Something I'm thinking about

[Rook]

You all seem to carry the same general notion that slot machines are as useful as flushing dollar bills down the toilet. Which may be true, in a long term sense. But something I've taken in consideration is the possible payouts, compared to that of blackjack. When you play blackjack, even with perfected BS and card counting, you're lucky to even double your money any given time you play, right? Well with slot machines of course there is a higher possibility of winning nothing at all, but then there's of course the chance of winning thousands off of a one dollar bill. The first time I ever stepped into a casino I put 5 dollars in a machine and cashed out with 60 in less than five minutes. That's simply impossible with blackjack. Of course, I just got lucky. And I know blackjack is all about the longterm, but I simply don't see slot machines as a complete waste of money due to your chance of winning substantially larger amounts of money in a very shorter amount of time. And since many machines require as low as pennies to play, why not? I'd rather win 5k in one night and never look back rather than go to a casino every weekend for 15 years to find out you're barely ahead.

[Rook]

Oh, and what about blackjack machines? Still more of a gamble than the real thing, but at least you aren't relying solely on luck.

[GeorgeD]

You are right in a sense. My wife plays the slots while I play BJ and there have been times she's been a few hundred ahead when I've lost. Keeping track over the past year, she's not lost a lot for the time spent.

Still, I know that in the long run she will eventually lose more on those machines even the $25 ones than even a BS BJ player will lose at a $25 table. The casino will comp her better, but not enough to get parity with the BJ

If all that is important to you is a small chance of a bigger return, buy lottery tickets. Slim chance, but you could win millions.

[Rook]

That's a bit TOO slim of a chance for my taste. However, I do a couple of free lotteries on the internet. To be honest I don't even know if it's legit, but it's not costing me anything so why not?

[ccl]

blackjack is possible to do the 5 into 60 within a few minutes. before i really started to research playing better, i just played to play using i guess reall really basic strategy i had been told by people that had played for years. A few times ive sat down on $5 tables with enough to play 2 hands and ended up within 15 minutes walking out with over $200, its rare but it happens.

chris

[creeping panther]

There are progressive slots that at certain times under certain conditions are a very good play. You have to get to know the machines, as well as VP progressives. You just have to be aware of your surroundings and what is going on.

As to BJ play, my high is $36,000 in one full day, night of play. A teammate scored for $56,000 in 6 hours of heads up play.

I am not a believer in the "long run" fallacy.

CP

[EasyRhino]

It's still mainly flushing your money.

If you want a shot at a big win, sit at the blackjack table and bet half of your trip bankroll on one hand (leave the other half for split/double). Keep increasing your bets until you have a big score, and go home.

You can "simulate" the high variance and right-tailed skew of a slot's distribution this way, with a much lower house edge.

Wear a strobe light and make beeping noises while playing if you want.

[rukus]

Originally Posted by EasyRhino

Wear a strobe light and make beeping noises while playing if you want.

G-d damn you make me laugh

[Rook]

Yeah but then you have the possibility of losing your whole bankroll in one hand. Of course you can still win a lot of money in a short amount of time, as Creeping Panter and EasyRhino described, but the risk of ruin is substantially higher. Blackjack is the funnest casino game and the most realistic way to make money in a casino, but I just want to have that chance of making the most amount of money in the shortest amount of time with the lowest ROR.
If I ever hit a jackpot then I'll come back and do what you said Rhino

[rollem411]

Originally Posted by Rook

Yeah but then you have the possibility of losing your whole bankroll in one hand. Of course you can still win a lot of money in a short amount of time, as Creeping Panter and EasyRhino described, but the risk of ruin is substantially higher. Blackjack is the funnest casino game and the most realistic way to make money in a casino, but I just want to have that chance of making the most amount of money in the shortest amount of time with the lowest ROR.
If I ever hit a jackpot then I'll come back and do what you said Rhino

The difference is that your ROR increases for slots the more you play.

So basically if you don't play that often, why not try to hit big, but, if you do intend on playing slots for a long time...I'd suggest leaving them alone because you will only lose in the long run. Plus they aren't even fun.