Tips On Saving Time

This might be an overlooked aspect of slotting, and it’s also one of those things that will be impossible to apply perfectly on day one. Advantage slotting is as much about maximizing your time as anything, and there are plenty of ways to cut corners without leaving too much meat on the bone.

For instance, many machines require you to put in a voucher or money to check the various bets. You won’t be able to just click on the screen without money in the machine. OK, so what? Well, if you see the same last cashout figure (let’s say $341.18) on a group of five or so machines, you can reason that another grinder just checked all of those machines for plays. And guess what? He didn’t leave behind anything good for you.

This may not sound like a big deal, but when you multiply this type of thing 10 times throughout a casino every day, it can add up. Not to mention, it’s always a positive when you don’t need to flip through bets unnecessarily for those who may be watching for that sort of thing.

How else? Well, maybe a slot machine offers five or six different denoms. The vast majority of the time, people are only going to be betting on the 1-cent denomination. So check that denom, and if you’re in a bit of a rush, don’t bother with the others. Yes, if everyone thinks like this, there may be some fun plays lurking behind the rare 10-cent denomination or whatever, but it’s rare.

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If you see a fellow slot hustler has just emerged from a section of the casino, don’t waste your time going to that same section if there aren’t tons of machines there worth checking. Or if you happen to know he’s the type to check everything and play anything close to +EV, don’t bother going there at all.

But how can you ID them?

It’s very easy. They move quickly throughout a casino, checking machines and rarely playing them. When they do play, they spin quickly. They often have huge vouchers. They are often dudes in their 30s or 40s. Many happen to be Chinese. They seemingly don’t care about the machine and are instead looking at their phone or looking elsewhere in the casino while spinning. Of course, I’ve seen 70-year-old white women doing this, so they come in all shapes and sizes, but I’m talking in general.

Also, if you see guys like this waiting in chairs behind high-edge advantage games, they aren’t sitting there for no reason. They are pros! Move on and look elsewhere.

In this example photo, we see two such gentlemen who fit the bill, waiting behind Wheel of Fortune High Roller, a game that can offer a serious edge at the right build:

Further, if you see someone you think is a pro on a good machine, don’t waste your time waiting for them to get up. They won’t be. Try not to overlap with pros, as you’ll only be costing yourself time and money.

Here’s another: As you check some machines for plays, you’ll often go through every single bet and leave the machine at the max bet. Many machines (Regal Riches, for example) will stay on that max bet until someone moves the bet to something else. If every machine is on the max bet, someone likely just went through every bet looking for plays.

Also, try to remember voucher numbers. If you’re making the same loop multiple times, you might remember the last cashout on a machine was $53.76, for instance. If you walk by that same machine two hours later and see the same $53.76 on the screen, don’t bother checking it again. Nothing has changed.

There are so many more quick tips you’ll pick up over time, so what are you waiting for? Get out there!