Chip Changes

[Short Coin CharlieParticipant]

I’m aware that manufacturers offer different versions of their games, with different levels of RTP, for example a game such as “Egypt Such-and-Such” might have a version with an RTP that’s set to 85% or possibly lower at the airport, and then identical machines with higher RTPs, might be found in High Limit rooms. And I could be wrong, but my understanding is that there are usually only a few RTP options available for each game, and in order to switch between these versions, a slot tech needs to physically change software chips. I also understand this to be true for games APs are interested in (and all the rest of them as well).

Early one morning at a local casino, I noticed all the Legend of the 3X 2X Phoenix games were shut down (there were at least ten at the time). One by one, the techs visited each machine, and spent a little time with each one before putting them back into service. It was apparently a chip change, because after the games came back online, the +1 fireballs that we wait for in this game were arriving at longer intervals then before the machines were serviced.

Here was a game where there is actual evidence (the fireball intervals changed overnight). Most games will not have such tell-tale signs of change. Sometimes I wonder if the strategies I’m using will become dated or stale if a chip change goes in and I’m caught unaware. I also don’t want to have a run of bad luck and assume “must be a chip change” when what I’m really experiencing is some downside variance.

Are you concerned about chip changes in general, and do you have any suggestions for keeping abreast of chip changes as they occur? I assume being chummy with the slot techs and pumping them for information isn’t going to be an option for most people.

[Ben RosenthalKeymaster]

That’s an interesting question. It’s something I’m aware of, but it’s usually not something I actively try to account for. As you said, the majority of the time it’s going to be very hard to verify, short of an in with a slot tech or someone else who would know such a thing in the casino. And because many of these games require a big sample to really reveal anything, trying to chalk up a bad run to a possible chip change is often too much of a leap.

According to this informative video from Gamble Smart’s YouTube, a slot tech needs to physically change software chips, as you said. This video, also from his channel, covers the question of “how could you know the RTP on a specific machine”? In short, it would be damn hard, as during his sample of 300 spins on three different RTP settings, the results were all over the place and not in line with what you’d think the return should be based on the setting. Yes, if he did 10,000 spins on each setting, you’d surely see more logical results.

He also notes, “In any individual session, you’re not gonna notice any kind of swings of the RTP.” Yes, in your Legend of the 3X 2X Phoenix example, you could actually notice the intervals between +1 fireballs increasing if you happen to be recording the numbers. But that’s a rare situation.

Long story short, having a slot tech tell you a specific machine’s RTP would sure be useful. Short of that, you’d need to invest too much money into a machine to begin to try to ballpark what its RTP is set at. If you happen to notice something over what feels like a big sample, post it here. Maybe others have experienced the same. Then maybe we could try to adjust starting points.

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