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.
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So, what is a loose slot machine?
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?
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.”
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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 fora 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.
John Robison is the author of 'The Slot Expert's Guide
to Playing Slots.' His website iswww.slotexpert.com
Table Of Contents
Penny Slots Near Me Live
Penny slots are at the foundation of modern gambling. Penny slot machines have been the most popular ones in the United States for decades.
People would pay their buy-ins with nickels and hope for the best.
When Bally came out with their now famous 'Money Honey' slot, players enjoyed the fact that they were allowed to play for up to five nickels at a time.
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Don't be fooled by the fact that the word 'penny' is used to describe these games. Penny slots are not as cheap as they sound.
The first things that pop into your mind when you hear the words 'penny slots' might be low payouts and low costs.
In fact, casino penny slot machines were also viewed as slots that cost nothing but a penny to play, which can't be further away from the truth.
New Penny Slots: 2020 Addition
We've decided to expand the list and present you with a few extra penny slots that have become increasingly popular in 2020.
Take a pick and try out a new penny slot:
Double Tigers
Double Tigers is a well-designed penny slot with 3-reel, 8-payline and d 96.43% RTP.
You also get to adjust the volatility levels thanks to their unique Volatility Levels™ feature.
Necromancer
Evoplay Entertainment has really taken that extra step towards improving the slots experience when they came up with this VR-inspired 95.9% RTP game.
Throw on your VR set, grab your mobile and transport yourself to a place where scary things are happening.
The three-dimensional penny slot world offers you 80 betways and a type of gameplay that you don't see often in gambling.
Disco Bar 7s
With coin value ranging from $0.01 to $50, the max bet you can place on Disco Bar 7s is $500.
It's a classic video slot, so there isn't much going on in terms of bonus rounds, but fill up the spots with Disco Ball wild symbols and score a 10,000-coin win.
This 3-reel, 10-payline slot features an RTP of 95.96%.
Care to see our all-time top 10? Scroll down and enjoy the list and reviews of the best 10 penny slots in 2020!
Top 10 Penny Slots
Penny Slots are more than sitting down in front of a machine and popping nickel after nickel into it, after which you pull the 'arm'.
In fact, today's online penny Slots are an extrapolation of the old ones.
| Penny Slot | Theme | Play Online |
|---|---|---|
| Book of Dead | Egypt | Go to Game > |
| Golden Colts | Wild West | Go to Game > |
| Blaze of Ra | Egypt | Go to Game > |
| Pirates Charm | Adventure | Go to Game > |
| Vikings Go to Hell | Mythology | Go to Game > |
| Divine Fortune | Mythology | Go to Game > |
| Wild Wheel Big Money | Riches | Go to Game > |
| Valley of the Gods | Egypt | Go to Game > |
| Gold King | Riches | Go to Game > |
| Temple of TUT | Egypt | Go to Game > |
These penny Slots are multi-line games allowing for more than one coin bet per line.
With themes like popular movies, shows and games, but also bonus features and special symbols, these penny slot machines represent the best there is in the gambling industry today.
But enough with the chit-chat! You're here to learn about the best penny Slots you can play right now.
Below you can find a list of 10 greatest penny Slot machine games to play online.
The sites that offer these games offer both free penny Slot machines and free penny Slots with bonus rounds, you'll surely find the favourite suits you best.
All you have to do is pick your favorite, as millions of players around the world vouch for the quality of these very best 10 games.
Book of Dead
We've already mentioned this penny slot, but we'll do it again, this time in more detail.
This penny video Slot is extremely similar to the famous 'Book of Ra', yet still has some new features that will ensure good gameplay, emerging the player into the mysterious Egyptian-theme world the game depicts.
There are 5 reels and 10 paylines in the Book of Dead online Slots game.
The symbol to look for is the Book of Dead, which acts like the Wild and the Scatter of the Slot.
Golden Colts
If you get over the fact that this game is one of the creepiest out there, then you can start thinking about the Mega Symbols, Wild Reels, Stacked Symbols, Wilds, Scatters, Free Spins, and other features Golden Colts has to offer.
Blaze of Ra
Here's another Ancient Egypt virtual world for the fans of gods and amulets to explore .
The 5 reels are covered by 40 potential paylines, which is great considering the screen is cut into 4 rows and 5 columns.
