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Slot Machine Systems


Where to Find Loose Slot Machines

Loose Slot MachinesLoose slots are largely a thing of the past in casinos. Slot machines work on different principles than they did in the early days of casino gambling. Random number generator or RNG technology revolutionized slots gambling and jackpots, making it possible for exponentially larger progressive jackpots. But RNG's also eliminated the loose slot machine from the casino floor.

If loose slots ever existed, they disappeared from casino floors when slots became electronic instead of mechanical. Still, some of the old slots myths continue to this day, as old assumptions gain the respectability of age and are printed on how-to websites around the world. Let me discuss a couple of the most pervasive myths about loose slots.

The Zig Zag Method

The Zig-Zag Method is one of the more famous ways people try to find loose slots. I've never read for certain how the term "zigzag" came to refer to this method. One theory is the gamblers zig zags through the casino looking for the right slot machine. Another is that the gambler is looking for zig zag patterns on the slots reels. Whatever the case, the zig zag method has no basis in fact.

In the Zig Zag system, a player looks for specific patterns of reel symbols on the slot machine reels. As an example, let's imagine that 7's are the jackpot symbols on a slot machine. The zig zag gambler walks through the casino searching for a machine with the right pattern of 7's on the reels. If two 7's are on the payline and a third is one line off of the payline, this is considered a zig zag. In the theory, the reels are starting to line up. If you start to bet on that machine, you'll soon hit a big jackpot.

Now, maybe the zig zag method had a purpose in the days of mechanical slots. Maybe players could read reels and see them lining up, though I'm still not sure I buy that. I can absolutely tell you that reels don't "line up" on a modern slot machines.

Modern slot machines use random number generators. These random number generators are internal computers which tabulate probabilities and determine which reel symbols to display. Every time you make a bet and hit the button on a slot machine, a random number generator determines the positions of the machine's reel symbols.

That means each and every spin on a slot machine is independent of all other spins. The random number generator randomizes every spin. That's why they call it random.

Loose Slots Near the Door

One common theory is that casinos place "loose" slots near the doors of the casino. Gamblers coming into the casino see other players winning at the slots and decide they want to play. In this theory, slots gamblers should always play the machines near the entrances and exits of casinos, since these are the loosest slots.

Another variation of this method is that casinos place loose machines in the areas most visited, like near the cashiers, the restrooms or the casino gaming table. So, instead of gambling at the machines near the front entrance, you should play the machines where casino traffic is heaviest.

There's one flaw in this theory, which is the idea of slot machines' "hit frequency". A hit ratio is the percentage of spins that a machine pays off instead of takes your money. The thing is, one machine might have a higher hit frequency, while another slot machine might have fewer hits, but pay off more when those hits happen.

Keeping this in mind, a casino could place a machine with a high hit frequency near an entrance or heavily walked spot, but that doesn't necessarily mean the machine is paying off more than machines in other parts of the casino. In fact, it could be just the opposite. Casinos aren't in the business of just giving away money, so they will come up with inventive ways to get the same results.

I wouldn't expect to see a loose slot machine near a door. In fact, casino managers know about these myths. If anything, the casino might place slots with smaller payback percentages where gamblers are more likely to sit down.

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