WEBVTT - TechStuff Classic: TechStuff Plays the Slot Machines 0:00:04.240 --> 0:00:07.240 Welcome to tex Stuff, a production of I Heart Radios 0:00:07.320 --> 0:00:13.840 How Stuff Works. Hey there, and welcome to tech Stuff. 0:00:13.880 --> 0:00:16.560 I'm your host, Jonathan Strickland. I'm an executive producer with 0:00:16.560 --> 0:00:18.640 How Stuff Works in I Heart Radio and I love 0:00:18.720 --> 0:00:22.000 all things tech. And it's time for another one of 0:00:22.040 --> 0:00:25.880 our classic episodes. The episode you are about to hear 0:00:25.960 --> 0:00:31.000 originally published on June eleventh, two thousand twelve, and it's 0:00:31.000 --> 0:00:35.560 called tex Stuff Plays the Slot Machines. As the title suggests, 0:00:35.960 --> 0:00:40.840 Chris and I sit down to talk about slot machine operation. 0:00:40.960 --> 0:00:44.559 How did these devices work? From the mechanical devices up 0:00:44.600 --> 0:00:48.280 to the digital age. I hope you enjoy today. We're 0:00:48.320 --> 0:00:54.240 going to take a gamble, and yes I made a 0:00:54.320 --> 0:00:59.080 jokey joke. We're gonna talk about slot machines today. Actually 0:00:59.160 --> 0:01:01.680 high rolling really doesn't have anything to do with it, 0:01:01.720 --> 0:01:04.840 but I just I needed something there. So here's a 0:01:04.880 --> 0:01:06.640 quick question. Have you ever have you ever played a 0:01:06.640 --> 0:01:12.360 slot machine, like an actual like a real life, for 0:01:12.480 --> 0:01:16.880 real z slot machine. Yes, no, you have not know. 0:01:17.120 --> 0:01:20.440 I have played a video game slot machines on my 0:01:20.520 --> 0:01:24.360 computer and my portable devices, but not for money in 0:01:24.480 --> 0:01:28.080 a casino somewhere. I'm even in a non casino I played. 0:01:28.120 --> 0:01:32.760 I've played pacinko before, I have played slot machines. Um, 0:01:32.800 --> 0:01:36.120 it's now grad the slot machines I've played were the 0:01:36.280 --> 0:01:41.720 more um, the more modern ones. The slot of your machines, Yeah, 0:01:41.760 --> 0:01:45.840 the ones that are not dependent upon mechanical operation but 0:01:46.160 --> 0:01:51.480 on electrical or computerized actually all of the computerized operation. Um. 0:01:51.520 --> 0:01:54.800 But but we're gonna talk a little bit about all 0:01:54.840 --> 0:01:58.640 the different kinds of slot machines, not just the not 0:01:58.720 --> 0:02:01.520 just the computerized ones. So for those of you who 0:02:01.600 --> 0:02:04.680 have never seen one or don't know what we're talking about, 0:02:04.680 --> 0:02:09.440 the slot machine is a gambling machine. And uh, typically 0:02:09.480 --> 0:02:14.120 a slot machine has, especially the physical ones have three 0:02:14.320 --> 0:02:19.760 or more reels upon which are pictures. And the pictures 0:02:19.800 --> 0:02:23.519 could be anything, but you know, the stereotypical one has 0:02:23.600 --> 0:02:30.280 like lemons and liberty bell cherries, a bar, you know, 0:02:30.440 --> 0:02:33.399 and when three of those pictures line up, or there's 0:02:33.480 --> 0:02:38.919 some interesting configuration of those pictures, you win money. Uh 0:02:38.960 --> 0:02:43.000 And uh, you know, you might wonder what's the connection 0:02:43.000 --> 0:02:45.840 between the pictures and the cash, and that gets really interesting, 0:02:45.880 --> 0:02:48.600 particularly when we talk about the modern slot machines that 0:02:48.639 --> 0:02:53.000 are in casinos today. But to start, we should probably 0:02:53.040 --> 0:02:56.840 talk about you know, why do slot machines even exist. Well, 0:02:56.840 --> 0:02:59.560 they're really for the casual gamer. It's funny to think 0:02:59.600 --> 0:03:02.560 about because, uh, you know, our our audience is probably 0:03:02.560 --> 0:03:05.919 thinking of casual games is something like Bejewel, the match 0:03:05.960 --> 0:03:09.800 three type games or Marble shooting games. There are several 0:03:09.800 --> 0:03:13.440 different variations of those versus uh, you know, the the 0:03:13.560 --> 0:03:17.160 role playing games or the first person shooters. But it 0:03:17.280 --> 0:03:20.720 replies to two games in real life too. In terms 0:03:20.760 --> 0:03:23.240 of casinos. When we're talking about serious gaming, we're talking 0:03:23.280 --> 0:03:29.160 about the card games that require strategy, um, roulette tables, 0:03:29.520 --> 0:03:33.320 craps tables, Yeah, anything that has sort of a high 0:03:33.360 --> 0:03:36.400 barrier really, because they can be very intimidating to a 0:03:36.440 --> 0:03:39.040 person who's never played before. You walk up and you're like, 0:03:39.080 --> 0:03:41.720 I don't understand. There's so many things going on with 0:03:41.760 --> 0:03:45.920 this and so many rules. I'm not sure where to 0:03:46.000 --> 0:03:49.000 start or what's going on. Yeah, I'll admit, you know, 0:03:49.240 --> 0:03:52.200 that's one of the reasons I don't play poker. Uh 0:03:52.280 --> 0:03:54.800 it's not because not just because I'm a terrible liar, 0:03:54.840 --> 0:03:58.360 but I can never remember which hand is which. I 0:03:58.400 --> 0:04:00.120 know you know that there are a certain combo, but 0:04:00.160 --> 0:04:02.960 I don't remember where they rank in terms of which 0:04:03.000 --> 0:04:05.840 one is higher than others, and high card pair three 0:04:05.840 --> 0:04:07.800 of a kind to pair. No, I'm just I'm not 0:04:07.840 --> 0:04:09.320 going to go through the whole thing. But yeah, I 0:04:09.320 --> 0:04:12.480 mean there's there's flush. Yeah, you have to know something 0:04:12.480 --> 0:04:15.480 about gambling if you want to go to the craps 0:04:15.520 --> 0:04:17.920 table or if you want to, uh to play high 0:04:17.960 --> 0:04:20.520 stakes poker, But you really don't have to know that 0:04:20.600 --> 0:04:22.680 much to play a slot machine. You put you put 0:04:22.680 --> 0:04:25.440 a coin in the machine, you pull the handle on 0:04:25.520 --> 0:04:28.000 the reels click into place, and you either win or 0:04:28.040 --> 0:04:30.600 you don't. And and there are two things that make 0:04:30.680 --> 0:04:33.920 that game very attractive to people who might otherwise not gamble. 0:04:34.640 --> 0:04:37.560 One is that it's easy. Like you said, it's it's 0:04:37.720 --> 0:04:40.120 there's not much to it. Yeah, it's it's and it's 0:04:40.200 --> 0:04:44.680 got a nice attractive sort of appeal to it in 0:04:44.680 --> 0:04:48.720 that when it wins, it's a very visceral experience, right, 0:04:49.200 --> 0:04:52.000 there's bells going off and coins are falling, and it's 0:04:52.000 --> 0:04:55.200 a great, you know, way of attracting attention. Well, hey, 0:04:55.200 --> 0:04:56.880 you know that's that's one of those things too. I 0:04:56.880 --> 0:04:59.320 mean when you win, when you really win, and the 0:04:59.360 --> 0:05:02.360 bells go off, the lights flash everybody around you knows 0:05:02.360 --> 0:05:04.800 that you won, so everybody turns around to look at you, 0:05:04.839 --> 0:05:08.440 and there's that thing of hey, awesome. And the second 0:05:08.520 --> 0:05:10.960 big attraction to it is that it has a very 0:05:11.120 --> 0:05:15.359 low betting point for you know, typical machines do. Anyway, 0:05:15.880 --> 0:05:19.480 you can find machines that have much higher requirements, like 0:05:19.520 --> 0:05:23.640 a hundred dollars per play, but the vast majority of 0:05:23.680 --> 0:05:26.919 them tend to be cents, fifty cents, maybe a dollar 0:05:27.520 --> 0:05:31.440 and uh. And so if when when each individual bet 0:05:31.440 --> 0:05:34.479 doesn't have to be huge, it attracts the kind of 0:05:34.520 --> 0:05:38.880 gamers who would be otherwise disinclined to play a game 0:05:38.880 --> 0:05:42.720 where it's twenty five bucks per play, especially when they 0:05:42.760 --> 0:05:46.400 don't fully understand the rules. So they and and they's 0:05:46.440 --> 0:05:49.960 turned out that these things have become huge money makers 0:05:50.000 --> 0:05:53.359 for casinos. There was a report. We have a great 0:05:53.440 --> 0:05:56.320 article on How Stuff Works about how slot machines work. 0:05:56.400 --> 0:06:02.120 I really do highly recommend this because animals illustrations, it's 0:06:02.160 --> 0:06:07.200 it's an exhaustive approach to health slot machines work. And uh. 0:06:07.320 --> 0:06:11.080 In that article, it's revealed that something like six of 0:06:11.200 --> 0:06:16.080 gaming profits in the United States stem from slot machines. 0:06:16.680 --> 0:06:18.280 And when we get to the point where we talk 0:06:18.279 --> 0:06:21.200 about payback percentages. That amount of money is going to 0:06:21.279 --> 0:06:25.000 blow your mind. Yeah, and and those things are changing 0:06:25.080 --> 0:06:27.719 too as as we speak, because there have been recent 0:06:27.720 --> 0:06:30.279 developments in the slot machine. I know you're you're going 0:06:30.440 --> 0:06:34.200 really they've changed slot machines. How how changed can they be? 0:06:34.640 --> 0:06:38.000 They're changing them to where people think that they're going 0:06:38.040 --> 0:06:40.320 to pay even more in the future. But what we 0:06:40.360 --> 0:06:43.560 can get into that in a moment, So let's start 0:06:43.839 --> 0:06:46.680 about talking about how they work. Will eventually get into 0:06:46.720 --> 0:06:49.880 things like the odds that are involved with the slot machine, 0:06:49.920 --> 0:06:53.360 and also the payback percentages, because that's that's the part 0:06:53.480 --> 0:06:58.880 that the player really is interested in, in the sense of, uh, what, 0:06:58.880 --> 0:07:01.839 what's the likelihood I'll ever win money using a slot machine. 