Penny Slots Near Me
The graphics of this game are very high-quality.
You have your desertic background with pyramids at the back of the reels, while the mighty god Ra stands on the left of the screen, watching your every move.
Land on a Scarab, the Scatter of the game for bonus rounds with free spins.
Pirate's Charm
This Quickspin penny Slot has a Mystery Charm Respin feature which lets you re-trigger bonuses repeatedly in the game.
The thing that makes this game stand out is the possibility to play on up to 243 paylines, which is why many players consider Pirate's Charm to be one of the best Slots ever produced by Quickspin.
As a penny Slot, you can start betting from as low as $0.2 on one spin.
The game feels like the movie Pirates of the Caribbean, offering great visuals and a theme song fitted for a pirate's life feel to it, with stunning visuals and a very nice pirate soundtrack.
Then, if you need more Slots of this kind, have a look at our curated list of the best pirate Slots.
Vikings Go to Hell
We are all familiar with the stories about the courageous Nordic Vikings, the rulers of the Scandinavian seas and the lands surrounding them.
Penny Slots Near Me 2020
Vikings Go to Hell is a 5-reel, 4-row, and 25-payline Slot featuring the last recorded years of these amazing people.
Of course, the story is fantasized, so the Vikings have to take on the demons of the underworld in order to make it out alive.
Look for the Sticky Wilds which will enable multipliers and free spins once they appear on your reel. The minimum bet? Just $0.1 for one spin.
Divine Fortune
Here's another penny video Slot to consider if you're into Ancient Greek-themed Slots.
This visually gorgeous game will emerge you into the world of the gods with its 5-reels, 3-rows configuration and 20 pay lines.
Having an RTP of 96.69%, Divine Fortune can be more like a 'Divine Comedy' when you land on some Wilds, for example.
There are also three progressive jackpots scattered throughout the game.
Wild Wheel Big Money
Wild Wheel might be just a penny Slot, but don't be fooled by that, as it has one of the most impressive arrays of bonuses in the industry.
Piggy Banks, Wads, Gold Coins, and Dollars, but also Gold Bars and Cash Suitcases, these are the symbols of this Slot.
When you land on 3 Wilds, you get to play the Wheel of Fortune Bonus Game. This is the feature you should hope to become familiar with since it is the best one in the game.
Valley of the Gods
Are you ready to take another trip to Ancient Egypt?
With nice, yet simple graphics, good sound effects and bonuses, Valley of the Gods is one of those Egyptian Slots with a simple gameplay but a great return for their players.
This game by Yggdrasil has the Anubis and the Horus statues as its most rewarding symbols.
The Return to Player rate is 96,2%.
Gold King
With the Gold King Slot, you won't get to earn all the gold on the planet, but at least can spend some time playing a game with good graphics, sounds, and gameplay.
The simple 5 reels, 3 rows, and 20 paylines make this game a favorite with both the novices and the experienced players alike.
Released only a few months ago, this new Slot game is already a hit and the symbols to look for are the Gold Bars and the Gold Kings, for free spins and other bonuses.
Temple of TUT
Remember the famous story of the discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb?
How about you yourself take on the trails of Howard Carter and George Herbert and try to figure out the mystery surrounding this Egyptian figure?
In Temple of TUT, there are more Super Reels than there are tombs in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt!
Land on 5 Free Spins Symbols and you will activate whopping 30 Free Spins.
The Stacked Wilds can be randomly discovered after any normal spin, but the symbols to look for are the Light beam and the Golden Scarabs.
Good luck not catching a cold, or a deadly Ancient Curse...
Penny Slots FAQ
It all depends on what you're looking for. Penny slots are amazing for players who like to spend time getting to know the slot machine and spinning reels without the pressure of making bug bets.
Penny slots are great because you can bet as little as $0.01 while you're still learning the ropes, but if you're looking to land some wins, you will probably need to increase your bets. There is no single trick that will help you win on penny slots every time, but slot strategy tips will come in handy.
Generally, if you want a penny slot machine with the best odds, you should aim at those with RTP over 97%. Progressive jackpots, bonus rounds and free spins features should also be taken into account when you're deciding how much you could win on a particular slot.
It's hard to say what penny slot game is the best to play because it varies from person to person. We've put together many great penny slots, so skim through the article and see what strikes your fancy - this list of top penny slots will have your new favourite on it.
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