatility range. IMO older low volatility video slots are your best bet to minimize losses while capping your win potential lol.

    I did the QFR in July and got lucky to break even on the 5 I needed a badge. Seems like I played original Sex and the City at Cromwell, Playboy Hot Zone at Quad, Forbidden Dragon at Flamingo, and Wicked Winnings II at Harrahs (WWII is high volatility). Follow your gut when choosing...
     
  18. MikeOPensacola

    MikeOPensacola El Jefe

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    Thanks for the info Buffalo.:clap::clap::clap: I know bupkis about slots and was wondering if you could give some examples of older low volatility video slots?

    My last trip (as a complete slot newbie) I played a lot of World of Wonka, Flintstones, Sharknado and Breaking Bad video slots. I assume these are all newer video slots that don't have a lot of volatility coupled with lower jackpots due to the rights fees they have to pay. For example, I played a lot at various World of Wonka video machines betting anywhere from $3 to $6 a spin. I seemed to get lots of bonuses but nothing even close to a hand pay. Biggest win was $420+ with lots of wins in the $100 range. Same thing at the Flintstones.

    I guess what I'm asking @buffalo as well as other slot vets out there if you can give me the names of the older video machines with lower volatility? Thanks gang, much appreciated. I'm set up with a slot host at Cosmo in December for a week and I'm hoping to have a battle plan before I go. Thanks again. :clap::clap::clap:

    :peace: :beer:
     
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  19. buffalo

    buffalo Low-Roller

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    Finding older video slots is getting harder on the Strip as slot managers seems to be in a rush to the bottom. Since slots can still be legal in NV down at 75%, you have no idea what these new machines are set at. I'm guessing penny slots on the Strip are around 83-84% right now. Your best defense is trying to find older titles that are out of production. Here's a review of when Aristocrat released 50 Lions, probably 12 yrs ago or so.

    http://www.readybetgo.com/slots/reviews/review-431.htm

    Notice the payout range is 87-97%. If you happen to be playing one of those, you probably have a higher mathematical return than say that new Sharknado slot. That's my rationale behind trying to find older slots. Look for the older CRT bubble glass slots and outdated titles. Now 50 Lions may have had a software update to lower the payout but I'm using it as an example. If you play a 83% and a 90% slot all day, you'll notice the difference. Short term anything can happen. Some names that come to mind are the I Dream of Jeannie, Cats, Shake Your Booty, Outback Jack, Sun and Moon. Even some of those slots have been re-released and probably lowered so it's not an exact science. Honestly if you're spinning $5/spin for the entire day, you're probably better off playing old $1 reels than penny slots. If you're trying to reduce the odds of getting clobbered in a short session, then look for older penny videos. Just my take, your mileage may vary.
     
    Last edited: Oct 24, 2017
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  20. buffalo

    buffalo Low-Roller

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    double post.
     
    Last edited: Oct 24, 2017
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