0:07:01.839 --> 0:07:03.719 I'll even give you tips on how to pick the 0:07:03.839 --> 0:07:07.600 right slot machine, Okay, because I'm I'm I'm that kind 0:07:07.600 --> 0:07:10.120 of guy. Well, I would say there are four basic 0:07:10.280 --> 0:07:13.120 types of slot machines. This is this is just me 0:07:13.280 --> 0:07:15.960 making I didn't take these four from somebody else. So 0:07:16.360 --> 0:07:18.680 I would say the first one would be the purely 0:07:18.720 --> 0:07:22.520 mechanical machine. Yes, this is the the old slot machine, 0:07:22.600 --> 0:07:26.240 the original slot machines that used mechanical gears and levers 0:07:26.480 --> 0:07:30.000 to to execute its function. Yeah. Yeah, those showed up 0:07:30.000 --> 0:07:33.200 in uh in the eighteen eighties, yeah, um or eighteen 0:07:33.240 --> 0:07:36.440 hundreds anyway, late eighteen hundreds and UM you know that 0:07:36.560 --> 0:07:41.040 they THENYME evolved into an electrical or electronic slot machines 0:07:41.320 --> 0:07:45.200 where these mechanical elements are working in tandem with electronics 0:07:45.200 --> 0:07:48.040 to help control things. And then you have the you know, 0:07:48.080 --> 0:07:52.080 a digital slot machine where the pictures are now on 0:07:52.160 --> 0:07:54.520 screens rather than reels. Yeah, you can also have a 0:07:54.560 --> 0:07:57.880 digital slot machine that still uses reels. Uh, it's just 0:07:58.200 --> 0:08:01.720 it's um, the all the workings are behind the scenes digital, 0:08:02.280 --> 0:08:04.480 but the ones that you know, what you're looking as 0:08:04.480 --> 0:08:07.800 a physical representation. It looks like an analog system because 0:08:07.800 --> 0:08:11.280 you've got these physical reels rolling around. But that's you know, 0:08:11.480 --> 0:08:13.560 that's really just for show. It's really just to show 0:08:13.640 --> 0:08:16.720 you what the final result of your spin was. And 0:08:16.760 --> 0:08:20.000 now I think we're moving into the completely computerized version 0:08:20.040 --> 0:08:23.800 of UM. But yeah, let's start with the mechanical one 0:08:23.840 --> 0:08:25.800 because I think, in a way to me, that one 0:08:25.960 --> 0:08:29.160 is the most fascinating simply because it's got UH gears 0:08:29.240 --> 0:08:32.640 and and police and brand and there's a block and 0:08:32.640 --> 0:08:35.160 tackle and there's a little man inside. But yeah, there's 0:08:35.160 --> 0:08:37.760 a little little bearded man. I need to check my notes. 0:08:37.840 --> 0:08:41.240 I think I think I think we realized that in 0:08:41.280 --> 0:08:45.000 a previous podcast that all technology in the nineteenth century 0:08:45.080 --> 0:08:50.360 was ultimately powered by bearded old men. That was the 0:08:50.400 --> 0:08:53.360 mechanical turk. Yeah, that was That was our hoax podcast. 0:08:53.800 --> 0:08:56.920 So we're gonna talk about the mechanical ones. Yeah, if 0:08:56.920 --> 0:09:00.160 you were to open up a mechanical slot machine, first 0:09:00.200 --> 0:09:01.800 of all, don't do it in a casino because I 0:09:01.840 --> 0:09:04.000 will get you in trouble. Yeah, if you even look 0:09:04.040 --> 0:09:05.840 like you're han a mess with the slot machines there, 0:09:06.200 --> 0:09:08.200 well they were, they were watching you when he walked in. 0:09:08.520 --> 0:09:11.560 Very large people will come and very very firmly but 0:09:11.640 --> 0:09:14.120 gently suggests you high tail it out of there. But no, 0:09:14.360 --> 0:09:16.840 if you were to open up a mechanical slot machine, 0:09:17.200 --> 0:09:19.760 you would see the reels. Now those are those, the 0:09:19.960 --> 0:09:22.520 spinning elements that have all the pictures on them, are 0:09:22.559 --> 0:09:26.800 connected to a metal shaft and it's the central metal 0:09:26.880 --> 0:09:33.120 cheft supports the reels and allows them to spin. Uh, 0:09:33.559 --> 0:09:36.400 not that kind of shaft what you talk about. So 0:09:36.559 --> 0:09:39.800 um just talking about I can take it. So these 0:09:40.240 --> 0:09:43.840 the reels are actually connected to some notched disks, and 0:09:43.840 --> 0:09:46.679 these notched discs are what allow the reels to spin 0:09:47.000 --> 0:09:51.200 around the the the shaft, the shaft the and it 0:09:51.240 --> 0:09:54.640 also stops the reels from spinning. And I'll get into 0:09:54.679 --> 0:09:56.360 that in a minute. But anyway, it's got notches. Kind 0:09:56.360 --> 0:09:59.840 of think about how a bicycle wheel when you look 0:09:59.840 --> 0:10:02.440 at the central part of the wheel, it has those 0:10:02.480 --> 0:10:06.400 notches where the chain uh connects and pulls the wheel, 0:10:06.760 --> 0:10:08.880 so it turns the wheel, you know I'm talking about. 0:10:09.240 --> 0:10:13.000 So it's same sort of thing. Now that main shift 0:10:13.160 --> 0:10:15.640 shaft has a there's a secondary cheft that has something 0:10:15.679 --> 0:10:19.600 on it called a kicker. Now, this kicker is an 0:10:19.600 --> 0:10:24.400 element that that hits these uh, these notched disks and 0:10:24.480 --> 0:10:27.760 gets the real suspinning. And the kicker is actually attached 0:10:27.800 --> 0:10:31.200 to a spring. So when you put a coin into 0:10:31.320 --> 0:10:34.480 a slot machine, a coin detector first of all realizes 0:10:34.480 --> 0:10:36.679 that you put a coin in. Hey there's a coin, yeah, 0:10:36.720 --> 0:10:39.760 because otherwise you could operate the slot machine whether you 0:10:39.800 --> 0:10:41.400 had put a coin in or not, which would be 0:10:42.600 --> 0:10:45.920 not profitable at all to the casino. Also, if you want, 0:10:45.960 --> 0:10:47.920 nothing would come out because people would have been playing 0:10:47.920 --> 0:10:51.760 that already. But it releases a break that's on that level, right, 0:10:51.800 --> 0:10:54.800 So the brake gets released, and once the brake is released, 0:10:54.800 --> 0:10:56.559 you can pull the lever down. This is these are 0:10:56.600 --> 0:11:00.120 the old old machine we're talking about, the purely mechanical 0:11:00.200 --> 0:11:04.040 slot machines. Now that that pulls a hook that pulls 0:11:04.120 --> 0:11:08.360 back the kicker, and that compresses a spring. So once 0:11:08.400 --> 0:11:11.320 the hook moves past a certain point, it releases the kicker. 0:11:11.640 --> 0:11:14.720 The spring makes the kicker move forward, and the kicker 0:11:14.880 --> 0:11:18.440 hits those notches that are attached to the reels, that 0:11:18.559 --> 0:11:22.440 makes the reels begin to spin. Now, also attached to 0:11:22.480 --> 0:11:27.160 that kicker are three stoppers. And the stoppers are these 0:11:27.160 --> 0:11:32.080 these uh, these these pieces of material that can go 0:11:32.200 --> 0:11:35.760 into the notches and stop the reel from spinning. It's 0:11:35.800 --> 0:11:38.960 like putting a stick through a spoke in a bike 0:11:39.000 --> 0:11:42.680 tire as it's spinning. It's gonna make the bike tire 0:11:42.720 --> 0:11:46.200 stop spinning. It is not, however, unlike the documentary Indiana 0:11:46.280 --> 0:11:49.480 Jones and Last Crusade going to cause you to flip forward. 0:11:50.160 --> 0:11:52.000 I was going to say, don't try that at home 0:11:52.600 --> 0:11:55.400 unless your insurance is paid. Happening and you you don't 0:11:55.440 --> 0:11:57.920 hold us responsible for whatever happened. There was actually a 0:11:57.960 --> 0:12:01.040 great episode of MythBusters where they show that that particular 0:12:01.080 --> 0:12:03.280 stunt would not be possible, that it would not make 0:12:03.320 --> 0:12:06.520 you flip forward. It would make you crash, but it 0:12:06.520 --> 0:12:12.240 wouldn't make you flip. So anyway, Yeah, the stoppers insert 0:12:12.320 --> 0:12:15.880 into the notches and stop the reels and the old 0:12:15.960 --> 0:12:21.360 mechanical ones. This was all purely by chance. The way 0:12:21.360 --> 0:12:24.880 that these stoppers would come in, and uh, the way 0:12:24.920 --> 0:12:26.839 that you would find out if you want, is that 0:12:26.960 --> 0:12:31.200 certain notches within that notched disk are deeper than others. 0:12:32.120 --> 0:12:34.840 All right, So if the first stopper happens to go 0:12:34.920 --> 0:12:37.680 into one of these deep notches, that deep notch corresponds 0:12:37.720 --> 0:12:42.320 with a jackpot symbol on the reel, So that real stops. 