Best Paying Slot Machines At Winstar
NetEnt has been responsible for a number of the highest RTP slots around and Blood Suckers, the scary 5-reel, 25-payline slot is one of their very best. With a return-to-player percentage of 98%, some super-smooth graphics, and a spooky theme, this is one online slot. Winstar has been better than choctaw recently for me. I like both casinos for different reasons. I like the slots better at Winstar. They just have so many more to choose from, and I can play longer. The hotels are pretty much the same if you stay in the newer towers of either. I like the layout and openness of Choctaw.
Introduction to Oklahoma Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2020
Oklahoma slot machine casino gambling consists of 131 American Indian tribal casinos, casino resorts, travel centers, and “gasinos” along with two pari-mutuel racetracks with slot machines.
No theoretical payout limits have been set for tribal casinos in Oklahoma. In addition, no return statistics are publicly available.
This post continues my weekly State-By-State Slot Machine Casino Gambling Series, an online resource dedicated to guiding slot machine casino gambler to success. Now in its third year, each weekly post reviews slots gambling in a single U.S. state, territory, or federal district.
Keep Reading … or Watch Instead!
Or … Listen Instead!
Subscribe to my Professor Slots podcast at Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify Amazon Music Amazon Audible Gaana Stitcher Pandora iHeart Radio Tune-In SoundCloud RadioPublic Deezer RSS and everywhere else you find your podcasts!
Relevant Legal Statutes on Gambling in Oklahoma*
The minimum legal gambling age in Oklahoma depends upon the gambling activity:
- Land-Based Casinos: 18
- Poker Rooms: 18
- Bingo: 16
- Lottery: 18
- Pari-Mutuel Wagering: 18
In November 2004, Oklahoma residents approved a State-Tribal Gaming Act through a referendum. This vote enacted a model tribal gaming compact allowing tribes to use new gaming machines and card games. Based on this generic model, 31 tribes negotiated state-tribal compacts with the state of Oklahoma.
*The purpose of this section is to inform the public of state gambling laws and how the laws might apply to various forms of gaming. It is not legal advice.
Slot Machine Private Ownership in Oklahoma
It is legal to own a slot machine privately in the state of Oklahoma if it is 25 years old or older.
Gaming Control Board in Oklahoma
Oklahoma’s state-tribal compacts regulate tribal gaming in Oklahoma. However, the state of Oklahoma provides oversight under these compacts, which is the legal responsibility of Oklahoma’s Gaming Compliance Unit.
Based on the Oklahoma Gaming Compliance Unit Annual Report 2018, Oklahoma’s casinos prefer offering more Class II games due to Class III games requiring up to an extra 6% of revenue to the state.
The state also collects exclusivity fees from Class III machines. In 2015, 57% of all gaming machines in Oklahoma were Class III games.
Casinos in Oklahoma
As of mid-2019, 31 American Indian tribes operated 131 facilities offering Class III gaming through tribal-state gaming compacts with the state of Oklahoma. These locations include two racetracks offering pari-mutuel wagering and slot machines.
The largest casino in Oklahoma is also the largest casino in the world. This WinStar World Casino and Resort has 7,400 gaming machines.
The second-largest casino is Choctaw Casinos & Resorts – Durant with 4,300 gaming machines.
Commercial Casinos in Oklahoma
Oklahoma has no non-tribal, commercial casinos.
Tribal Casinos in Oklahoma
The 106 largest tribal casinos in Oklahoma, including two pari-mutuel racetracks with slot machines, are:
- 7 Clans Casinos – Chilocco Gasino in Newkirk, 106 miles north of Oklahoma City.
- 7 Clans Casinos – First Council Casino Resort in Newkirk, near the border to Kansas.
- 7 Clans Casinos – Paradise Casino in Red Rock, 82 miles north of Oklahoma City.
- 7 Clans Casinos – Perry Casino, 65 miles north of Oklahoma City.
- 7 Clans Casinos – Red Rock Gasino, 82 miles north of Oklahoma City.
