Machine Selection (Part I)
Often machines and their games can be one and the same, but some machines may have more than one game, such as multi-game video slots. Even simple single-game reel slots may have different games inside the cabinets. These games may look the same as the ones you have decided to select, but may not be. The easiest example is among reel slots which offer standard pays with the use of “double” symbols. There are many such games. Often, these games also have similar-looking symbols, but if you look closely you will notice that these are only “wild” symbols, and not the “double-up” symbols I mentioned earlier. This is also found quite frequently among similar-looking traditional slot machines which may have the “double” symbols, but on one machine they also substitute for all the other symbols, as well as double the pay, while on the other machine they may only double that pay, but not act as substitutes for other symbols. Even though these machines look absolutely identical, this is a profound difference. On the one where these “double” symbols also substitute, the pays are far more frequent and in higher values. On the other machine, where these same symbols only double but do not substitute, the pays are far less frequent and their combined value is, therefore, less.
You will find reel slots like this everywhere. This is also true of video poker games, where two identical-looking machines can have extremely different pay and play programs. Such subtle differences can be more easily seen in video poker games, and also in some reel slot game, while being much more cleverly hidden in many video slot games. Some of the video reel slots have so many pays, and combinations of pays and bonuses, that it becomes very difficult to find out exactly how these games may be different from each other. The easiest clue I can give you is to look at the top jackpot amount. For example, many of these games will show the top jackpot as 25,000 coins. The exact and identi-cal-looking machine, either elsewhere in the same casino or in another casino, may show that very same jackpot as 12,500 coins. Big difference. What does this mean? It means that at the game which offers only the 12,500-coin jackpot, you are getting less for the same risk, all other items being equal.
To be continued…