0:12:42.360 --> 0:12:44.360 And then you get one of the jackpot symbols. So 0:12:44.480 --> 0:12:47.560 let's say it's a seven. That's a very common one. 0:12:47.760 --> 0:12:52.440 So seven stops, yes, awesome, Well, that particular stopper moves 0:12:52.440 --> 0:12:54.880 a little bit to the left and the second stopper 0:12:55.040 --> 0:12:58.160 inserts into a notch. Now, if the second stopper inserts 0:12:58.160 --> 0:13:02.480 into the I can jackpot notch, the second one with 0:13:02.480 --> 0:13:05.439 the seven, that's again a deeper notch. It moves a 0:13:05.440 --> 0:13:07.040 little bit to the left, and then you see that 0:13:07.080 --> 0:13:11.479 a second seven has stopped, and you think, oh gay, 0:13:11.800 --> 0:13:14.960 so close, and then the third stopper inserts. Now, if 0:13:14.960 --> 0:13:18.400 the third stopper inserts into the jackpot slot again, it's 0:13:18.400 --> 0:13:22.120 a little further in than the other notches. Uh. The 0:13:22.120 --> 0:13:24.400 the third and final seven shows up and you think, 0:13:24.559 --> 0:13:28.839 I win. And meanwhile, the stoppers also connected to a 0:13:29.559 --> 0:13:32.720 little lever system that opens up a trap door where 0:13:32.720 --> 0:13:35.199 all the coins are, and then the coins fall through 0:13:35.240 --> 0:13:39.280 the trap door and land in your hot little gambling hands. 0:13:39.840 --> 0:13:43.400 But we're all over the floor. We're all over the floor. 0:13:44.760 --> 0:13:50.160 So if however, any of those stoppers hit a different notch, 0:13:50.760 --> 0:13:54.240 they will not go so far in as to allow 0:13:54.400 --> 0:13:59.360 that that doorway, that trap door to open. And so uh, 0:13:59.440 --> 0:14:02.680 anything that is not a jackpot would not pay out. 0:14:03.480 --> 0:14:08.200 And you could have different systems, uh, you know, different 0:14:08.280 --> 0:14:12.240 levels of complexity for your your standard slot machine. But 0:14:12.280 --> 0:14:15.400 the old old old slot machines essentially had one payout 0:14:15.480 --> 0:14:18.199 ability and that was it. And if it didn't land 0:14:18.240 --> 0:14:21.480 on just that configuration, then it would just keep your 0:14:21.520 --> 0:14:25.560 money and you have to keep playing. Yeah, no, Um, 0:14:25.720 --> 0:14:28.400 we were talking about casual games. These how these being 0:14:28.480 --> 0:14:32.480 casual games. The very first slot machines actually used the 0:14:32.520 --> 0:14:36.640 symbols for playing cards on the three reels UM. The 0:14:36.720 --> 0:14:39.800 idea of being that it was a system that people 0:14:39.920 --> 0:14:43.640 understood and probably would feel familiar with. UM. But it 0:14:43.680 --> 0:14:46.840 was a guy named Charles Faye who who came up 0:14:46.880 --> 0:14:49.000 with a machine called the Liberty bell and then he 0:14:49.040 --> 0:14:55.000 added a symbol of the Liberty bell um UM and 0:14:55.040 --> 0:14:57.920 that was it was sort of an experiment. Really, He's 0:14:57.960 --> 0:14:59.480 trying to see if this would catch on, if they 0:14:59.480 --> 0:15:01.960 could use some boles instead of the traditional playing cards. 0:15:02.000 --> 0:15:04.200 And as it turned out, it was very very popular, 0:15:04.480 --> 0:15:07.000 and that's one of the reasons why they moved to 0:15:07.200 --> 0:15:11.760 the symbol version of this UM. And they also introduced 0:15:11.800 --> 0:15:14.640 some other, uh, some other innovations to about the way 0:15:14.800 --> 0:15:20.360 it would work UM. But Stephen Mille also added more 0:15:20.400 --> 0:15:25.800 symbols and UM also worked on making it smaller and 0:15:26.000 --> 0:15:28.520 uh you know, as time has gone on, they have 0:15:28.640 --> 0:15:34.080 become easier to put into casinos and other places. UM. 0:15:34.200 --> 0:15:37.440 Jonathan and I went to uh UM Hotel and and 0:15:37.640 --> 0:15:40.120 c E s in two thousand and eight, and uh, 0:15:40.200 --> 0:15:43.400 you know, the hotel was sort of like any other hotel, 0:15:43.440 --> 0:15:47.440 except of course it had slot machines in the in 0:15:47.480 --> 0:15:49.400 the waiting area, and I was thinking, wow, you know, 0:15:49.440 --> 0:15:52.680 they'll put these things anywhere at the airport too, but 0:15:52.720 --> 0:15:54.880 they're they're smaller and easier to fit, you know. And 0:15:54.920 --> 0:15:57.480 then it's sort of like computers. They over time they 0:15:57.480 --> 0:16:00.000 figured out ways to make them more refined and easy. 0:16:00.000 --> 0:16:03.800 You're yea, there's a particular slot machine in the Vegas 0:16:03.840 --> 0:16:07.720 airport and I can't even remember. I just remember every 0:16:07.720 --> 0:16:10.280 time I go there, I hear the same phrase over 0:16:10.320 --> 0:16:15.440 and over because I'm always it. There is wheel of Fortune, 0:16:15.640 --> 0:16:17.680 which I do hear over and over, but there's another 0:16:17.720 --> 0:16:20.680 one that it has like a like an old prospector 0:16:20.800 --> 0:16:24.080 type voice, like that kind of thing, and it just 0:16:24.120 --> 0:16:26.480 goes over and over and over again. And the problem 0:16:26.560 --> 0:16:29.200 is that I always get to the airport well in 0:16:29.280 --> 0:16:31.320 advance of when my plane is leading, so I get 0:16:31.360 --> 0:16:34.280 to listen to it until I am ready to um 0:16:34.400 --> 0:16:36.960 to just to screen like a crazy person, which by 0:16:36.960 --> 0:16:40.520 the way, I do not recommend you do in an airport, uh, 0:16:41.320 --> 0:16:44.720 particularly in an airport in Las Vegas. I's gonna say, 0:16:44.720 --> 0:16:47.480 how how did you find that out? Anyway, moving on, 0:16:48.080 --> 0:16:51.440 so so anyway, Yeah, that's that's that's the mechanical one. 0:16:51.440 --> 0:16:54.720 They're literally gears and levers that stop the reels, and 0:16:54.760 --> 0:16:58.640 those reels do correspond with payolts, and it all has 0:16:58.680 --> 0:17:04.119 to do with the actual physical um uh components. Now, 0:17:04.600 --> 0:17:06.600 once you move on a little bit, it gets a 0:17:06.640 --> 0:17:11.159 little more complicated. The first electrical systems were not that 0:17:11.320 --> 0:17:15.840 different from the mechanical ones, right, the but instead of 0:17:15.880 --> 0:17:20.120 having these physical stoppers go into notches and that determine 0:17:20.119 --> 0:17:22.880 whether or not a trap door opened, they would detect 0:17:23.040 --> 0:17:29.800 an electrical connection. So the the notched wheel or the 0:17:30.960 --> 0:17:35.159 wheel that's connected to the reels, has little electrical contacts 0:17:35.160 --> 0:17:38.239 on it, and when the contacts line up in a 0:17:38.280 --> 0:17:42.240 certain way, they create a circuit. And depending upon the circuit, 0:17:42.320 --> 0:17:44.639 that tells the machine if it's a payout or not 0:17:44.720 --> 0:17:47.399 a payout. And this is interesting to me because it 0:17:47.440 --> 0:17:51.159 reminds me a lot of the Enigma machine because you 0:17:51.160 --> 0:17:53.399 think about the Enigma machine, which was actually it was 0:17:53.440 --> 0:17:56.840 a ciphering device, right, And the way the Enigma machine 0:17:56.920 --> 0:17:59.280 worked is that you would pick a certain letter, you 0:17:59.280 --> 0:18:03.560 would you would set the reels of the Enigma machine 0:18:03.600 --> 0:18:06.320 to a very specific setting, which you know the person 0:18:06.480 --> 0:18:09.520 receiving the message would also have to do. And you 0:18:09.560 --> 0:18:13.480 would type in your message and depending upon the way 0:18:13.560 --> 0:18:16.720 the connectors went, when you pressed say the letter A, 0:18:17.440 --> 0:18:20.560 then an electrical signal was sent to the first reel, 0:18:20.880 --> 0:18:24.160 goes in one side of that reel, UH comes out 0:18:24.200 --> 0:18:26.880 the other corresponding to a different letter, which goes into 0:18:26.880 --> 0:18:29.920 the second reel, that goes out of the second reel 0:18:29.960 --> 0:18:32.679 corresponding to a different letter to the third reel. And 0:18:32.760 --> 0:18:35.520 so the ultimate letter that you would get from your 0:18:35.520 --> 0:18:38.160 cipher would be completely different from the letter you typed. 0:18:38.600 --> 0:18:42.680 And because there were so many combinations, it was really 0:18:42.720 --> 0:18:46.320 tricky to break that code. Well, the funny thing is 0:18:46.320 --> 0:18:49.199 is slot machines when they were using these electrical systems 0:18:49.200 --> 0:18:52.480 were very similar. So an electrical current passes through one 0:18:52.520 --> 0:18:54.560 side of the reel. Let's say that it's a bar, 0:18:55.600 --> 0:18:57.880 and then the second one is also a bar. So 0:18:58.040 --> 0:19:01.320 the electrical current content us all the way through the 0:19:01.320 --> 0:19:04.560 first reel. The two contacts between the two reels are 0:19:04.760 --> 0:19:09.119 are touching one another, so then it continues on to 0:19:09.240 --> 0:19:11.119 the third reel, which is at a blank, so you 0:19:11.119 --> 0:19:14.359 have bar bar blank. It hits that third reel, there's 0:19:14.400 --> 0:19:18.280 no corresponding contact. The machine detects that it was a 0:19:18.359 --> 0:19:22.360 failed spin, and you win no money or you win 0:19:22.640 --> 0:19:27.000 whatever it is that that two bars and and right 0:19:27.040 --> 0:19:29.399 there might be there might still be an electrical current. 