- Ada Gaming Center – East, 85 miles southeast of Oklahoma City.
- Ada Gaming Center – West, 85 miles southeast of Oklahoma City.
- Apache Casino Hotel in Lawton, 86 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.
- Artesian Hotel Casino Spa in Sulphur, 84 miles south of Oklahoma City.
- Black Gold Casino in Wilson, 112 miles south of Oklahoma City.
- Border Casino in Thackerville, 124 miles south of Oklahoma City.
- Buffalo Run Casino & Resort in Miami, 89 miles northeast of Tulsa.
- Casino Oklahoma in Hinton, 55 miles west of Oklahoma City.
- Cherokee Casino & Hotel – Ft. Gibson, 80 miles east of Tulsa.
- Cherokee Casino & Hotel – Grove, 100 miles northeast of Tulsa.
- Cherokee Casino & Hotel – Ramona, 30 miles north of Tulsa.
- Cherokee Casino & Hotel – Roland, 175 miles east of Oklahoma City.
- Cherokee Casino & Hotel – Sallisaw, 160 miles east of Oklahoma City.
- Cherokee Casino & Hotel – South Coffeyville, 70 miles northeast of Tulsa.
- Cherokee Casino & Hotel – Tahlequah, 83 miles southeast of Tulsa.
- Cherokee Casino & Hotel – West Siloam Springs, 85 miles east of Tulsa.
- Cherokee Casino & Hotel – Will Rogers Downs in Claremore, 30 miles northeast of Tulsa.
- Chickasaw Travel Stop – Davis West, 75 miles south of Oklahoma City.
- Chickasaw Travel Stop – Wilson, 112 miles south of Oklahoma City.
- Chisholm Trail Casino in Duncan, 79 miles south of Oklahoma City.
- Choctaw Casinos & Resorts – Broken Bow, 235 miles southeast of Oklahoma City.
- Choctaw Casinos & Resorts – Durant, 150 miles southeast of Oklahoma City.
- Choctaw Casinos & Resorts – Grant, 200 miles south of Oklahoma City.
- Choctaw Casinos & Resorts – Idabel, 240 miles southeast of Oklahoma City.
- Choctaw Casinos & Resorts – McAlester, 130 miles southeast of Oklahoma City.
- Choctaw Casinos & Resorts – Pocola, 195 miles east of Oklahoma City.
- Choctaw Casinos & Resorts – Stringtown, 163 miles southeast of Oklahoma City.
- Cimarron Casino in Perkins, 60 miles north of Oklahoma City.
- Comanche Nation Casino in Lawton, 86 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.
- Comanche Red River Hotel Casino in Devol, 125 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.
- Comanche Spur Casino in Eldon, 75 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.
- Comanche Star Casino in Walters, 25 miles southeast of Lawton.
- Creek Nation Casino Bristow, 60 miles northeast of Oklahoma City.
- Creek Nation Casino Eufaula, 135 miles east of Oklahoma City.
- Creek Nation Casino Holdenville, 75 miles northeast of Oklahoma City.
- Creek Nation Casino Muscogee, 50 miles southeast of Tulsa.
- Creek Nation Checotah Casino, 120 miles east of Oklahoma City.
- Downstream Casino Resort in Quapaw, on the border of Oklahoma with Missouri and Kansas.
- Duck Creek Casino in Beggs, 35 miles south of Tulsa.
- Gold Mountain Casino in Ardmore, 100 miles south of Oklahoma City.
- Gold River Casino in Anadarko, 60 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.
- Golden Pony Casino in Okemah, 72 miles east of Oklahoma City.
- Goldsby Gaming Center in Norman, 21 miles south of Oklahoma City.
- Grand Casino Hotel Resort in Shawnee, 38 miles east of Oklahoma City.
- Grand Lake Casino in Grove, 80 miles northeast of Tulsa.
- Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa in Catoosa, on the outskirts of Tulsa.
- High Winds Casino in Miami, 89 miles northeast of Tulsa.
- Indigo Sky Casino & Resort in Wyandotte, 90 miles northeast of Oklahoma City.
