Electronic Craps Machine Odds
- Electronic Craps Machine Odds
- Electronic Craps Machine Odds Genesis Open
- Electronic Craps Machine Odds Games
- Electronic Craps Machine Odds Against
- Appendices
- Slots Analysis
- Miscellaneous
People in the gaming business and regulators generally refer to a slot machine as any gambling machine, including reeled slots, video poker, video keno, video blackjack,etc. For purposes of statistics both casino managers and regulators combine all the electronic gambling machines together. The machine I was playing had $2 minimum bet for pass/come/odds, but you could place or buy numbers for only $1 and I think you could play the field for $1 (I never did). But it also had 5x odds, so I would usually bet 2+10. The odds on video craps, roulette and blackjack must be the same as those at craps, roulette and blackjack tables. The odds on these bubble craps machines must be the same as those at a craps table. The manufacturers can alter how much the bets pay, but the histogram of results of the dice throws must match the pyramid of craps. Casino games are already 'rigged' so no. Would they intentionally skew results harder, possibly but no real incentive as people would certainly figure it out and stop playing and the casino would potentially face penalties from relevant gaming com.
Introduction
The following table ranks the Las Vegas casinos according to the looseness of their video display reeled nickel slot machines. The returns are based on a sampling of five different types of machines. The data collected goes back as far as October 2001 so the information is a bit dated.
Electronic Craps Machine Odds
Las Vegas 5 Cent Slot Survey
| Rank | Casino | Average Return |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Palms | 93.42% |
| 2 | Gold Coast | 92.84% |
| 3 | Sahara | 92.81% |
| 4 (tie) | Bourbon Street | 92.63% |
| 4 (tie) | Imperial Palace | 92.63% |
| 4 (tie) | Slots a Fun | 92.63% |
| 7 | Key Largo | 92.60% |
| 8 | Western | 92.57% |
| 9 | Ellis Island | 92.56% |
| 10 | El Cortez | 92.56% |
| 11 | Orleans | 92.56% |
| 12 | Circus Circus | 92.56% |
| 13 | Gold Spike | 92.55% |
| 14 | Fitzgeralds | 92.54% |
| 15 | Fiesta - Rancho | 92.53% |
| 16 | Arizona Charlie's East | 92.51% |
| 17 | Barbary Coast | 92.50% |
| 18 | Terrible's | 92.49% |
| 19 | Arizona Charlie's | 92.49% |
| 20 | Hard Rock | 92.47% |
| 21 | Town Hall | 92.47% |
| 22 | Longhorn | 92.47% |
| 23 | Riviera | 92.23% |
| 24 | California | 92.14% |
| 25 | Lady Luck | 92.10% |
| 26 | Nevada Palace | 92.06% |
| 27 | Plaza | 91.94% |
| 28 | Luxor | 91.92% |
| 29 | Paris | 91.92% |
| 30 | San Remo | 91.88% |
| 31 | Excalibur | 91.84% |
| 32 | Palace Station | 91.84% |
| 33 | Ballys | 91.82% |
| 34 | Las Vegas Club | 91.76% |
| 35 | Four Queens | 91.75% |
| 36 | Texas Station | 91.71% |
| 37 | Casino Royale | 91.67% |
| 38 | Boulder Station | 91.55% |
| 39 | Aladdin | 91.5% |
| 40 | O'sheas | 91.48% |
| 41 | Hilton | 91.40% |
| 42 | Boardwalk | 91.28% |
| 43 | New York New York | 90.99% |
| 44 | Horseshoe | 90.96% |
| 45 | Sam's Town | 90.89% |
| 46 | Santa Fe Station | 90.87% |
| 47 | Flamingo | 90.86% |
| 48 | Golden Nugget | 90.85% |
| 49 | Stratosphere | 90.8% |
| 50 | Tropicana | 90.71% |
| 51 | Golden Gate | 90.64% |
| 52 | Silverton | 90.57% |
| 53 | Main Street Station | 90.56% |
| 54 | Westward Ho | 90.40% |
| 55 | Fremont | 90.37% |
| 56 | Castaways | 90.36% |
| 57 | Monte Carlo | 90.24% |
| 58 | Stardust | 89.97% |
| 59 | Frontier | 89.91% |
| 60 | MGM Grand | 89.81% |
| 61 | Harrahs | 89.32% |
| 62 | Treasure Island | 89.32% |
| 63 | Mirage | 89.3% |
| 64 | Caesars Palace | 89.05% |
| 65 | Mandalay Bay | 88.87% |
| 66 | Rio | 88.72% |
| 67 | La Bayou | 88.26% |
| 68 | Mermaids | 88.26% |
| 69 | Bellagio | 87.42% |
| 70 | Venetian | 86.66% |
| 71 | Airport | 85.02% |
Excluded Casinos
The Suncoast and Rampart Casino in Summerlin do not allow playing slots and taking notes at the same time. I can not include any casino that prohibits the method in which I gather data.