0:19:29.480 --> 0:19:32.160 But then what would happen is that would be directed 0:19:32.160 --> 0:19:36.800 to a different sensor on the far side of this system. 0:19:37.240 --> 0:19:39.560 So that way, uh, you know, there might be one 0:19:39.560 --> 0:19:43.600 sensor that, when it's lit up, says this dude just 0:19:43.880 --> 0:19:46.760 made himself a pretty penny, and there might be another 0:19:46.760 --> 0:19:49.600 center sensor that says this dude just made some decent money, 0:19:49.760 --> 0:19:51.960 and there might be one. So this dude needs to 0:19:52.000 --> 0:19:54.760 go and has some drinks at the bar because he 0:19:54.800 --> 0:19:59.600 has not one a darn scent. And U Yeah, that's 0:19:59.640 --> 0:20:02.400 the essentially the electrical one. But other other than that, 0:20:02.560 --> 0:20:05.600 other than the the electrical component where it's trying to 0:20:05.640 --> 0:20:09.720 make that circuit, it was very similar to the mechanical one. 0:20:09.800 --> 0:20:12.520 Now eventually you got to once that would use an 0:20:12.520 --> 0:20:16.440 electric motor to spin the reels as opposed to the 0:20:16.040 --> 0:20:20.239 the the gears or the spring really I should say, 0:20:20.280 --> 0:20:24.440 because the kicker was spring loaded. Um, there was something 0:20:24.480 --> 0:20:26.199 else that that we didn't talk about as far as 0:20:26.240 --> 0:20:30.119 the basic functionality of slot machines in general, Um, the 0:20:30.160 --> 0:20:35.000 wheels spin all the same time when you begin the game. However, 0:20:35.160 --> 0:20:37.360 they don't stop at the same time. If you've never 0:20:37.359 --> 0:20:41.680 seen a slot machine, you'll see the reels stop in order. So, uh, real, 0:20:41.760 --> 0:20:44.320 number one will stop and the other two are still spinning, 0:20:44.600 --> 0:20:47.119 and we all number two will stop, and so you 0:20:47.160 --> 0:20:49.280 have an idea. You know, you may have thought if 0:20:49.320 --> 0:20:51.000 you hadn't seen one of these when Jonathan was talking 0:20:51.000 --> 0:20:54.080 about the sevens popping up one after the other, Um, 0:20:54.160 --> 0:20:56.960 well you know, aren't they all stopping at the same time. No, 0:20:57.160 --> 0:20:59.800 they're not. So wheels one and two have stopped, but 0:21:00.040 --> 0:21:02.600 re is still spinning. What will it be? Yeah? It 0:21:02.640 --> 0:21:05.680 helps helps build suspense and it and it encourages people 0:21:05.680 --> 0:21:08.440 to keep playing. Yeah. You you might think that there 0:21:08.480 --> 0:21:12.400 was a mechanical reason for this. It's not. It's completely psychological. Yeah, 0:21:12.400 --> 0:21:15.520 it's it's so that it will convince people to keep playing. 0:21:16.600 --> 0:21:21.440 For one thing, near missus can make a person determined 0:21:21.440 --> 0:21:24.720 to play longer. Right, So, something that looks like it 0:21:24.880 --> 0:21:28.119 you almost hit it, like you hit uh, you know, 0:21:28.200 --> 0:21:30.920 you almost hit three bars. You actually hit three blanks. 0:21:31.119 --> 0:21:34.600 But it's the three blanks directly above three bars, and 0:21:34.640 --> 0:21:38.280 you think, if I close, I just I gotta keep playing, 0:21:38.480 --> 0:21:40.920 And so yeah, it does keep people playing longer, which 0:21:41.119 --> 0:21:43.960 and we'll get into more about the psychological elements later. 0:21:44.119 --> 0:21:46.880 I thought near Mrs meant your wife was standing next 0:21:46.880 --> 0:21:48.840 to you. Your wife's over at the Nichols slots. So 0:21:49.160 --> 0:21:53.199 the next you have the photo electric cells version of 0:21:53.840 --> 0:21:56.639 UM of a slot machine. Now this is similar to 0:21:56.720 --> 0:22:00.439 the electrical detection systems, but in seven electrical circuit what 0:22:00.480 --> 0:22:04.800 happens is the little um notched wheels. Instead of being 0:22:04.840 --> 0:22:08.280 notched wheels, they have uh these discs have little holes 0:22:08.359 --> 0:22:11.560 in them and a light source shines from one side 0:22:11.680 --> 0:22:13.880 of the slot machine inside the slot machine. You can't 0:22:13.880 --> 0:22:17.400 see it from the outside, but shines through, And if 0:22:17.520 --> 0:22:20.919 the reels are lined up properly, then a sensor on 0:22:20.960 --> 0:22:23.560 the other side of the slot machine detects it and 0:22:23.600 --> 0:22:26.040 that's what lets the slot machine know whether or not 0:22:26.119 --> 0:22:29.280 to give a payout. So of course, if the discs 0:22:29.320 --> 0:22:32.840 are not aligned quite right, then no light is going 0:22:32.880 --> 0:22:35.199 to be passing through and that ends up being a 0:22:35.240 --> 0:22:39.000 miss and so or it could be a hit. I mean, 0:22:39.240 --> 0:22:41.360 if you had it where all the different positions had 0:22:41.440 --> 0:22:44.320 light except the one winning position. You could have that 0:22:44.400 --> 0:22:47.000 be the hit. It all depends on, you know, the 0:22:47.040 --> 0:22:52.040 actual manufacturer. But the the vast majority of slot machines 0:22:52.040 --> 0:22:54.320 you will run into today, assuming you're not going through 0:22:54.359 --> 0:22:57.600 like some sort of museum or curiosity type thing, are 0:22:57.760 --> 0:23:03.639 computerized slot machines. And these are absolutely fascinating to me 0:23:03.760 --> 0:23:09.760 because ultimately, the mechanical elements of this device, all the motors, 0:23:10.160 --> 0:23:13.360 the reels, the spinning, have nothing to do with whether 0:23:13.400 --> 0:23:17.600 or not you win or lose. In other words, the 0:23:17.640 --> 0:23:22.560 old mechanical one, the notches, corresponded with those those pictures 0:23:22.560 --> 0:23:24.800 that you saw in the reels, and so in a way, 0:23:24.840 --> 0:23:27.159 you could say, the way that the pictures line up 0:23:27.160 --> 0:23:30.800 determine whether or not you won. But the computerized ones, 0:23:31.560 --> 0:23:35.680 the the whether you won or lost is determined the 0:23:35.760 --> 0:23:39.080 moment you press a button or pull lever. And and 0:23:39.119 --> 0:23:42.560 here's why. Well, yeah, I mean it's really the pictures 0:23:42.560 --> 0:23:44.760 are just for the people. Yeah, the pictures really just 0:23:44.800 --> 0:23:47.280 tell you kind of the The pictures are just a 0:23:47.320 --> 0:23:51.080 physical representation of what the result was of when you 0:23:51.119 --> 0:23:53.680 press the button or pulled the lever. Well, guys, I 0:23:53.720 --> 0:23:56.400 hate to break in here in the middle of a podcast, 0:23:56.440 --> 0:23:59.920 but we all know the house always wins, so let's 0:24:00.000 --> 0:24:10.080 take a quick break to thank our sponsor. The secret 0:24:10.280 --> 0:24:15.160 is random number generators, and we've talked about random number 0:24:15.160 --> 0:24:17.360 generators and how they're not. Yeah, we did a full 0:24:17.400 --> 0:24:20.159 episode on random number generators. It turns out it's really 0:24:20.200 --> 0:24:25.040 hard to build a true random number generator because computers 0:24:25.359 --> 0:24:29.200 depend upon algorithms, and algorithms have set rules, and when 0:24:29.200 --> 0:24:32.359 you have set rules, it's really hard to create something 0:24:32.359 --> 0:24:37.240 that's random. You can create something that is complex, and 0:24:37.359 --> 0:24:41.159 you might have a very long, long, long string of 0:24:41.240 --> 0:24:44.560 results that appear to be non repeating, but if you 0:24:44.600 --> 0:24:47.440 were to go long enough, you might start picking up patterns. 0:24:48.080 --> 0:24:51.880 There are random number generator systems that depend very much 0:24:52.080 --> 0:24:56.600 on outside systems that we do not control. Therefore they 0:24:56.640 --> 0:24:59.879 feel more random. For example, there are random number generators 0:25:00.119 --> 0:25:04.040 that generate numbers based upon weather conditions. So depending upon 0:25:04.160 --> 0:25:07.639 the barometric pressure and the temperature and things of that nature, 0:25:08.000 --> 0:25:11.160 a number will be generated. And because we don't necessarily 0:25:11.200 --> 0:25:14.560 have control over that, it's a very chaotic system and 0:25:14.840 --> 0:25:20.680 the numbers are It sounds weird, but more random than others. Well, 0:25:20.960 --> 0:25:22.840 and you wouldn't necessarily know it in the in the 0:25:22.880 --> 0:25:26.680 bowels of a casino because they don't have any windows, right, 0:25:27.200 --> 0:25:29.840 very most of them. It's very important, no windows, no clocks. 0:25:30.240 --> 0:25:34.159 The so the the the way these systems work is 0:25:34.160 --> 0:25:36.600 they generate a random number through some means, and the 0:25:36.680 --> 0:25:40.000 number tends to be huge, like within the billions in 0:25:40.080 --> 0:25:43.520 most cases. So your odds are not exactly stellar. Well, 0:25:43.600 --> 0:25:45.680 it has nothing that doesn't really have a whole lot 0:25:45.720 --> 0:25:47.600 to do with it, and I'll explain why. But you 0:25:47.600 --> 0:25:50.320 you've got this random number which is generated the moment 0:25:50.440 --> 0:25:53.280 you press the button or pull the lever. So you 0:25:53.320 --> 0:25:55.320 put a coin into this machine, you push the button, 0:25:55.640 --> 0:25:58.639 you have either one or loss already, the reels that 0:25:58.680 --> 0:26:03.399 are spinning. That's just for show because you the machine 0:26:03.440 --> 0:26:05.720 already knows if you want or lost, because what happens 0:26:05.760 --> 0:26:09.840 is it's constantly generating these random numbers. And the lever 0:26:10.040 --> 0:26:12.120 is also just for show. These days, you don't need 0:26:12.160 --> 0:26:15.320 a lever, no, that's why they all they have buttons. 