Slot Nostalgia

In order to maintain relevance, the casino is always updating itself, especially as far as the slots and video poker machines are concerned. It's only a matter of sense, or cents depending on how you look at it: not many people are going to rush up and play a Spice Girls slot machine in 2006. If you want to be successful, you have to keep with the times.

Progressive Slots

Progressive slots are the big boys of the slot world. These are the slot machines that can allow a player to leave their jobs and move to the beach after they've hit the jackpot.

Slot Myths

There aren't many groups that are more superstitious in general than slot players. Some people are walking jokes, pulling out good luck charms by the dozen before the play, confident in the fact that their beanie baby or troll doll is going to make them the biggest jackpot winner of all time. These are harmless little things, and if they make playing the game more enjoyable, that's wonderful. There are some superstitions that can cause arguments, and those should be avoided at all costs.

Slot Manners

When you are playing at the slot machines, there are a number of things to think about beyond how fast you want to pull the handle or press the button. The slot machines are always slightly busy, and there are always people near you. One of the best things you can do in a casino is to be a polite gambler.

Saving your Slot

Sometimes things just happen to come up. You have to follow the call of nature, you have the worst sore throat and just need a drink of water or you simply want to go outside and take a breath of fresh air. Whatever your reason, there are times when it becomes necessary to leave your slots for a few minutes. When that happens, it's always nice to know that you can come back to the machine that you were playing before you left.

The Joy of Penny Slots

All casino patrons have different things that attract them to the gambling lifestyle: some want to feel famous, to walk around amidst elegance that really can't be found anywhere else in the world. Others want to strike it rich, to hit the jackpot so they can call into work and quit, leaving all the problems of the world behind. Still there are others that just like the casino scene. They like the lights, they like the sounds, they like every facet of the casino. It is those people who should try out penny slots.

Ups, Downs and Arounds of Slots

What is so alluring about a slot machine? The fact is that they appeal to people. They're shiny, they have tons of lights and sounds coming from all over the place, and require virtually no skill to play. Pop in some cash, press the button or pull the lever and wait to see what you won.

Stories About Slots

One of the biggest common misconceptions among slot players themselves is that the slot machine will hit more often if you play the maximum amount on the machine every time. While the casinos would love for you to believe that story, it simply isn't true.

Slot Tournaments

Everyone by now knows that most card games have tournaments, and that those tournaments have their own playing strategies and whatnot. A fact that many recreational gamblers would be surprised to learn is that casinos have slot tournaments as well.

Random Number Generators

In case no one has told you this, the days of the classic slot machine are gone. Slots today are a variation of a video game. No longer are you pulling the handle to set the reels in motion. Now the handle on your favorite slot machine is nothing more than a classic-feeling accessory to make you feel like you're playing a slot machine from the days of yore.

Slot Payout v. Denomination

Slot machines can be tricky if you don't know what's going on. You have single, line slots, multiple line slots, bonus rounds, progressive jackpots, etc. Sometimes it's just easy to get confused. Then there's the point of what to play, which always varies. If you're playing a progressive slot you play the max coins so you have chance to win that big jackpot and quit your job. If you're playing a non-progressive, however, you shouldn't play all of the coins, because it won't increase your chances of winning.

Avoiding Tight Slots

A player's success at the slots isn't just restricted to knowing where the best machines in any given casino might be located; it is also knowing where the worst are situated as well. Luckily, since most casinos tend to follow the same general placement plans, this isn't as hard it sounds.

Locating Loose Slots

Finding a machine that is loose means the difference between a good day and a crappy night for the determined slots player. Luckily, virtually all casinos follow the same general placement pattern for their machines. Although the placement may at first seem random, careful study has been given to the gone into the location of each machine. While not every slot machine in these designated location are guaranteed to be loose, the highest number of "good" machines can be found within these areas.

Best High Roller Slots in Chicagoland

All of the casinos in the Chicago area have healthy selections of quarter and dollar games, with slight variances in monthly payback percentage reported by the individual properties, so it makes no real difference where you choose to play them.

Best Low Roller Slots in Chicagoland

Resorts East Chicago (www.resortseastchicago.com, Trump Hotel Casino (www.trumpindiana.com) and Majestic Star (www.majesticstar.com) all boast great selections of nickel multi-line machines. Better yet, they bring in the newest games and offer the widest choices.

Slot Machine Myths Busted

Casinos set slot machines to payback more on the weekends. Wrong. The odds of winning are the same no matter if it's 8:00pm Tuesday, 11:00pm Friday or 2:00a Monday.

Slot Machine Manufacturers

Aristocrat is one of the largest suppliers of multi-line slot gaming machines in the world. Their games include Dollar Storm, Foxworthy Slots, Lil’Lucy, Mr. Cashman, Reel Power, and Steppers.

Tips on Slots

Seek out machines in the 96-99% range and hit them hard. When they stop paying, MOVE ON.
Watch other players for a few minutes to learn which machines have more frequent - and larger - pay-outs.

Used Slot Machine Distributors

There are a number of companies that deal in the refurbishing and distribution of slot machines throughout the world. Many of these companies take older models that have been retired from the casino floors in Las Vegas and Atlantic City and sell them to smaller casinos, while others deal with individual collectors interested in tracking down antique or "retro" machines — the old one - armed bandits of legend.