Best Time To Gamble
likeplayingcrapsandbj
Has anybody since the introduction of server based control of slot machines tracked the best day and time to play slots for greatest payout. This last year I have unofficially noticed slots appear to pay better on Friday and Saturday night and aweful on Friday morning and all day Sunday/Monday. My understanding is slots machines are now controlled via a main server and not individual chips manually inserted/replaced by slot tech. My theory played out again this last weekend with some good wins Friday and Saturday night and aweful on Friday morning and all day Sunday/Monday. I keep thinking the casinos are trying to encourage play when people come to town and take the money back on Sunday and Monday before they leave.
Wizard
Administrator
Administrator
Cadillac Jack's Gaming Resort. #1 of 10 Casinos & Gambling in Deadwood. So, if you were to consider when is the best time to play slot machines at a casino based on this fact only, the answer is simple - any time your heart desires. What may be confusing regarding this what-is-the-best-time-to-go-to-casino-to-win conundrum is that the number of jackpots is higher when there are more people.
*sigh*I doesn't matter what time of day, or day of the week you play.
It's not whether you win or lose; it's whether or not you had a good bet.
miplet
*sigh*
I doesn't matter what time of day, or day of the week you play.
April 31st from noon to 6pm is when I prefere. Haven't had a losing sesion since I turned 21. ;+)
“Man Babes” #AxelFabulous
Ibeatyouraces
deleted
likeplayingcrapsandbj
My understanding from a slot manager in Reno is the casino industry had gone to server based slot payout. The random luck of hitting that machine with a chip ready to payout is gone. The casino slot payout % is controlled via server according to NV state law. The days of waiting for a slot tech to change the chip(50/50 it is a payout chip are gone).
MathExtremist
*sigh*
I doesn't matter what time of day, or day of the week you play.
That's only true under the assumption that the casino doesn't dynamically change their floor on a schedule as the OP said. At least two major gaming manufacturers, IGT and Bally, have systems that allow precisely that to happen -- and at least the Aria is totally set up for that technology. On-the-fly floor mix changes is one of the benefits of server-based gaming. The question is 'if that's implemented, what's the schedule?'.
To my knowledge, most casinos have not implemented server-based gaming in this level of detail. It's still very much a turn-the-key process.
'In my own case, when it seemed to me after a long illness that death was close at hand, I found no little solace in playing constantly at dice.' -- Girolamo Cardano, 1563
Wizard
Administrator
It is my understanding that even with server-based slots, the casino would have to fax in a report for every machine they change the return on every time they do it. That would be a lot of paperwork to tighten and loosen the slots on a daily and weekly basis. Administrator
Even if we ignore that issue, it wouldn't be good business to loosen and tighten slots according to the hour or day. For any given casino there is going to be some optimal return to set the slots at, according to denomination. Same as any other game. Make the machines too tight on a busy night, with a captive audience, and you may make more money temporarily. However, you'll create ill will among all the players who lost, and they will be less likely to return.
It's not whether you win or lose; it's whether or not you had a good bet.
MathExtremist
I'm pretty sure the regulations support, or are being reworked to support, electronic update submissions. It doesn't make sense to have high speed changes on the floor when you can't get them across to the state in high speed.That said, I'm not sure I agree that it's not good business. It's very commonplace in other industries to charge different fees for the same services at different times. Lunch always costs less than dinner. Even in table games, you can find a $5 table mid-day Thursday but not Saturday evening. Other than changing the game entirely, the two levers the casino has are denom and edge. Most slot games are multi-denom, so that leaves only edge. In my mind, taking a multi-line penny machine from 92% to 90% on a Saturday evening isn't much different than taking a dice table from $5 to $10. Casino games have different EVs based on location, why not time?
'In my own case, when it seemed to me after a long illness that death was close at hand, I found no little solace in playing constantly at dice.' -- Girolamo Cardano, 1563
likeplayingcrapsandbj
'Casino games have different EVs based on location, why not time?'
I always thought different EV's based on slot location was a myth because of the random assigment of the chip. I don't know.
I always thought different EV's based on slot location was a myth because of the random assigment of the chip. I don't know.