0:26:15.760 --> 0:26:18.160 Most people I see like this, the quote unquote serious 0:26:18.160 --> 0:26:21.240 gamblers just press the button like they'll they'll just load 0:26:21.480 --> 0:26:25.000 up the the slot machine with credits and then you 0:26:25.119 --> 0:26:28.159 just start pressing the button to stop things. But the 0:26:28.920 --> 0:26:31.520 way it works is that it has this big random 0:26:31.600 --> 0:26:34.000 number and then it divides that random number by some 0:26:34.080 --> 0:26:37.520 other number, and it all depends on what the machine is, 0:26:37.520 --> 0:26:39.760 who the manufacturer is, what the number is. Tends to 0:26:39.760 --> 0:26:44.240 be some sort of factor of of like sixteen six 0:26:44.400 --> 0:26:49.080 four something like that, and uh, you end up dividing 0:26:49.119 --> 0:26:52.320 the number by that. You know that you divide the 0:26:52.400 --> 0:26:55.720 random number by the non random number. It's always you're 0:26:55.720 --> 0:26:58.760 always dividing by that. You take the remainder and then 0:26:59.119 --> 0:27:04.240 you apply that remainder to a virtual reel. So it's 0:27:04.359 --> 0:27:07.080 it's like the physical reels in that it has a 0:27:07.119 --> 0:27:11.280 certain number of slots if you will, but it doesn't 0:27:11.840 --> 0:27:16.760 there's no physical representation of it. This virtual reel is 0:27:16.840 --> 0:27:23.239 mapped to the payouts. And so let's say that it 0:27:23.359 --> 0:27:30.640 lands on on real number UM fourteen, and then through 0:27:31.119 --> 0:27:34.679 connecting all that uh through the system, it could say, 0:27:34.720 --> 0:27:37.280 all right, well, when it's on fourteen, that is a 0:27:37.320 --> 0:27:39.960 payout of five to one. So if you put a 0:27:40.000 --> 0:27:44.920 dollar in, you won five dollars. Uh. That's essentially how 0:27:44.960 --> 0:27:48.119 it works. Now that virtual real could be pretty large 0:27:48.200 --> 0:27:52.160 and could be mapped to the physical reels in um 0:27:52.200 --> 0:27:56.400 in a very kind of convoluted way, and ultimately you're 0:27:56.440 --> 0:28:01.960 going to be able to assign more of those notches 0:28:02.040 --> 0:28:06.640 in the virtual reel to misses in the the what 0:28:06.640 --> 0:28:08.960 what looks like misses in the physical reels. So in 0:28:09.000 --> 0:28:13.440 other words, uh, you know, if you've got sixty four 0:28:13.720 --> 0:28:15.919 actually little we'll say thirty two. Let's say you've got 0:28:15.960 --> 0:28:20.440 thirty two slots in this virtual reel, you could make 0:28:20.480 --> 0:28:25.440 sure that uh, twenty of them go to missus outright, 0:28:26.600 --> 0:28:29.920 So then you have the twelve that are going to 0:28:29.960 --> 0:28:32.720 go to some sort of hit. And then out of 0:28:32.760 --> 0:28:36.040 those twelve, six of those go to really low payouts, 0:28:36.840 --> 0:28:40.520 all right, and then the six remaining three of those 0:28:40.600 --> 0:28:44.800 go to medium payouts. And now the three remaining two 0:28:44.840 --> 0:28:48.960 of those go to larger payouts, and one goes to Jackpott. So, 0:28:49.000 --> 0:28:53.120 in other words, you've got a lot more geared toward 0:28:53.240 --> 0:28:57.360 the geared toward the misses than the hits. And that's 0:28:57.400 --> 0:28:59.480 a very simplified way of saying it. Because the virtual 0:28:59.520 --> 0:29:05.720 reel actually adds way more options for the casino because 0:29:05.760 --> 0:29:09.080 you you would have a virtual reel for each physical reel. 0:29:09.720 --> 0:29:14.200 Then you you suddenly made that much more complicated. In fact, 0:29:14.400 --> 0:29:16.960 the odds of of hitting the jackpot can be in 0:29:17.000 --> 0:29:19.480 the hundreds of thousands, like around two almost like two 0:29:19.760 --> 0:29:23.520 d fifty thousand to one, Like you would have to play, 0:29:24.640 --> 0:29:27.840 you know, a quarter of a million times before you 0:29:28.080 --> 0:29:31.440 would necessarily not necessarily hit it. But I mean that's 0:29:31.480 --> 0:29:36.040 just your odds. Like your odds are two times out 0:29:36.080 --> 0:29:41.880 of two thousand you will not hit the jackpot, right, So, uh, 0:29:41.960 --> 0:29:43.640 it's a good thing to good way to think about 0:29:43.640 --> 0:29:46.160 it if you're going in and playing these games. And 0:29:46.200 --> 0:29:48.080 that's just one version of it. I mean, it all 0:29:48.120 --> 0:29:51.719 depends on how many slots this virtual reel has. That 0:29:51.760 --> 0:29:54.440 determines what and how many of those are geared towards 0:29:54.760 --> 0:30:00.320 uh losses. That's what determines the odds. So the funny 0:30:00.360 --> 0:30:02.520 thing is that means that all those reels that are spinning. 0:30:02.760 --> 0:30:05.520 This also applies for video slot machines. By the way, 0:30:05.760 --> 0:30:07.760 all those reels that are spinning is just for show. 0:30:08.280 --> 0:30:10.040 Has nothing to do with whether or not you won 0:30:10.080 --> 0:30:14.280 are lost. Uh so uh there there. That's really again 0:30:14.320 --> 0:30:18.160 that psychological element that draws people into play. What depends 0:30:18.160 --> 0:30:21.160 what what determines it is the random number. And there's 0:30:21.200 --> 0:30:25.080 because it's random, and because it's generating millions of numbers 0:30:25.080 --> 0:30:27.840 over the course of a second, there's no way to 0:30:27.960 --> 0:30:31.080 know when to press the button or pull the lever 0:30:31.600 --> 0:30:34.600 because there's no way to predict when that random number 0:30:34.640 --> 0:30:36.680 is going to hit the right number for you to 0:30:36.680 --> 0:30:41.680 get a payoff. On top of that, every single spin 0:30:41.960 --> 0:30:45.640 is random, Like every every single second that goes by, 0:30:45.760 --> 0:30:50.400 you've got all these random numbers being generated. So hitting 0:30:50.600 --> 0:30:54.320 a jackpot on a machine doesn't mean that that machine 0:30:54.400 --> 0:30:57.920 is not going to pay out for another you know, 0:30:58.360 --> 0:31:01.040 month or three months or year, whatever. That has nothing 0:31:01.080 --> 0:31:05.840 to do with it, just like losing and a spin 0:31:06.280 --> 0:31:08.840 doesn't mean that your next spin is more likely to win. 0:31:08.960 --> 0:31:12.080 It's random, so you have just as equal a chance 0:31:12.120 --> 0:31:16.800 to win or not win on each subsequent spin. It 0:31:16.880 --> 0:31:19.480 also means that if you were to ever hit this 0:31:20.240 --> 0:31:23.560 and it does that thing where the payout line we 0:31:23.600 --> 0:31:26.640 didn't even talk about payoutlines. A payoutline is a line 0:31:26.640 --> 0:31:29.680 that goes a physical line, usually, although on video it's 0:31:29.720 --> 0:31:33.000 a it's represented by a graphic, but it's a line 0:31:33.040 --> 0:31:36.760 that goes across the slot machine indicating this is where 0:31:36.760 --> 0:31:38.560 the symbol needs to be in order for you to win. 0:31:39.320 --> 0:31:42.520 All right, So on one of these computerized machines, when 0:31:42.520 --> 0:31:45.959 the real stop and the bar bar bar is just 0:31:46.200 --> 0:31:49.080 above the payout line, that has nothing to do with 0:31:49.120 --> 0:31:52.720 anything like it looks like you were close, but that 0:31:52.880 --> 0:31:56.360 it's meaningless. Uh, it's only if they were all three 0:31:56.400 --> 0:31:58.320 on the payout line. That would just indicate that that 0:31:58.440 --> 0:32:00.720 random number it was in your face, eiver from that 0:32:00.760 --> 0:32:04.800 particular play. So in other words, you have that psychological 0:32:05.000 --> 0:32:07.840 kick to keep playing because you were so close. But 0:32:08.040 --> 0:32:10.960 when you're talking about random numbers, close doesn't mean anything. 0:32:12.320 --> 0:32:18.480 So uh, that's that's the basic way that these things work. Now, 0:32:19.320 --> 0:32:23.040 that doesn't mean that there aren't odds and there aren't 0:32:23.480 --> 0:32:28.280 ways to improve your odds. Um. So for example, uh, 0:32:28.600 --> 0:32:32.920 if if you're if you're real, virtual real is one 0:32:33.120 --> 0:32:36.480 is sixty slots long. Here's the actual number I find 0:32:36.520 --> 0:32:38.920 finally found it. Two. Your odds of winning the jack 0:32:38.960 --> 0:32:44.440 putterre one and two, assuming that jackpot is assigned only 0:32:44.520 --> 0:32:50.400 one entry in those virtual reels. Uh, that's that's not great. 0:32:50.800 --> 0:32:55.680 But each slot machine has something called a payback percentage. 