Tips To Avoid Detection

This is an important one, especially as more and more casinos seem poised to start caring about people who exploit slot machines. Here are some things I’ve picked up on over the years:

1. Never run from machine to machine. Move at a normal pace. I know it’s exciting when it feels like a scavenger hunt of sorts, but the slots aren’t going anywhere.
2. While clicking through all the bets on machines is unavoidable to a large degree, do your best to do this as subtly as you can. Again, keep a slower pace. Don’t try to check a bank of four machines in 10 seconds every time, especially if it’s a casino you frequent regularly.
3. If two people are sitting at a bank of three machines and the middle seat is open, don’t wedge yourself in to check for plays and then bolt immediately. It just looks weird, and you can always check back later.
4. Don’t use your players card nearly as much as you think you should. Use it if you’re on a long-run kind of game (Buffalo Link, Phoenix Link, Raise the Sails, Wolf Run Eclipse…those types of games). Do not insert it for every five- and 10-spin kind of game. People already or may soon start monitoring your betting logs, and if you’re playing 70 different advantage games and only advantage games, you’ll get picked out pretty easily. In fact, if you’re with someone who likes to gamble on nonsense or if you like doing that, always use your players card. That may help counteract some of the obvious AP stuff you’re playing if you can show you’re just a regular gambler.
5. Try not to look suspicious. Don’t wear sunglasses. Don’t look around and over your shoulder all the time.
6. Don’t film machines, and definitely don’t take photos or videos of people in the casino.
7. Try to talk to people. Slot attendants, security, maintenance workers, everyone. You want to be known as the friendly guy, not the aloof AP slotter.
8. Don’t take leftover credits (in the machine) or money or chips or anything you happen to come across.
9. If you can help it, try to come at busier times. I often go at total dead times since I’m not much of a sleeper (4 a.m. and whatnot), but that can be dangerous. The cameras never turn off, and with fewer people to monitor, it’s easier to stick out.
10. Wear generic, unflashy clothing. This one might be a stretch, but I actively do think about it before going to the casino. Don’t wear a neon green shirt. Look as basic as possible so you don’t catch anyone’s eye.
11. When you’re camping (i.e., waiting behind a machine for someone to get up), do not stand too closely to the person. Do not be obnoxious.

Do everything you can to blend in with the pack. You can still get kicked out even if you’re as careful as possible, depending on how serious the casino is about APs, but you can certainly do things to decrease the odds of that happening.

In my video at the end, I brought up racism in the world of advantage slots. I haven’t seen it much firsthand, but a friend of mine told me every Black advantage player he knows has been booted from multiple casinos.

Why?

Well, just being Black will unfortunately raise an alarm for security and people monitoring cameras, whether we’d like to admit that or not. For my non-white friends, I’d recommend being even more careful when doing this. It’s probably not a good idea to come at hours when there isn’t much activity in the casino if you’re slot hustling.