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Bad Paying Slot Machines in the Casino

Not every slot in a casino is created equal. There have been many theories over the years about where the best slots are placed in casinos. Some players believe that the loosest machines are located around the perimeter of the casino, so that persons strolling by will hear the bells and see the flashing lights and be attracted to enter the casino.

Some slot experts have postulated that the better paying slots are placed in alternating banks of loose and tight slots. The truth is, most experts don't have a clue as to how the casinos have really set up their machines.

However a systematic approach in playing slots helped experts to record the results of each slot being played. The results of this study are simply amazing. They found that the main factor used to determine where to play slot machines was how visible the machines were to other slot players. They found no pattern to placing machines near the outside doors of casinos or near the show lines as had been believed by many slot experts. The strongest pattern they discovered for placing the better playing slots was that casino bosses place the best machines in the areas most visible to other slot players.

They also found that casino executives have become experts on human behavior. Whenever humans behave in a sloppy habitual or less than dedicated fashion in playing slots, the casino bosses have found ways to exploit it.

Many players like to play two slots simultaneously. Some even manage to play three slots at once! While most players don't play three slots machines at once, it is fairly common for players to play two side-by-side machines at once. Don't think the casinos don't know this. It is very rare that you will find two high payback machines next to each other. A good paying or "loose slot" is almost always placed next to a "tight slot."

Experts also found that slot machines located next to table games and sports books were generally lower payers. They reasoned that persons playing table games were not particularly interested in playing slot machines. However, they might plunk a few coins in a slot near a table game as they entered or left a game. The casino bosses, seeking to exploit the behavior, have decided to place some of the poorer paying slot machines near table games and sport books as the persons playing these machines by and large are not slot players and won't have their behavior affected one way or another by encountering low paying slots.

The real reason behind the location of higher paying slots is to attract persons observing an apparent winner on these machines to play a different slot machine. The odds are very good that the person so induced will pick a lower paying slot to play. Even if the new player picks another high pay slot, his action will just serve as an additional advertisement to entice yet another player into the slot pit.

Now you can see why casino bosses don't waste higher paying slots in areas where the players' behavior is unlikely to be influenced by slot payoffs. Table players do not typically switch to slot machines because of a few slot wins. Persons don't forgo dinner reservations because a slot threw a jackpot at them. And most people don't leave show lines because they won a few pulls on a slot machine.