0:32:56.640 --> 0:33:00.240 Payback percentage tells you how much money a machine gene 0:33:00.400 --> 0:33:03.239 is going to pay back to the player over the 0:33:03.240 --> 0:33:08.600 course of the machines lifetime, So you might think, well, 0:33:08.600 --> 0:33:10.800 what's the percentage? Because a lot of the games in 0:33:10.800 --> 0:33:13.800 in Vegas and in Atlantic City and other places where 0:33:13.800 --> 0:33:18.520 gambling is legal are notoriously weighted towards the house as 0:33:18.560 --> 0:33:20.440 they as they have to be, because otherwise the house 0:33:20.440 --> 0:33:23.920 wouldn't exist. There wouldn't be a business if it weren't profitable. 0:33:25.000 --> 0:33:26.840 So a lot of the games you'll you'll play in 0:33:26.880 --> 0:33:31.120 a casino are weighted so that the house wins more 0:33:31.200 --> 0:33:34.760 frequently than it loses, so it makes money. Well. Slot 0:33:34.800 --> 0:33:40.200 machines the payback percentage usually there's a legal threshold that 0:33:40.240 --> 0:33:44.880 they must meet, which could be anything around seventy for example, 0:33:44.920 --> 0:33:46.560 so it says that seventy five percent the money that 0:33:46.640 --> 0:33:49.760 you pay into a machine will be paid out over 0:33:49.760 --> 0:33:55.440 its lifetime. Um most machines in in gambling institutions, especially 0:33:55.440 --> 0:33:58.960 places like in Vegas, are much higher than that, like 0:34:00.080 --> 0:34:02.440 or higher, meaning nine of the money paid into them 0:34:02.440 --> 0:34:05.000 gets paid out over the course of that machine's life. 0:34:06.280 --> 0:34:09.520 It sounds like great odds, right, and why you would 0:34:09.520 --> 0:34:11.520 think why is that even? Why would you even have 0:34:11.600 --> 0:34:14.480 it that high. Well, if you if you lowered those 0:34:14.560 --> 0:34:17.279 payback percentages, if you had machines that had lower percentages, 0:34:17.600 --> 0:34:20.439 then people would realize that your machines don't pay out 0:34:20.480 --> 0:34:24.799 is frequently. That's called tight. Machine is playing tight if 0:34:24.800 --> 0:34:30.240 it doesn't do a lot of payouts. Well, if Bob's 0:34:30.280 --> 0:34:33.799 casino down the street has loose slots, meaning that they 0:34:33.800 --> 0:34:36.480 pay out more frequently, you're gonna go down to Bob's. 0:34:36.680 --> 0:34:38.640 You're not gonna waste time at this other casino where 0:34:38.640 --> 0:34:40.960 all the slot machines are tight, right, I mean, why 0:34:41.000 --> 0:34:45.799 would you so? In order to be competitive, these casinos 0:34:45.840 --> 0:34:49.600 tend to have payout percentages that are at nine or higher. Now, 0:34:50.480 --> 0:34:54.680 I need to stress this. That does not mean that 0:34:54.920 --> 0:34:58.440 you will win nine of the time you play. What 0:34:58.560 --> 0:35:01.680 that means is a over the course of its life, 0:35:02.200 --> 0:35:05.279 of the money it it takes in will be put 0:35:05.320 --> 0:35:08.520 back out to players. That could mean that you walk 0:35:08.600 --> 0:35:11.640 up to a slot machine dollar slot machine, let's say, 0:35:11.680 --> 0:35:15.400 and you play that dollar slot machine ninety times and 0:35:15.480 --> 0:35:17.560 you don't win anything, and you walk off, and someone 0:35:17.600 --> 0:35:20.680 else comes up and plays that dollar slot machine ten times, 0:35:20.719 --> 0:35:24.080 and on the tenth one they win ninety dollars. Well, 0:35:24.120 --> 0:35:28.879 they just that's so that nine could be paid out 0:35:28.960 --> 0:35:34.600 in small payoffs, small wins or big jackpots. And uh 0:35:34.600 --> 0:35:37.480 it's and it's again it's like an average over the 0:35:37.600 --> 0:35:41.080 lifetime of a machine. So on any given day a 0:35:41.160 --> 0:35:43.520 machine might be playing a little tight or a little loose, 0:35:43.560 --> 0:35:47.719 because again it's depending upon random numbers. Uh. And the 0:35:47.760 --> 0:35:51.520 way you adjust those percentages is again those virtual reels 0:35:51.560 --> 0:35:53.960 I was talking about. If more of the virtual reels 0:35:54.000 --> 0:35:59.040 correspond to winning combinations, then the machine will be looser 0:35:59.080 --> 0:36:02.439 than a machine that had as fewer winning combinations. Well, 0:36:02.480 --> 0:36:05.279 you can't tell that as a person just standing there 0:36:05.280 --> 0:36:08.400 looking at a machine. Uh, there's no way of knowing 0:36:08.440 --> 0:36:11.799 whether or not the virtual reels within this machine are 0:36:12.080 --> 0:36:17.680 favoring you or not. So so that's that's the real trick. 0:36:18.360 --> 0:36:20.440 But there are little hints I can give you to 0:36:20.520 --> 0:36:24.799 help increase your chances of winning if if you want to, 0:36:25.040 --> 0:36:27.520 if you want to hear them, sure, However, keep in 0:36:27.560 --> 0:36:31.720 mind that your mileage may vary. Yes, these are all generalities, 0:36:32.280 --> 0:36:35.400 nothing specific, and you need to keep in mind that there. 0:36:35.440 --> 0:36:38.520 First of all, there is no system that will let 0:36:38.520 --> 0:36:42.880 you win at a particular slot machine because it's dependent 0:36:42.960 --> 0:36:46.720 upon random numbers, and when you have a random number, 0:36:46.760 --> 0:36:50.759 generator systems do not apply. So if you've ever heard 0:36:50.800 --> 0:36:54.279 about a surefire system, no fail system for winning at 0:36:54.280 --> 0:36:59.160 a slot machine, it's uh, it's a it's probably it's safety. 0:37:00.160 --> 0:37:05.480 Bullpucky is a good phrase to use to describe that. Um. However, 0:37:05.880 --> 0:37:08.680 there are approaches you can take to playing slot machines 0:37:08.920 --> 0:37:12.320 that will increase your odds of winning. First of all, 0:37:12.440 --> 0:37:15.359 in general, and all again, all of these are generalities, 0:37:15.400 --> 0:37:20.440 not rules, so there are exceptions. In general, the higher 0:37:20.480 --> 0:37:23.960 the amount of money to play the slot machine, the 0:37:24.080 --> 0:37:28.520 higher the payback percentages. So a nickel slot machine might 0:37:28.560 --> 0:37:31.719 have a nine payout and a quarter slops. She might 0:37:31.760 --> 0:37:34.960 have ninety two, and a fifty cent might have four, 0:37:35.600 --> 0:37:40.279 and a dollar might be five, dollar might be ninety seven. 0:37:40.560 --> 0:37:44.040 You can actually find machines with payoff percentages of up 0:37:44.040 --> 0:37:48.160 to so here's the other thing. Though, Once you get 0:37:48.200 --> 0:37:53.239 over five dollars, then the percentage jumps are smaller. So 0:37:53.280 --> 0:37:55.440 in other words, the jump from a nickel to twenty 0:37:55.520 --> 0:37:59.839 five cents might be fairly significant, but by the time 0:37:59.840 --> 0:38:01.960 you to five dollars, the jump from five dollars to 0:38:02.000 --> 0:38:05.719 say a hundred dollars would not be as significant. So uh, 0:38:05.840 --> 0:38:09.480 it's still better than the lower priced slot machines, and 0:38:09.520 --> 0:38:12.319 that the payback percentage is higher, but it's not so 0:38:12.440 --> 0:38:15.319 much higher that you should just immediately go to the 0:38:15.400 --> 0:38:18.120 hundred dollar slots. Chris and I have a bit more 0:38:18.160 --> 0:38:20.560 to say about slot machines. We're gonna push our luck 0:38:20.560 --> 0:38:23.000 in just a minute, but first let's take another quick 0:38:23.040 --> 0:38:34.160 break to thank our sponsor. So rule number one and 0:38:34.200 --> 0:38:36.759 again this is again rule in the sense of just 0:38:36.920 --> 0:38:41.640 general guideline, is to look for the slot machines that 0:38:41.880 --> 0:38:44.040 are going to be priced at a level that you 0:38:44.080 --> 0:38:47.040 feel comfortable with based upon the bank roll you bring 0:38:47.080 --> 0:38:50.400 in with you to play, but are the at the 0:38:50.480 --> 0:38:54.080 highest level of that that comfortable scale. So, in other words, 0:38:54.160 --> 0:38:56.240 if you just want to play all day, the nickel 0:38:56.320 --> 0:38:58.480 slots are fine, you're just not gonna get a lot 0:38:58.520 --> 0:39:01.920 of payback on that. Um, If you have a bankroll 0:39:02.000 --> 0:39:04.319 that's a sizeable nature and you want to play five 0:39:04.320 --> 0:39:09.200 dollar slots, you are more likely to see a payback 0:39:09.600 --> 0:39:14.960 from those machines. It's not a guarantee. Second, UH, machines 0:39:15.040 --> 0:39:18.080 tend to be looser in places where it's going to 0:39:18.120 --> 0:39:22.600 inspire other people to play. So, for example, in high 0:39:22.680 --> 0:39:26.600 traffic areas, uh, that's a good place to go because 0:39:27.600 --> 0:39:31.919 they are their places where people are are walking by 0:39:32.040 --> 0:39:34.680 frequently and it draws a lot of attention. If you 0:39:34.920 --> 0:39:38.920 see slot machines that are on like a raised uh 0:39:39.000 --> 0:39:42.439 diets like, like there's a little platform, there's like five 0:39:42.520 --> 0:39:45.680 or six slot machines up there that look at Yeah, 0:39:46.280 --> 0:39:49.040 those also tend to be a little more loose than 0:39:49.160 --> 0:39:51.160 the ones that are in the middle of the casino. 