Location Averages
The next table shows the average return by location.
Returns by Region
| Location | Average Return |
|---|---|
| Off strip | 92.07% |
| Downtown | 91.66% |
| Strip | 91.47% |
| Total | 91.74% |
The above sign can be found across the street from the Palms. Although I did the study Anthony Curtis published it in the LasVegas Advisor, which is how it become well known. The'...' in the sign encompases quite a bit of information,which was conveniently left off the sign. Actually the study only says that the Palms had the lowest nickel video slotsof the casinos surveyed in Las Vegas. The small print at thebottom says, 'Independent study conducted between November2001-February 2002 on Austin Powers, Fortune Cookie, Reel'em In, and Wheel of Fortune games. They left off LeopardSpots, and the study began in October.
Observations
There seemed to be no truth behind slot placement myths. Machines on the end of a bank did no better on average than those in the middle. There was also no correlation between return and proximity to such things as the main door, table game pit, high traffic areas, and low traffic areas.
Most casinos were very consistent in their slot returns.If one nickel machine had a return of x% then all others like it also returned x%. However some casinos did mix up loose and tight machines, most notably Treasure Island and the California casinos.
Methodology
A kind and anonymous source provided me with par sheets for the games in question. The EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) chip is what tells the machine the order of the symbols on the reel, in some cases how the stops are weighted, how much each winning combination pays, and any other pertinent information about how much the machine pays.It is up to the slot manager to select which EPROM chip to order according to the return percentage desired. On atypical game there might be about 8 different possible return percentages, ranging from about 85% to 98%.
Each of the different par sheets has five sets of distinct reels. On video display slots the stops are not weighted; in other words all stops are equally likely. The distribution of each symbol on each reel is what determines the theoretical return of the machine. For example a higher paying machine may have more of the higher paying symbols.
On the machine itself three consecutive symbols arevisible on five different reels. By comparing actualobservations of results to the par sheets it is possible todetermine which reels the machine uses, and thus which par sheet and which return. There are various three-symbol combinations that appear in at least one but not all par sheets. So if one of these combinations occurs on an actualmachine it narrows down the possible par sheets. By playingenough the player can narrow down the possible par sheets tojust one.
To help identify the unique combinations I wrote a computer program for each game, which had the exact reel order of all 5 reels of all the par sheets. The program then counted the number of par sheets with each possible three-symbol combination. If the number was greater than 0 and less than the maximum then that combination was identified along with the associated par sheets it belonged to.
It is then a matter of simply playing the game and comparing the outcomes to the list of partially unique combinations. It only takes about 5-10 plays per machine to narrow down the possibilities to just one par sheet.
The averages in the table are actually an average of averages. For each kind of machine at each casino I took an average return. Then I took the average of these averages over the five kinds of machines I tested for.
Slot Machine Definition
There is some confusion about what constitutes a 'slot machine' or 'slot.' My definition, and that of most gamblers, is a gambling machine with either actual spinning reels or video representations of the them.
People in the gaming business and regulators generally refer to a slot machine as any gambling machine, including reeled slots, video poker, video keno, video blackjack,etc.. For purposes of statistics both casino managers and regulators combine all the electronic gambling machines together. For example, the Slot Chart in Casino Player magazine and reports by the Nevada Gaming Control Board do not isolate just reeled slots but consider all electronic games a 'slot.' Therefore my return percentages should not be expected to agree with those reported by the casinos or regulators. As far as I know mine is the only source to isolate just the return of reeled slots.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Rob Feldheim for helping with the slot play and record keeping. Rob helped me with most of the casinos on the east side of town and part of downtown. I would also like to thank par Sheet Pete (not his real name)for providing the par sheets, without which this project would not have been possible.
Internal Links
Go to slot machine appendix3B (Jean/Primm slot returns).
Go to slot machine appendix 3D(Henderson slot returns).
Go to slot machine appendix 3E(Las Vegas quarter and dollar slot returns).
