Where are the Hot Slots?

I have written 20 books on casino games and gaming, and over the past 20 years have written hundreds of various magazine articles. The question I am asked more often than any other is that one: So, where are the hot slots?

In order to find the really HOT slots, you must first learn a few things about the slot machines that you will find in these casinos.

First, all slots are computerized. No matter what they look like, even if they have a handle and reels that spin, they are all run by a computer chip inside the machine.

Second, on that computer chip is something called a “virtual reel table”. This is kind of like the pay table display you see on the front of the machine, but this virtual table has a lot more stops and spaces. The 3-reel drums on the slot machine may only have 11 spaces each, for 22 positions, and that would allow only for 10,648 possible combinations (22^3=10,648). This is not enough for the machine to make, and pay, all those nice big jackpots. So, the virtual reel table usually has 64 such stops, up to about 127. This allows the machines to pay lot more bigger jackpots and bonuses.

Third, you should learn the differences between the machines. The bigger the jackpot, usually the harder it is to hit. On these machines, the little pays will also pay less and hit less often. On reel machines, the best are 2-coin and 3-reel games. Look for machines that pay more for the second coin, and not just double the 1-coin amount. Machines that look identical often have vastly different paybacks. One can pay back only 80%, while the other at 98%, or more. How do you tell them apart? Well, that leads us to –

Fourth, look for the best and biggest brand name in slots: IGT. This is the company that makes the best slots. Games like Wheel of Fortune, Red, White and Blue Sevens, Megabucks and Quartermania, and many others, including some great video slots. By first shopping for this brand name, you will save yourself a lot of problems, because these are the best machines, and best paying machines, in any casino.

Finally, look for what I call “slot islands.” These are areas of the casino where machines can be seen from just about anywhere. These are the places where casinos want winners to be seen, and that’s why the best-paying slots are put there. On the other hand, don’t play slots near the table games Pit, near the Cage, or near Buffet or Show lines.

That’s it for now. Good luck!