The Matter of Slot Machine Paybacks
When we talk about paybacks from slot machines we refer to the returns we may get when we play a slot machine in the long run. The return we might get is comes in a certain percentage of the money or credits we played. There are slot machines that have paybacks set to 99%; these are the ones that are often advertised by a casino.
When you walk in a casino, you will sometimes see a sign or advertisement about a slot machine that returns a "guaranteed" 90 something percent (sometimes billboards outside casinos also have this). These advertisements may sometimes be deceptive, especially if you don't understand how slot machine paybacks really work.
Having defined what a payback on a slot machine is, the next question is if that figure we see as the specified return achievable? Many players have the false notion that they have a better chance of winning on a slot machine that has a 98% payback. Some even insist on playing only on slot machines with this payback and wouldn't settle for a slot machine that has a lesser payback percentage like maybe 90%.
Here's a bit of trivia regarding paybacks from slot machines. Let's say you have a hundred dollars and you play on a slot machine with a declared payback of 94%. After playing for let's say five hours on that slot machine, you'll never be sure to get back 94 dollars. The reason behind this is that you can never tell how long is the long run payback of a slot machine.
The truth is you can never really tell how long is the overall return since you don't actually have any gauge to measure this. But the casino has that gauge; they have a way to check the long-term payback since they have access to the slot machine's coin meter. Newer slot machines can be tracked using automated systems used by casinos.
What then is the advisable scheme we can do to win more and use a slot machine's payback to our advantage? The answer is to play on slot machines that are within your means. Most of the time, a higher denomination slot machine will have a higher payback percentage. If you can afford to play in such machines at length then go ahead, play on that slot machine.
Manage your bankroll and play on a slot machine with a good payback that you can afford. If not (or perhaps you could be playing with a shoe string budget at the moment), then you can settle for a lower denomination machine with an average or low payback but with a higher payment frequency.
Next time you see the advertisements about slot machines with high paybacks, make sure you check your bankroll before engaging them.
