Slot Machines

Books have been written on this subject and the debates and arguments about where the "hot" machines are placed in a casino are still raging - 60 years after slots were first installed in casinos.

The classic rule is that the best slots were placed just inside the door of the casino, so that people walking by would see jackpot winners and be enticed to come inside and play. Our opinion is that this is no longer true.

Most of the major casinos today are giant complexes and you no longer can see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to have the loose slots near any of the doors.

Another classic rule is that loose slots are placed on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more people could see winning jackpots and be encouraged to play. However, we find that this also is no longer a universal rule.

What casinos found over the years is that people walking down the busy aisles were frequently on the way to somewhere else. If they played slots at all, they would simply put in their loose change because they happened to be walking by. Win or lose, they would very often not stop to keep playing. And the last thing a casino wants is for someone to win a jackpot by playing only a few coins and then not stay to put it all back in!

Today, casinos are constantly changing their philosophy about where to place the loose slots. In another article, we'll discuss the good and bad locations by today's standards.

Good luck!

Tom is the webmaster at http://www.blackjack-for-everyone.com, which is a website dedicated to turning beginning Blackjack players into serious recreational players.

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