FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SLOT MACHINE GAMBLING
79FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SLOT MACHINE GAMBLING
Before I start enumerating and discussing the facts about slot machine gambling, let me tell you a little bit about myself. I work in a casino. I am a slot machine (commonly called slot in canada) tech/attendant. It is my sixth year on this job. Hereunder are my works (duties and responsibilities) as a slot tech/attendant:
1. Paying out of jackpots
2. Slot machine maintenance
3. Assisting and entertaining (consoling, too) of customers
WHAT IS A JACKPOT?
For those of you who have not played a slot machine, a jackpot is the amount of money that suddenly appears on the screen or monitor of a slot machine, a customer is playing, when he/she hits one. In most casinos in Canada the minimum jackpot-amount is - $150.00. Let me give you an example to show you a clearer picture of a jackpot.
Let us say you are a 50-year old bachelor. It is Friday night, your chum invites you to hang out with him in a casino to listen to the music of his favorite band and to play slot machine games. While in the casino you decide to play slot machine games instead of listening to the boring music of the band. So you select a 5-cent slot machine. After half an hour or so, you lose $50.00. You are getting frustrated. You put in another $20.00 bill. You start to bet higher. After your second spin, all of a sudden these words appear on the screen – “JACKPOT $696.96 – CALL AN ATTENDANT”. You hit a jackpot!
You get noisy (clapping your hands, whistling, and yapping). It’s okay! You are happy. You win a jackpot of $696.96. It’s quite large. But, hey, don’t be so noisy and nosey! The burly guy beside you is envious and getting irritated by your incessant yapping. He is losing. He may also lose his temper and give you an uppercut to your chin. Always be wary of imminent danger. No, you don’t need to run around looking for a slot attendant. They know you hit one. In a couple of minutes or so, one of them will come with your jackpot money. Just hang on and stop yapping. The burly guy is getting really irritated by your noise that he starts gnashing his big teeth. Behave!
So, here comes a smiling (short and balding) middle-aged male slot attendant to hand you your jackpot-money. That’s me. I congratulate you with utmost sincerity. I count your jackpot money in front of you and under the roving eye of the casino camera above. You take your money and with a smile your say – THANK YOU VERY MUCH. You resume playing the slot while I stand beside you in disbelief. The burly guy looks at me. He gives you a dirty look and asks you – “You don’t tip the little guy?” You pretend you hear nothing. The burly (also tough) guy sneers and whispers loud enough for both of us to hear – “CHEAP!” Yeah, I guess you are cheap! No wonder why you are still a bachelor at the old age of 50. Now you know what a jackpot is.
FACTS ABOUT SLOT MACHINE GAMBLING
1. Slot machine games (including craps, blackjack, roulette, and other games in casinos) are games of chance. Games of chance are based on random outcomes. Random means (as defines by Mr. Webster) unpredictable or no pattern. This clearly means that you cannot predict the time you hit a jackpot. You may hit a jackpot right away or you do not hit one all day. There is no pattern. Some people think that when they hit a jackpot, another jackpot will come very soon. I don’t think so. Okay let me give you an example: One night a young lady started playing a 1-cent slot machine. It was approximately 8:00 pm. She hit a jackpot after few spins. Then not very long, she hit another one. After an hour or so, she hit a third one. She was lucky. The following night she was at the casino again. She started playing the same machine (same time – 8:00 pm) again. She never hit a jackpot all night. She went home just after midnight. One older lady played the same slot machine when the young lady left. It did not take long, she won a large jackpot. There is really no pattern. It is unpredictable.
2. Casinos have the so-called “HOUSE ADVANTAGE”. This means that the odds ALWAYS favor the casino. The longer you play a slot machine (including other casino games) and the more you bet or wager, the more you lose. Put this in mind – SLOT MACHINES ARE DESIGNED WITH A HOUSE ADVANTAGE.
3. There is no system or trick to win every time you play slot machines. There are so many irrational beliefs and myths I heard from gamblers. 6 years ago I used to play the slot machines once a week. I also had most of those irrational beliefs (examples: praying before playing. Constantly changing the amount of bet. Almost winning a jackpot signifies hitting a jackpot soon.). Believe me, I tried them all . . they don’t work!
Let me end this article by telling you about an old Chinese lady playing her favorite slot machine. It was my second day (under training) on the job. The lady called me, “Come here!”. I asked her what was wrong. She complained, “ There is something wrong with this machine. I have been playing it for two hours. No win. I lost 2,000 dollars already. There is something wrong with this machine!”. I told her that I was still new to the job and assured her to tell my supervisor about her problem. My supervisor (giggling) told me to tell her that the slot machine was working just fine. I went back to the lady. I told her, “My supervisor told me that your machine is working just fine!” The old lady looked at me. “YEAH, IT IS WORKING FOR YOU BUT NOT FOR ME!”.
So play the slots for entertainment ONLY. Don’t ever consider it as a way of making money! Have fun!