0:39:51.840 --> 0:39:55.200 You want to find places that like our our near 0:39:55.280 --> 0:39:58.640 say a coffee bar or or just a bar. In general, 0:39:58.960 --> 0:40:01.359 those tend to be pretty good too, because again, people 0:40:01.360 --> 0:40:03.480 who are taking a break start hearing that and they 0:40:03.480 --> 0:40:06.279 want to start playing. So those tend to be a 0:40:06.320 --> 0:40:08.720 little looser than the ones in the rest of the casino. 0:40:09.120 --> 0:40:15.680 Places that are generally tighter include entrance ways because if 0:40:15.760 --> 0:40:19.240 the machines over toward the entrance are playing loose, people 0:40:19.360 --> 0:40:23.759 never really gravitate away. They never leave that entrance, so 0:40:23.800 --> 0:40:26.279 they're also likely to leave once they get to a 0:40:26.280 --> 0:40:29.359 certain point. So casinos don't want people to leave, so 0:40:29.400 --> 0:40:32.040 you need to you know, they're usually a little further in, 0:40:32.160 --> 0:40:35.719 but there in further in towards high traffic areas also restrooms. 0:40:36.000 --> 0:40:39.839 Not necessarily the best slot machines near restrooms, because uh, 0:40:41.280 --> 0:40:43.160 what happens there is that you might be with a 0:40:43.160 --> 0:40:45.640 group of people someone used to go to the bathroom. 0:40:45.960 --> 0:40:47.960 So you think, oh, well, i'll learn the bathroom. I'll 0:40:47.960 --> 0:40:50.279 just play the slot machine a few times. Well, if 0:40:50.280 --> 0:40:54.000 you have, you know, if you're gonna be there playing anyway, 0:40:54.040 --> 0:40:56.240 then you can make that slot machine play a little 0:40:56.280 --> 0:40:59.239 tighter because you know that people are gonna be playing 0:40:59.239 --> 0:41:01.879 it anyway, because it happens to be near the restrooms. Um. 0:41:01.960 --> 0:41:06.080 Also anything that's close to other games. So if it's 0:41:06.080 --> 0:41:08.920 slot machines that are close to say blackjack tables or 0:41:09.000 --> 0:41:12.399 roulette or craps, or it's slot machines that are close 0:41:12.480 --> 0:41:16.880 to say a sports betting area, probably not geared to 0:41:17.000 --> 0:41:20.600 win as frequently because the casinos don't necessarily want attention 0:41:20.600 --> 0:41:24.240 pulled away from those games. So you want to find 0:41:24.600 --> 0:41:28.120 slot machines that are not close to other games, they're 0:41:28.160 --> 0:41:31.480 not close to restrooms, they are in high traffic areas, 0:41:31.520 --> 0:41:35.399 possibly near a coffee bar or just a bar, and 0:41:35.640 --> 0:41:39.759 uh and try those, and try the higher denominations the 0:41:39.760 --> 0:41:41.719 ones that are you're still comfortable with, but are higher 0:41:41.760 --> 0:41:45.520 denominations than saying nickel slots or quarter slots. The other 0:41:45.600 --> 0:41:48.640 rule is that, and again not really rule. The other 0:41:48.680 --> 0:41:52.880 guideline is that not all the machines in that area 0:41:53.040 --> 0:41:56.759 are going to play loose. So a good idea is 0:41:56.800 --> 0:41:59.400 to start playing a machine for a little while, and 0:41:59.400 --> 0:42:01.840 if it just feels like that machine is not playing 0:42:01.880 --> 0:42:04.040 loose at all, you may want to switch to a 0:42:04.080 --> 0:42:07.400 machine that's close by, because some machines in that area 0:42:07.440 --> 0:42:10.479 are going to be playing more loosely than others because 0:42:10.520 --> 0:42:13.759 they the casinos want people to win because it inspires 0:42:13.840 --> 0:42:17.560 more people to play. And keep in mind, even though 0:42:17.719 --> 0:42:21.600 you might walk away a huge winner, like even if 0:42:21.760 --> 0:42:24.360 somehow you beat those odds and you win one of 0:42:24.360 --> 0:42:27.880 those crazy jackpots, over the course of the life of 0:42:27.920 --> 0:42:32.200 that machine, the casino is going to keep Or even 0:42:32.239 --> 0:42:34.160 if it's just two percent of the money that's put 0:42:34.200 --> 0:42:37.000 in there, that's money that's put in there by people 0:42:37.080 --> 0:42:40.200 like you. It's not money that the casino has put 0:42:40.239 --> 0:42:43.040 in there. So the casino, the casino is making money 0:42:43.080 --> 0:42:47.000 no matter what, right, So so don't feel badly for 0:42:47.040 --> 0:42:50.280 them when you win a big jackpot because the casino. 0:42:50.480 --> 0:42:54.440 The casino always wins in the end, always wins. And 0:42:54.520 --> 0:42:57.160 it's because we're the ones pouring the money into the casinos, 0:42:57.200 --> 0:43:01.040 not the casinos themselves. So those are the general rules. Um. 0:43:01.080 --> 0:43:05.240 And again, you could even follow all these rules and 0:43:05.880 --> 0:43:10.680 you could be playing the smartest possible play and still 0:43:11.280 --> 0:43:13.879 not come back with anything. You could you know, lose 0:43:13.920 --> 0:43:17.399 your entire bank roll because it's again ultimately dependent upon 0:43:17.400 --> 0:43:20.719 those random number generators. These are just the ways to 0:43:22.000 --> 0:43:24.839 give you a little bit of an edge when you 0:43:25.000 --> 0:43:28.759 are playing slot machines. So there is no such thing 0:43:28.840 --> 0:43:32.840 as a no fail system. Uh. And uh, your mileage 0:43:32.880 --> 0:43:35.839 may vary. As Chris did say earlier, right right now, 0:43:35.840 --> 0:43:39.280 of course, going back to uh what Jonathan said about 0:43:39.280 --> 0:43:42.240 not feeling bad, slot machines pull in about a billion 0:43:42.280 --> 0:43:46.200 dollars a day in American casinos. So even when you're 0:43:46.200 --> 0:43:49.319 doing these big payoffs over the long run, because these 0:43:49.360 --> 0:43:53.759 slot machines are making casinos major bank Now, when I 0:43:53.800 --> 0:43:57.239 was talking about the computerized slots, um, this is something 0:43:57.280 --> 0:43:59.640 I didn't know about. Now there's a major company that 0:43:59.760 --> 0:44:02.960 makes slot machines. Uh. They're based in Nevada. Believe it 0:44:03.040 --> 0:44:07.120 or not. UM. It's called International Game Technology and they're 0:44:07.120 --> 0:44:09.920 they're pretty much considered, if not the leader, one of 0:44:09.960 --> 0:44:14.120 the very top leaders and making slot machines UM. And 0:44:14.560 --> 0:44:17.239 we were talking about loose and type machines. Well, in 0:44:17.239 --> 0:44:20.040 the past, if you wanted to change the way a 0:44:20.080 --> 0:44:22.800 machine played, you had to actually get into it. You 0:44:23.040 --> 0:44:26.240 have to get a slot machine technician to come in. Yeah. 0:44:26.320 --> 0:44:31.520 Now you know electronic machines, you couldn't automatically control whether 0:44:31.520 --> 0:44:33.720 it was tight or loose. You had to go change 0:44:33.800 --> 0:44:36.560 the electronics in the guts of the machine. And if 0:44:36.600 --> 0:44:39.480 they started getting dated. Well, that's that's sort of an 0:44:39.480 --> 0:44:41.359 older one we were We were just talking a minute ago, 0:44:41.680 --> 0:44:45.359 sort of inadvertently about how they have themed machines, which 0:44:45.400 --> 0:44:50.960 is pretty common. Properties, entertainment properties and different groups have 0:44:51.800 --> 0:44:54.480 sponsored machines. And you know, there are themes that your 0:44:54.520 --> 0:44:57.280 people are familiar with pretty much pretty much like any 0:44:57.320 --> 0:45:01.759 major UM property you can think of, there's probably a 0:45:01.800 --> 0:45:05.440 slot machine that that is tied to that property. And 0:45:05.440 --> 0:45:08.440 and for some people, the entertainment factor of the slot 0:45:08.480 --> 0:45:11.120 machine is enough to keep them playing even though even 0:45:11.120 --> 0:45:14.640 if they're not necessarily winning. Yeah, they might pick a 0:45:15.760 --> 0:45:17.799 machine that goes along with a TV show that they've 0:45:17.800 --> 0:45:20.480 watched for years or something like that. Um, you know 0:45:20.560 --> 0:45:23.840 it's comfortable. But I was reading an article in the 0:45:23.880 --> 0:45:26.319 Huffington Post by Ron Dicker who was talking about something 0:45:26.320 --> 0:45:28.879 that I g T is working on, and they are 0:45:28.960 --> 0:45:34.279 offering server based slot machines. So basically, the machines themselves 0:45:34.400 --> 0:45:39.560 are generic, and the casino would be able to control 0:45:39.600 --> 0:45:44.800 those machines and change the designs on the reels. For example, 0:45:45.560 --> 0:45:50.160 the virtual reels to a different kind of property, so 0:45:50.160 --> 0:45:52.480 they wouldn't have to replace the entire machine if you 0:45:52.520 --> 0:45:55.320 wanted to change from say a Wheel of Fortune machine 0:45:55.480 --> 0:46:00.160 to a Transformers machine. I should add also the virtual 0:46:00.239 --> 0:46:02.319 reels that Chris is talking about are the ones that 0:46:02.400 --> 0:46:05.480 you see as a player, But virtual slot machines also 0:46:05.560 --> 0:46:07.799 have the other kind of virtual reels that I was 0:46:07.800 --> 0:46:10.120 talking about, the ones that even the slot machines that 0:46:10.160 --> 0:46:14.520 have the physical reels they also have the video slots 0:46:14.560 --> 0:46:17.720 also have virtual reels that correspond to that random number. 