- Ioway Casino in Chandler, 40 miles northeast of Oklahoma City.
- Kickapoo Casino Harrah, 31 miles east of Oklahoma City.
- Kickapoo Casino Shawnee, 38 miles east of Oklahoma City.
- Kiowa Casino Carnegie, 94 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.
- Kiowa Casino Hotel Red River in Devol, 125 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.
- Kiowa Casino Verden, 57 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.
- Lucky Star Casino Canton, 60 miles northwest of Oklahoma City.
- Lucky Star Casino Clinton, 85 miles west of Oklahoma City.
- Lucky Star Casino Concho, 35 miles northwest of Oklahoma City.
- Lucky Star Casino Concho Travel Center, 35 miles northwest of Oklahoma City.
- Lucky Star Casino Hammon, 120 miles west of Oklahoma City.
- Lucky Star Casino Watonga, 70 miles northwest of Oklahoma City.
- Lucky Turtle Casino in Wyandotte, 90 miles northeast of Oklahoma City.
- Madill Gaming Center in Madill, 122 miles south of Oklahoma City.
- Native Lights Casino in Newkirk, 106 miles north of Oklahoma City.
- Newcastle Casino in Newcastle, 19 miles south of Oklahoma City.
- Okemah Casino, 72 miles east of Oklahoma City.
- One Fire Casino in Okmulgee, 45 miles south of Tulsa.
- Osage Casino Hotel Bartlesville, 50 miles north of Tulsa.
- Osage Casino Hotel Hominy, 44 miles northwest of Tulsa.
- Osage Casino Hotel Pawhuska, on the outskirts of Tulsa.
- Osage Casino Hotel Ponca City, 50 miles northwest of Tulsa.
- Osage Casino Hotel Sand Springs, on the outskirts of Tulsa.
- Osage Casino Hotel Skiatook, 17 miles north of Tulsa.
- Prairie Moon Casino in Miami, 89 miles northeast of Tulsa.
- Prairie Sun Casino in Miami, 89 miles northeast of Tulsa.
- Quapaw Casino in Miami, 89 miles northeast of Tulsa.
- Remington Park Racing Casino in Oklahoma City.
- River Bend Casino Hotel in Wyandotte, 90 miles northeast of Tulsa.
- River Spirit Casino Resort in Tulsa.
- Rivermist Casino in Konowa, 75 miles southeast of Oklahoma City.
- Riverwind Casino in Norman, 12 miles south of Oklahoma City.
- Sac and Fox Nation Casino in Stroud, 60 miles northeast of Oklahoma City.
- Saltcreek Casino in Pocasset, 50 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.
- Seminole Nation Casinos – Seminole Nation Casino in Konawa, 60 miles southeast of Oklahoma City.
- Seminole Nation Casinos – Trading Post Casino in Wewoka, 60 miles east of Oklahoma City.
- Southwind Casino Braman, 106 miles north of Oklahoma City.
- Southwind Casino Kanza in Braman, 106 miles north of Oklahoma City.
- Southwind Casino Newkirk, 106 miles north of Oklahoma City.
- The Stables Casino in Miami, 89 miles northeast of Tulsa.
- Stone Wolf Casino in Pawnee, 106 miles north of Oklahoma City.
- Sugar Creek Casino in Hinton, 55 miles west of Oklahoma City.
- Texoma Casino in Kingston, 130 miles south of Oklahoma City.
- The Black Hawk Casino in Shawnee, 40 miles east of Oklahoma City.
- Thunderbird Casino Norman, 21 miles south of Oklahoma City.
- Thunderbird Casino Shawnee, 38 miles east of Oklahoma City.
- Tonkawa Gasino, 91 miles north of Oklahoma City.
- Tonkawa Hotel & Casino, 91 miles north of Oklahoma City.
- Trading Post Casino Pawnee, 57 miles northwest of Tulsa.
- Treasure Valley Casino & Hotel in Davis, 75 miles south of Oklahoma City.
