Posts Tagged ‘slot machines’
Do The Casinos Cheat At Video Games Part9
Well, there it is. The payback schedule on the front of the video-poker machines in Atlantic City can not be considered as an unquestionably accurate gauge as to the playability of a particular Atlantic City machine. It is theoretically possible to have a machine that appears to have a positive expectation when, in reality, it would be returning the minimum 83% because the programming is variable. Because video-poker machines in Atlantic City are considered slot machines, the payout schedule should be viewed just the way a payout schedule is viewed on a regular slot machine—as informational material only, not as an indication of the percentages inherent in the game.
Next, I spoke to Rex Carlson, Laboratory Manager of the Nevada Gaming Control. He assured me that the video-poker machines in Nevada must conform to the random shuffle principle "of a 52 card deck" and that "the programming cannot have any secondary decisions in it. If the royal flush is about to be dealt the machine can't say, 'No royal on this hand.' The machine also can't say, 'I've given out too many paybacks today, I'd better cut back on winning hands.'"
Then I asked him if the payout schedule is the only way a casino can get the edge in Nevada machines. "Yes," he confirmed. "If a player understands how to read the chart, the player can determine exactly what he faces, unlike a regular slot machine where the percentages are unknown." Had he ever heard of variable programming for video-poker machines? "Yes, in other areas of the country and in foreign countries you might find these machines but they violate the law in Nevada. Video poker in Nevada is a game of skill and luck. That skill factor must be there for a machine to be a video-poker machine. They are not slot machines."
Now, many of you who play in Atlantic City will be faced with a dilemma—should you continue to play? My guess— and it's only a guess mind you—is that most of the machines in Atlantic City are exactly like the ones in Las Vegas— that is they use a random shuffle with no variable programming and no secondary decisions, and the payout schedule is the deciding factor in determining the casino's edge. Why do I think this? A quick perusal of the payback charts shows that Atlantic City machines are rarely full pay. Most are ranging from 92% to 96% if the payout schedule is accurate. The average payback for all Atlantic City slot devices is approximately 92%. These are bad bets for the player and great money makers for the casinos. The Atlantic City machines are manufactured and programmed by the same companies that service Nevada—would it really be necessary to include a variable program in the Atlantic City video-poker machines to reduce them a few more percentage points—even though such a practice would be allowed? Hopefully, no. The operant word here is—hopefully.
Thus, if you are playing an Atlantic City video-poker machine with a 93% payback based on its payout chart, there's a decent chance that it is indeed a 93% payback and that all the sequences are in the programming based on their actual probability. (Why you would be playing this machine after reading this book is beyond me!) However, what if you should find that rare Atlantic City machine that seems to be a full payback? Here would be the opportunity for the casino to use a machine that makes "second decisions" and changes the percentages. Dilemma time. The seemingly better-paying machines might just be the worst paying ones! And the machine would be legal—rigged against you, misleading you, yes, but legal nevertheless.
Online Casino Bonus Portal zu den besten Online Casinos mit Casino ReviewsJeux Casinos En Ligne Le Meilleur Guide du Casino en Ligne
Tags: slot machines, video poker machines
Do The Casinos Cheat At Video Games Part6
Dr. Schneider: That's it.
Frank: Assuming honesty.
Dr. Schneider: Assuming honesty.
I thought I had laid my qualms to rest about the possibility of casinos and/or manufacturers cheating at video poker, when I was reminded of a series of articles and letters in Blackjack Forum in 1992-93 concerning video blackjack. I quickly went through my back issues.
There was a highly revealing short piece by Joel H. Friedman titled "Beware of SEGA Robo-Dealers" in the December 1992 issue. After discussing the excellent rules and payouts for the SEGA Blackjack Super Magic Vision model, rules and payouts that give the player a better than five percent advantage— if the game were "honest"—Friedman writes: "So how can casinos make money with a game that has such favorable rules? The SEGA handout lists as a feature of their machine, 'Operator selected percentages from 84% to 99% in one percent increments.' It seems that the blackjack rules are fixed, but the house edge is adjustable.'
The SEGA machines did not meet the regulatory requirements of Nevada, since they represented themselves as card games, when in reality they were slot machines. The difference between the two is easy to delineate: randomly shuffled card games manipulate the payout schedule to give the casino and/or player an edge, whereas a slot machine manipulates the results. It's the difference between a dealer shuffling and dealing honestly or a card mechanic who can decide which cards will come up next in order to help the house or player win more. In video-poker parlance, the former is a random shuffle, the latter a non-random shuffle.
The conclusion of Friedman's article stresses that SEGA machines can be found in casinos all over the world—especially on cruise ships, in Asia and in Europe.
In that same issue, Allan Pell writes "that outside of Nevada and New Jersey [or any locality that strictly controls casino practices] no protection exists for the unsuspecting player. In effect, the manufacturers are cheating you—legally that is! Devices may lure players with great rules, but the software can defeat you with everything from peeking and dealing seconds, to programming that prevents you from getting a blackjack in your lifetime. This also applies to other video games—seven out more in craps, etc. The machines can be programmed to defeat you, regardless of the supposed odds of the game."
Okay, after finishing Friedman's and Pell's excellent and informative articles, one would think that the safest course for a video-poker, video-blackjack, video-anything aficionado would be to play in regulated casinos where you were sure of the game you were getting. Remember, you want a game where randomness dictates the fall of the cards, the roll of the dice or whatever; you want a game where the payout schedule can be analyzed to show just what the percentages are and that these percentages reflect what is actually happening vis a vis the game you are playing. Let me repeat—a slot machine does not have to tell you what percentages you face, it's programmed to pay back whatever the casino wants it to give back. According to Mr. Handle (see my book Break the One-Armed Bandits!) slots in his casinos are programmed from 83 to 99 percent and that is generally the range for most reputable casinos in the country.
However, the very next issue of Blackjack Forum (March 1993) had a truly disturbing letter from an anonymous individual in New Jersey discussing the video-blackjack machines in some casinos in Atlantic City—a regulated state. This individual writes: "Upon questioning casino personnel, and the New Jersey Casino Control Commission people, the following comments were made: the casino slot manager says these [video-blackjack] machines were registered as slot machines [italics mine] and meet all the NJCCC regulations pertaining to slot devices. The NJCCC person agreed, noting that the game is a 'randomly' dealt video-poker game with a set payout of anywhere from 83% to 99%, which meets the NJCCC requirements."
Casino Online Bonus Migliori Bonus dei CasinoPro Blackjack Blackjackinfo
Tags: card games, slot machines, video blackjack