Good And Bad Signs While Camping

Here’s an important one when you’re trying to decide whether “camping” (i.e., waiting for a machine) is worth it. First, of course, I need to make sure the person on the machine isn’t an advantage player. For me, I can usually tell within a few seconds, but because it might not be so obvious for everyone, I’ll outline some telltale signs of an AP:

1. Big voucher. Not always the case, as plenty of fish sometimes have big vouchers and sometimes APs don’t have big vouchers.
2. Fast-spinning. This is a big one, as most APs will bet as quickly as possible to finish the play and move on to something else. Time is money.
3. Looking at their phone and not at the slot. Especially if it’s a longer-run kind of game (i.e., not a few spins), some APs will drift back and forth from their phone to outer space to the screen. This is old hat for them, so they aren’t nearly as emotionally invested as a non-AP.
4. Chinese man (or woman, but not as often) on the slot, often exhibiting some or all of the above traits. Often in the 30-40 age range, but not always. Especially on the coasts, but really all over, Chinese advantage players are the alphas in the slot world. They sometimes work in teams or sometimes fly solo, but a healthy percentage of them in a casino know something about advantage plays.

If those are bad signs, what are some good signs?

1. The best sign possible is “bet switching.” Let’s say the +EV (i.e., good) play is on the $3 bet, and the person on the machine bets sometimes at $3, shakes her head, bets $4.50, thinks for a moment, bets $3 again, back to $4.50, throws in a $6 bet…you get the idea. The person is all over the place and hasn’t fully made the connection that the good play is on the $3 bet.
2. Betting slowly. Each bet feels like pulling teeth. Gently tapping the “bet” button to make it hurt less. Side note: If I see someone stalking me and they seem annoying, I’ll pretend to be a fish and waste their time.
3. Rubbing the screen. Intently staring at the screen. This is a big moment for them. They are savoring it and completely locked in.
4. Cashing out and then putting the voucher back in. Weird superstitions in general that don’t change anything.
5. A bigger bet and a dwindling ticket. I mean, that’s always good. Some people will cash out because they’re down a certain amount or they are at an even number on their ticket ($100, let’s say). But often, they won’t leave until the ticket fully evaporates, and then of course they could always load in more money. Either way, it’s always preferred when it’s a big bet, as you wouldn’t usually want to waste your time camping in the first place if it’s a small bet.
6. Middle-aged white women. Anyone else 60 or older. Yeah, these are big-time generalizations, as I’ve observed plenty of middle-aged white women and older folks in general who know at least something about advantage slots. But we’re playing the numbers game here, and the vast majority of the time, these types of people are right in my wheelhouse:

Also, check the surrounding area. You may be second to arrive, in which case it’s common courtesy to move on:

If I am waiting for a machine and see another AP arrive on the scene, I’ll try to make eye contact and give a little wave. If they are ignoring me or didn’t see me, I’ll tap them on the shoulder and smile or wave politely. The vast majority of the time, they will move on.