- Washita Casino in Paoli, 52 miles south of Oklahoma City.
- WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, 124 miles south of Oklahoma City.
Other Gambling Establishments
As an alternative to enjoying Oklahoma slot machine casino gambling, consider exploring casino options in a nearby state. Bordering Oklahoma is:
- North: Colorado Slots and Kansas Slots
- East: Arkansas Slots and Missouri Slots
- South: Texas Slots
- West: New Mexico Slots
Each of the links above will take you to my blog for that neighboring U.S. state to Oklahoma.
Our Oklahoma Slots Facebook Group
Best Paying Slot Machines At Winstar Thackerville
Are you interested in sharing and learning with other slots enthusiasts in Oklahoma? If so, join our new Oklahoma slots community on Facebook. All you’ll need is a Facebook profile to join this closed Facebook Group freely.
There, you’ll be able to privately share your slots experiences as well as chat with players about slots gambling in Oklahoma. Join us!
Payout Returns in Oklahoma
No theoretical payout limits are legally set by Oklahoma’s state-tribal compacts. Further, no return statistics are publicly available.
Summary of Oklahoma Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2020
Oklahoma slot machine casino gambling consists of over a hundred tribal facilities with electronic gaming machines existing as casino resorts, casinos, convenience stores, travel centers, bingo halls, and more.
Gaming regulations come from a generic tribal-state compact, used by 31 tribes in Oklahoma to legalize Class II bingo-style and Class III Las Vegas-style gaming. It does not include theoretical payout limits nor require that tribes make return statistics publicly available.
Annual Progress in Oklahoma Slot Machine Casino Gambling
Over the last year, Bordertown Casino and Arena closed when the Eastern Shawnee Tribe decided to reassess its business plans and close the facility in December 2019. Also, the Texoma Gaming Center in Kingston became the Texoma Casino.
In early 2020, Governor Kevin Stitt of the State of Oklahoma demanded the state’s tribes update their tribal-state compacts. At issue was an attempt to improve the state’s gaming revenue by increasing income from exclusivity payments for monopoly casino rights. Ultimately, Oklahoma’s tribes united against the Governor, resolving the “bitter feud.”
Related Articles from Professor Slots
Other State-By-State Articles from Professor Slots
- Previous: Ohio Slot Machine Casino Gambling
- Next: Oregon Slot Machine Casino Gambling
Best Paying Slot Machines At Winstar
Have fun, be safe, and make good choices!
By Jon H. Friedl, Jr. Ph.D., President
Jon Friedl, LLC
by John Robison
Do the slot machines on the ends of aisles pay better than the machines in the middle? How about the machines near the table games? They’retight, right? And are the machines near the coin redemption booths loose? Join us on our journey for finding loose slot machines.
The loose slot machine is the slot player’s Holy Grail. Much as King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table searched Britain for the Holy Grail of myth, slot players search casinos for loosemachines. Slot players have formulated many theories about where casinos place their loose machines to aid them in their quest.
Before we can figure out where the loose machines are, we have to figure out what they are. There is no U.S.D.A. system for grading the looseness of machines and no national orinternational standard that determines whether a machine is tight or loose.
So, what is a loose slot machine?
Best Slots Winstar Casino
Say we have two 94% payback machines. Are they loose? I bet some people say yes and some say no. Why isn’t there agreement? Let me add a little more information to thescenario to see if it gives you an idea of why one person calls a 94% payback machine loose and another calls it tight. What if I told you that one machine was a nickel machine and theother a dollar machine? For most people who play nickel machines, a 94% machine is among the best-paying machines in their area. For most people who play dollar machines, on theother hand, a 94% machine is among the worst-paying machines in their area. The person who called 94% loose probably plays lower-denomination machines, while the person who called 94%tight probably plays higher-denomination machines.
Let me add one more piece of information. The dollar machine is a video poker machine. Dollar video poker players would rather have root canals onall their teeth with no anesthesia while their fingernails and toenails are ripped off than play a 94% payback machine. They have many adjectives for a 94% payback machine, but loose isnot one of them.