0:46:18.040 --> 0:46:21.320 This is important because when virtual slot machines first appeared 0:46:21.360 --> 0:46:25.160 on the scene, people were suspicious that perhaps these slot 0:46:25.200 --> 0:46:29.280 machines were fixed in some way, like there was a 0:46:29.320 --> 0:46:32.120 specific number of plays you would have to play before 0:46:32.120 --> 0:46:34.959 there was a payout, but that's not the case. They're 0:46:34.960 --> 0:46:37.480 based on random number generators, just like the machines that 0:46:37.560 --> 0:46:41.320 have the physical reels are um so there's no difference 0:46:41.440 --> 0:46:44.600 in the way they operate on that end. The only 0:46:44.680 --> 0:46:48.120 real difference is that you've got a screen showing you 0:46:48.440 --> 0:46:52.759 the symbols as opposed to physical reels, but the whether 0:46:52.800 --> 0:46:54.520 you win or lose is still based on that random 0:46:54.560 --> 0:46:58.200 number generator. And this makes sense when you think about it, 0:46:58.239 --> 0:47:01.160 because if a casino were to introduce is a game 0:47:01.320 --> 0:47:04.280 that was fixed one you might be able to figure 0:47:04.280 --> 0:47:07.200 out the system right, so then you could game the system, 0:47:07.400 --> 0:47:11.239 and two people would not play those games because I mean, 0:47:11.239 --> 0:47:14.240 why would you play a game that's fixed. So so 0:47:14.800 --> 0:47:16.680 it doesn't not it does not make sense for a 0:47:16.719 --> 0:47:21.520 casino to employ a system that has uh you know 0:47:21.800 --> 0:47:25.120 that that's that's fixed in its favor beyond just the 0:47:25.160 --> 0:47:28.440 way the odds work. Yeah. Well, it sort of reminds 0:47:28.480 --> 0:47:31.799 me in a way of the arcade machines that had 0:47:32.080 --> 0:47:35.160 difficulty settings. I've gone to UH to play a game 0:47:35.239 --> 0:47:37.760 in a convenience store that I played in a pizza 0:47:37.760 --> 0:47:40.840 partlor parlor and I found it one played way easier 0:47:41.280 --> 0:47:44.120 than another, and it's simply because the difficulty settings are 0:47:44.160 --> 0:47:47.000 are you know, changed in that case, and it's it's 0:47:47.080 --> 0:47:50.000 very much like the tightening or loosening of a slab machine. 0:47:50.040 --> 0:47:53.719 They're not going to manipulate that on a game by 0:47:53.800 --> 0:47:56.960 game basis because there's there's no benefit in doing that. However, 0:47:57.400 --> 0:48:00.600 these new server machines will let them change the themes 0:48:00.719 --> 0:48:03.960 of of the machines, and they can also change things 0:48:04.000 --> 0:48:08.440 like the payouts, So they might change the clientele. For example, 0:48:08.640 --> 0:48:12.040 older people might play in the mornings, um, you know, 0:48:12.080 --> 0:48:14.080 because they go to bed earlier, and they might change 0:48:14.440 --> 0:48:18.160 uh to late night. They might change the casino machines 0:48:18.200 --> 0:48:23.400 to higher dollar amounts because a more mature theme. Right whenever, 0:48:23.520 --> 0:48:25.920 whenever the casino is going to be really busy, I 0:48:25.920 --> 0:48:28.120 would imagine that's when they would want to get to 0:48:28.320 --> 0:48:31.600 some of the higher payouts because it would mean that 0:48:31.680 --> 0:48:35.319 if you have someone hit that perfect random number, that 0:48:35.440 --> 0:48:44.160 the the the big celebration would be so overwhelming and 0:48:44.280 --> 0:48:46.280 it would get the attention of a lot more people, 0:48:46.920 --> 0:48:50.120 thus inspiring more people to play that. You know, you 0:48:50.120 --> 0:48:54.040 don't want someone hitting the mega jackpot when the casino 0:48:54.160 --> 0:48:59.520 is practically deserted, because then there's that advertising aspect is 0:48:59.520 --> 0:49:03.600 not part of it. Um. Also, there are games that 0:49:03.680 --> 0:49:07.920 are linked to one another where there's a shared jackpot, 0:49:07.920 --> 0:49:11.080 a progressive jackpot, in other words, the jackpot itself grows 0:49:11.280 --> 0:49:16.160 as more and more people play. Now, from what I understand, UH, 0:49:16.800 --> 0:49:18.880 the player who wants to try and increase their odds 0:49:18.920 --> 0:49:22.520 as best as possible probably should just go to the 0:49:22.560 --> 0:49:26.880 fixed jackpot machines. Um. And also if there is the 0:49:26.920 --> 0:49:29.160 option that most machines have this where you can play 0:49:29.280 --> 0:49:32.480 multiple credits at once, So in other words, instead of 0:49:32.520 --> 0:49:35.000 playing one dollar, you're playing three dollars on a spin, 0:49:35.600 --> 0:49:39.359 which would increase your jackpot. That's also a smart move. 0:49:39.520 --> 0:49:43.439 And while you could play uh, there are some games 0:49:43.440 --> 0:49:45.719 that allow you to have multiple pay lines, like that 0:49:45.760 --> 0:49:48.080 pay line is that that horizontal line that we talked 0:49:48.080 --> 0:49:50.919 about that goes across the machine. You can see when 0:49:50.920 --> 0:49:53.719 it lines up that you are getting credit for that 0:49:53.760 --> 0:49:56.840 particular real right. There are other machines that will allow 0:49:56.840 --> 0:49:59.400 you to play multiple play lines for multiple credits. So, 0:49:59.440 --> 0:50:01.600 in other words, there might be diagonals, it might be 0:50:01.600 --> 0:50:03.760 even more convoluted than that with some of the video 0:50:04.040 --> 0:50:06.400 machines that I've seen, but in general that means that 0:50:06.480 --> 0:50:09.160 your payolts tend to be lower. So a lot of 0:50:08.880 --> 0:50:12.640 the advice I saw was multiple credits are good, multiple 0:50:12.680 --> 0:50:16.800 pay lines not so good if you're looking for significant payouts. 0:50:17.239 --> 0:50:20.640 And again keeping in mind, no guarantees. You could walk 0:50:20.680 --> 0:50:24.479 into a casino, follow all the guidelines and still walk 0:50:24.520 --> 0:50:30.680 out penniless. So yeah, they say that, um, these these 0:50:30.680 --> 0:50:33.400 new machines with the server in the in the back 0:50:33.680 --> 0:50:40.000 end of the machines basically will increase the take from 0:50:40.600 --> 0:50:44.840 what you call them customers see no goers gamblers, um. 0:50:44.880 --> 0:50:48.200 But they also there are also people who are afraid 0:50:48.239 --> 0:50:51.080 that the gambling addiction that it may cause will also 0:50:51.160 --> 0:50:54.280 increase UM. So keep in mind that these these games 0:50:54.320 --> 0:50:57.759 are very addictive. UM. And you know, if you're the 0:50:57.800 --> 0:51:01.840 kind of person that that the that might fall for 0:51:02.040 --> 0:51:04.040 something like this and fall in love with playing it, 0:51:04.200 --> 0:51:07.040 you know, keep that in mind because, uh, the odds 0:51:07.040 --> 0:51:09.759 are that you will not end up a winner over time, 0:51:09.880 --> 0:51:12.359 especially if you find yourself on a warm summer's evening 0:51:12.400 --> 0:51:17.600 on a trainbound to nowhere. That's one of my favorite 0:51:17.600 --> 0:51:19.520 songs of all time, and I am not ashamed to 0:51:19.560 --> 0:51:23.200 admit it. Alright, So anyway, guys, all right, so that's 0:51:23.280 --> 0:51:26.360 that's slot machines, the general rules of how they work. 0:51:26.400 --> 0:51:27.920 And yeah, I feel like there were a lot of 0:51:27.960 --> 0:51:29.640 things that we didn't even we didn't even get to 0:51:30.200 --> 0:51:33.560 this fascinating. It's really cool. I mean, you know, again, 0:51:33.600 --> 0:51:37.160 it's all about the long play. Casinos are all about 0:51:37.160 --> 0:51:39.839 the long play. In fact, it's interesting to me when 0:51:39.880 --> 0:51:43.120 you look at businesses today, how many businesses are very 0:51:43.200 --> 0:51:46.600 much focused on the short term gain and how that 0:51:46.680 --> 0:51:50.120 can hurt a business sometimes if they focus on short 0:51:50.239 --> 0:51:54.640 term gain and they sacrifice long term consequences. And that 0:51:54.680 --> 0:51:57.480 wraps up another classic episode of tech Stuff. Hope you 0:51:57.480 --> 0:52:00.320 guys enjoyed it, and if you have suggestions for future 0:52:00.400 --> 0:52:04.040 episodes of tech Stuff, send me an email the addresses 0:52:04.080 --> 0:52:07.960 text Stuff at how stuff works dot com or hop 0:52:08.000 --> 0:52:11.680 on over to our website that's tech Stuff podcast dot com. 0:52:11.719 --> 0:52:14.040 That's where you're gonna find an archive of all of 0:52:14.080 --> 0:52:18.080 our episodes, including these classics, as well as links to 0:52:18.280 --> 0:52:22.080 our presence on social media and to our online store. 0:52:22.400 --> 0:52:29.840 And I'll talk to you again. Releasing text Stuff is 0:52:29.880 --> 0:52:32.400 a production of I Heart Radio's How Stuff works. For 0:52:32.480 --> 0:52:35.439 more podcasts from I heart Radio, visit the I heart 0:52:35.520 --> 0:52:38.680 Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 0:52:38.719 --> 0:52:39.440 favorite shows.