Go to slot machine appendix 3F(Montreal slot return).
Go back to slot machines.
External Links
The main-stream media has covered this study in depth. Here are links to some articles.
- Turning'em loose, an article that appeared in the Las VegasReview Journal on May 19, 2002, about the possible effectsof this study.
- One-Armed Bandit or Robin Hood?, an article by myself for Contingencies Magazine explaining the methodology, results, and weaknesses of the study.
- Play by the rules and the one-armed bandits will still win. Boston Globe article about slot machines, in which my Las Vegas survey is mentioned and my advice quoted. (cache)
Written by: Michael Shackleford
Craps -The Intimidating Table Game?
Electronic Craps Machine Odds Genesis Open
Who hasn’t walked past a craps table the first time feeling intimidation and excitement at the same time? Everybody that’s who!
Nevertheless, it doesn’t stop the curious from learning the game as quickly as possible. Novice player or not - it is for the real gambler, wanting real money action.
Learn the ins and outs and that daunting sentiment quickly disappears. It’s not like the Hollywood portrayal of high-roller James Bond types. A dress code of men in white tuxes sipping on martinis and lovely ladies blowing on their dice isn’t reality.
Come as you are…shorts, sandals, beer in hand and a stack of chips
…and the best part is, it applies to online craps or land-based casinos!
Is Craps a Hard Game to Learn?
It might seem overwhelming and confusing at first. But let’s be honest that goes for anything when not well studied. With a bit of research, you’ll beat the house and be bumping elbows with the best of players. After all, it could be you as the next craps champion
Basic 'Must Knows'
Does the roll of the dice have any impact of the game? That is one controversial question with many players having their own theories. Watch each die long enough and decide for yourself!
Practice playing craps with my new and improved craps game.
Read MoreRead LessRules
- 3-4-5X odds are allowed.
- To simplify the game, instead of offering both place and buy bets, I offer just one for each number. Each number pays the better odds between place and buy bets. I refer to these as 'buy bets.' They pay 7-6 on the 6 & 8, 7-5 on the 5 & 9, and 39-20 on the 4 & 10.
- Lay bets pay true odds, but player must prepay a 5% commission, based on the possible win. This works out to odds of 19-25 on the 6 & 8, 19-31 on the 5 & 9, and 19-41 on the 4 & 10.
- If the player selects 'keep bets working,' then all bets will be on for come out rolls. Otherwise, buy, hard ways, and odds on come bets will be turned off.
- If the player selects 'leave winnings bets up,' then only wins will be returned and the original wager will be re-bet. However, winning come and don't come bets are always returned. Winnings odds bets on come bets will remain up if there is a new come bet to associate them with. If the new come bet is less than the winning one, the amount of odds on the table will be the same multiple bet on the odds of the winning bet and the rest returned to the player.
- Bets may be taken down by shift-clicking.
- Put bets and taking down don't pass and don't come bets, that are already on a number, are not allowed.
To slow down the payment stage of the game, hold down the shift and control keys when you click 'roll'.
For fans of my buggy old version one, I still have it. However, I highly recommend playing this current version instead.
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Electronic Craps Machine Odds Games
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Electronic Craps Machine Odds Against
| Rank | Casino Name | Bonus | % | Wager | Cash | Code | Casino Name | Bonus info | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Win A Day Casino | 🧙 | $68 | - | FREE68LCBN | ||||
| Win A Day Casino | Bonus | 🧙$68 | |||||||
| % | |||||||||
| Wager | - | ||||||||
| Code | FREE68LCBN | ||||||||
| 2 | 21 Casino | 🧙 | £50 | - | |||||
| 21 Casino | Bonus | 🧙£50 | |||||||
| % | |||||||||
| Wager | - | ||||||||
| Code | |||||||||
| 3 | Drake Casino | $2000 | 300% | 450xB | |||||
| Drake Casino | Bonus | $2000 | |||||||
| % | 300% | ||||||||
| Wager | 450xB | ||||||||
| Code | |||||||||
| 4 | BetChain | €200 | 100% | 1000xB&D | |||||
| BetChain | Bonus | €200 | |||||||
| % | 100% | ||||||||
| Wager | 1000xB&D | ||||||||
| Code | |||||||||
| 5 | Zet Casino | €500 | 100% | 300xB&D | |||||
| Zet Casino | Bonus | €500 | |||||||
| % | 100% | ||||||||
| Wager | 300xB&D | ||||||||
| Code | |||||||||