You see, loose isn’t an absolute. Looseness depends on your frame of reference. Looseness is actually a comparison. We shouldn’t say “loose.” We should really say“looser”. We should really be asking where the looser machines are. But let’s bow to common usage and continue using the term loose machine.
So, what is a loose machine?
Best Paying Slot Machines At Winstar Casino
Quite simply, a loose machine is a machine that has a higher long-term payback percentage than another machine. The loose machines in acasino are those machines that have the highest paybacks. These are the machines that will take the smallest bites out of your bankroll in the long run. No wonder slot players areconstantly searching for them.
Over the years, players have developed a number of theories about finding loose slot machines. Casinos place loose machines near the entrances, for example, so passersby can see playerswinning and are enticed to enter the casino and try their luck. The loose machines are also at the ends of the aisles to draw players into the aisle, where the tight machinesare.
And, of course, a loose machine is always surrounded by tight machines. You never have two loose machines side by side. That’s done for players who like to play more than onemachine at a time. If they should happen to stumble upon one of the loose machines, they’ll be pumping their winnings from it into the tight machines around it.
More theories. The machines near the table games are tight because table games players don’t want to hear a lot of bells and buzzers going off and happy slot players whooping it up aftera big win. Another reason the machines near the table games are tight is because table games players will occasionally drop a few coins into a slot machine and they don’t expect to winanything, so why give them a high payback.
Similarly, the machines near the buffet and show lines are tight. People waiting in line are just killing time and getting rid of their spare change. They’re not going to play for along time or develop a relationship with those machines, so the machines can be like piggy banks – for the casino! Money goes in and rarely comes back out.
The machines near the coin redemption booths, on the other hand, are loose. Players waiting in line for coin redemption are slot players and the casino wants them to see other playerswinning. Seeing all those players winning will make them anxious to get back on the slot floor to try their luck again.
Finally, finding loose machines in highly visible locations is most likely. Again, casinos want players to see players winning and be enticed into trying to get a piece of the casino’sbankroll themselves.
These are the theories I can think of off the top of my head. Maybe you know of some others. Most of the theories have a basis in psychology. When we see others winning, we’llwant to play too because 1) we’re greedy, 2) we’re envious, or 3) we see that at least some machines really do pay off and if we keep trying we might find one too.
Based on my own discussions with slot directors, interviews with slot directors, and seminars I’ve attended, I don’t think these theories are relevant in today’s slot world. To see why,we have to look at how slot machines and slot floors have changed.
Picture a slot floor of 10-20 years ago. Even if you don’t go back that far, I’m sure you’ve seen pictures on TV or in books. The slot machines on a casino floor in that era arearranged in long rows, much like products out for sale in a supermarket aisle. There’s no imagination used in placing the machines on the floor. The machines are placed using cold,mechanical precision.
On page 193 in Slot Machines: A Pictorial History of the First 100 Years by Marshall Fey, there’s a great picture of Bally’s casino floor in Atlantic City that illustrates my point. Thepicture shows hundreds of slot machines all lined up in perfect rows like little soldiers. The caption reads, “Like a Nebraska cornfield, rows upon rows of Bally slots extend as far asthe eye can see.”
Best Paying Slot Machines At Winstar Slots
Try an online casino for FREE. We have over 15 No Deposit Bonus Codes. No credit card needed, just sign up and startplaying!
Compare that image with the slot floor layout at a casino that was designed in the last five or so years. Studies have shown that players feel very uncomfortable playing in longaisles. They feel trapped when they’re playing in the middle of a long aisle, particularly if the casino is crowded. As a result, modern casinos have shorter aisles and when a long aislecan’t be avoided, it will be wider than others so players won’t feel like they can’t get out.
One of the finding loose machines theories has casinos placing loose machines at the ends of aisles to draw people into the aisles. Having shorter aisles means having more machinesat the ends of those aisles. Can all of these machines be loose?
In addition to being uncomfortable in long aisles, players are also uncomfortable being put out on display for the other players. Perhaps they feel like they might become a target iftheir good luck is too visible.