MathExtremist
I mean downtown vs. Strip vs. airport. But there's nothing random about which EEPROM goes into which machine. Those are all specifically identified on the floorplan.'In my own case, when it seemed to me after a long illness that death was close at hand, I found no little solace in playing constantly at dice.' -- Girolamo Cardano, 1563
likeplayingcrapsandbj
Has anybody since the introduction of server based control of slot machines tracked the best day and time to play slots for greatest payout. This last year I have unofficially noticed slots appear to pay better on Friday and Saturday night and aweful on Friday morning and all day Sunday/Monday. My understanding is slots machines are now controlled via a main server and not individual chips manually inserted/replaced by slot tech. My theory played out again this last weekend with some good wins Friday and Saturday night and aweful on Friday morning and all day Sunday/Monday. I keep thinking the casinos are trying to encourage play when people come to town and take the money back on Sunday and Monday before they leave.
Wizard
Administrator
*sigh*Administrator
I doesn't matter what time of day, or day of the week you play.
It's not whether you win or lose; it's whether or not you had a good bet.
miplet
*sigh*
I doesn't matter what time of day, or day of the week you play.
April 31st from noon to 6pm is when I prefere. Haven't had a losing sesion since I turned 21. ;+)
“Man Babes” #AxelFabulous
Ibeatyouraces
deleted
likeplayingcrapsandbj
My understanding from a slot manager in Reno is the casino industry had gone to server based slot payout. The random luck of hitting that machine with a chip ready to payout is gone. The casino slot payout % is controlled via server according to NV state law. The days of waiting for a slot tech to change the chip(50/50 it is a payout chip are gone).
MathExtremist
Best Time To Gamble
*sigh*
I doesn't matter what time of day, or day of the week you play.
Best Time To Gamble In Vegas
That's only true under the assumption that the casino doesn't dynamically change their floor on a schedule as the OP said. At least two major gaming manufacturers, IGT and Bally, have systems that allow precisely that to happen -- and at least the Aria is totally set up for that technology. On-the-fly floor mix changes is one of the benefits of server-based gaming. The question is 'if that's implemented, what's the schedule?'.To my knowledge, most casinos have not implemented server-based gaming in this level of detail. It's still very much a turn-the-key process.
Best Time To Gamble At Casino
'In my own case, when it seemed to me after a long illness that death was close at hand, I found no little solace in playing constantly at dice.' -- Girolamo Cardano, 1563
Wizard
Administrator
It is my understanding that even with server-based slots, the casino would have to fax in a report for every machine they change the return on every time they do it. That would be a lot of paperwork to tighten and loosen the slots on a daily and weekly basis. Administrator
Even if we ignore that issue, it wouldn't be good business to loosen and tighten slots according to the hour or day. For any given casino there is going to be some optimal return to set the slots at, according to denomination. Same as any other game. Make the machines too tight on a busy night, with a captive audience, and you may make more money temporarily. However, you'll create ill will among all the players who lost, and they will be less likely to return.
It's not whether you win or lose; it's whether or not you had a good bet.
MathExtremist
I'm pretty sure the regulations support, or are being reworked to support, electronic update submissions. It doesn't make sense to have high speed changes on the floor when you can't get them across to the state in high speed.That said, I'm not sure I agree that it's not good business. It's very commonplace in other industries to charge different fees for the same services at different times. Lunch always costs less than dinner. Even in table games, you can find a $5 table mid-day Thursday but not Saturday evening. Other than changing the game entirely, the two levers the casino has are denom and edge. Most slot games are multi-denom, so that leaves only edge. In my mind, taking a multi-line penny machine from 92% to 90% on a Saturday evening isn't much different than taking a dice table from $5 to $10. Casino games have different EVs based on location, why not time?
'In my own case, when it seemed to me after a long illness that death was close at hand, I found no little solace in playing constantly at dice.' -- Girolamo Cardano, 1563
likeplayingcrapsandbj
'Casino games have different EVs based on location, why not time?'
I always thought different EV's based on slot location was a myth because of the random assigment of the chip. I don't know.
I always thought different EV's based on slot location was a myth because of the random assigment of the chip. I don't know.
MathExtremist
I mean downtown vs. Strip vs. airport. But there's nothing random about which EEPROM goes into which machine. Those are all specifically identified on the floorplan.'In my own case, when it seemed to me after a long illness that death was close at hand, I found no little solace in playing constantly at dice.' -- Girolamo Cardano, 1563