One slot director I heard speak said that he tried to create “comfortable niches” for his players. Instead of being in a fish bowl, visible to most of the slot floor, players in hisniches can be easily seen by only the other players in that niche.
Another theory about loose machine placement is that casinos place them in highly visible areas. Modern casinos still have highly visible areas, but the areas are visible to a smallernumber of players. A loose machine in this area will influence fewer players than before.
The last change in the slot floor that I want to mention is perhaps the biggest change of all. Casinos used to have hundreds of slot machines. Now they have thousands. Oneslot director in Las Vegas said in an interview a few years ago that with so many machines on his floor, he didn’t have time to micro-manage them. He and his management decided the holdpercentage they wanted for each denomination and he ordered payback programs close to that percentage for his machines. Furthermore, he said this was the common practice in LasVegas.
As much as the slot floor has changed, the changes on the floor are dwarfed by the changes in the slot machines themselves. One thing that struck me about that picture of Bally’s is howall the machines look alike. They really do look like soldiers being inspecting, all standing at attention and in identical uniforms, or like rows of indistinguishable corn plants. In fact, it looks like there are only three different games in the 10 machines in the first row in the picture. Granted, the majority of the machines in Bally’s casino were Ballymachines. Still I’m surprised by the lack of variety in the machines in the front row in the picture.
I heard that one theory why Americans have gotten heavier is that we have access to a wider variety of foods today than we had before. When meals consisted of the same thing time aftertime, it was easy to pass up second helpings of gruel and eat just enough to no longer be hungry. But now we have Chinese one night, Mexican the next, followed by Thai, burgers, pizza,and pasta -- it’s easy to overeat on our culinary trip around the world.
Just as variety in food creates desire, so does variety in slot machines. “Hey, I used to watch The Munsters all the time. I’ll try that machine.” “I never miss TheApprentice. I’ll give that machine a go.” “I played Monopoly all the time as a kid.” “I have a cat and a dog and a chainsaw and a toaster.”
Not only is there more variety in themes on machines, there’s also more variety in paytables. Back in the 1920s, a revolutionary change in slot machine design was paying an extra coin for a certain combination. Adding a hopper to the machine in the electro-mechanical era made it possible for the machine to pay larger jackpots itself instead of requiring a handpay from ajackpot girl. Adding a computer to the slot machine made it possible for today’s machines to pay modest jackpots of a few thousand coins all the way up to life-changing jackpots ofmillions of dollars.
The computer also makes it possible to add more gimmicks to machines. Gimmicks like “spin-til-you win,” symbols that nudge up or down to the payline, haywire repeat-pays, and double spinall add more variety and interest to the games.
Today’s machines are immeasurably more interesting and fun to play than those of even just a decade ago. Each new generation of machines has crisper graphics and better sound than theprior generation. Slot designers are working overtime to devise compelling bonus rounds that will keep players playing for just one more crack at the round. How many people playingWheel of Fortune are trying to win the jackpot? Not many. Most people keep playing to get one more spin of the wheel.
Slot directors today don’t need to pepper their slot floors with loose machines to stimulate play. Today’s machines themselves generate more desire to play than seeing a player doingwell.
Now I'll finish our discussion of where slot directors place loose machines with some additional thoughts, with a few anecdotes I've heard at slot seminars, and with what I think will be thefinal nail in the coffin of loose machine placement philosophies.
One of the placement theories says that tight machines should be placed near the table games because the table games players don’t like a lot of noise while they’re playing. Have the peopleputting forth this theory ever been near a craps table? A craps table with a shooter on a hot roll has to be one of the loudest places -- if not the loudest place -- in the casino. Crapsplayers can be a boisterous lot even when the table isn’t hot. Okay, I can see players needing peace and quiet at blackjack tables (It’s difficult to count cards even in a quiet casino.), butnot at craps, roulette, Let It Ride, and other tables. In any case, the casino can adjust the volume level on a machine. The slot director can put a very quiet, loose machine near the tablesand not disturb a single table games player.
Another problem with following a loose machine placement philosophy is that it limits the flexibility slot directors have in moving their machines around on the slot floor. If the directors aregoing to give up a little bit in payback on some machines, they certainly will want to get their money’s worth and ensure that these machines are in locations where they’ll be played, be seenbeing played, and entice other players to play. Slot floors have only a limited number of high visibility areas. Slot directors won’t want to waste any of their high-paying machines in the morenumerous less visible areas, where the machines won’t be encouraging other players.
Now I’d like to share some anecdotes I’ve heard at panel discussions during the big gaming show (first the World Gaming Congress, then the Global Gaming Expo) that’s held in Las Vegas eachyear.
First, one slot director described an experiment he conducted in his casino. He had a carousel of 5 Times Pay machines that all had the same long-term payback. He ordered new chips to lower thepayback percentages on a couple of the machines to see if anyone would notice. The machines with the lower long-term paybacks received just as much play as the higher-paying machines. Noplayer, furthermore, ever complained that some of the machines in the carousel were tighter than others.
In another seminar, a slot director shared the philosophy he used to place some machines that he had inherited from another property. These machines, he said, had lower long-term paybacks thanthe payback he usually ordered for machines on his slot floor. He said, 'I read the same books that the players read. I put these lower payback machines in the spots that the books said shouldhave the high payback machines.'
My last anecdote is about a decision made by the slot director at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas many years ago. He was ordering 10 Times Pay machines for his slot floor and he was concerned aboutthe low hit frequencies available for those machines. (Machines with multiplying symbols tend to have low hit frequencies, and usually the higher the multiplier, the lower the hit frequency.)The slot director was afraid that his players would think the machines were very tight because they hit so infrequently. He said that he ordered higher paybacks than he usually does for thosemachines in an attempt to offset the low hit frequency. The machines would still have a low hit frequency, but at least the average value of a hit would be a little higher than if he hadordered a payback percentage nearer the percentage he usually ordered. He hoped that would be enough to keep his players from thinking these were tighter than the other machines on his slotfloor.
Although I think these anecdotes are the exceptions that prove the rule that some casinos at least order the same long-term paybacks for machines of a particular denomination, there is evidencethat some casinos may not. In the first edition of Casino Operations Management, for example, Kilby and Fox list a number of “general philosophies that influence specific slot placement”including: “low hold (loose) machines should be placed in busy walkways to create an atmosphere of activity” and “loose machines are normally placed at the beginning and end of trafficpatterns.”
They then say that “high hit frequency machines located around the casino pit area will create an atmosphere of slot activity.” I’m not sure whether they’re saying high hit frequencyshould or shouldn’t be placed near the pit. In any case, note that one philosophy said that loose machines create an atmosphere of activity and another said that high hit frequency machinesalso create an atmosphere of activity. This is the perfect segue into what I think puts the final nail in the coffin about loose machine placement theories.
There is no correlation between long-term payback and hit frequency. A low hit frequency machine can have a high long-term payback. High hit frequency machines, in addition, can have lowlong-term paybacks. Larry Mak, author of Secrets of Modern Slot Playing, recently queried the Nevada Gaming Control Board to find out the payback reported on penny machines. The Board said itwas 90.167%. Most of the penny video slots have very high hit frequencies, yet the overall average long-term payback is very low.
The usual reasoning behind putting loose machines in highly visible areas is so slot players can see other players winning. Maybe we should be more precise here and say that players will seeother players hitting and assume that they are winning because they are playing loose machines. But because there’s no correlation between hit frequency and long-term payback, these players canactually be playing machines with low long-term paybacks.
I don’t put much stock in loose machine placement theories, but I do believe slot directors may follow a hit frequency placement philosophy. Slot directors may try to place high hit frequencymachines in visible areas to encourage play. This philosophy says and implies nothing about the long-term payback of the machines.
List Of Winstar Slot Machines
John Robison is the author of 'The Slot Expert's Guide
to Playing Slots.' His website iswww.slotexpert.com