I’ve written several times about there being more players who want certain video poker machines at a certain time than there are machines available. Today’s article isn’t about that. It’s about waiting for a slot machine that you believe is positive.

Let’s talk about the hypothetical “Red Bob” machine. I have not searched patents and trademarks to know if any such machine exists, but if so, I haven’t heard of it. If there is such a machine, it’s just a coincidence. I’m making up everything I’m saying about this machine.

The Red Bob machine has three meters: Mini, Minor, and Major. Each of these meters increases when certain symbols appear. When one of these meters goes off, you receive however many free spins are on the meter. The Mini meter goes off most frequently and is the least valuable. The Minor goes off less frequently, but is more valuable because you get additional wild symbols on each spin. And the Major meter goes off still less frequently, but is more valuable still when it does go off because of still more wild symbols.

Assume you’ve collected data and have determined that the Mini meter is a play at 23 spins — meaning that on average, starting from right now, the amount of money you collect when the meter goes off is more than how much you’ll have to pay to get that meter to go off. There is a random element to this, as in most gambling games. Sometimes you’ll win, sometimes you’ll lose, but on average, so long as you only play games when the meter is at least 23, you’ll do all right.

Similarly, the Minor meter needs to be 37 to be a play and the Major meter is a play at 45. Just one meter needs to be high enough for it to be a play. For the record, I know of no machines where 23, 37, and 45 are the “strike numbers,” but I know of many games that are generally similar to this.

Assume you come across a Red Bob machine that has meters of Mini 26, Minor 17, and Major 13 and it costs $2 to play each hand. This is a play, because the Mini is at least 23, and we assume you can afford the $2 a hand. The trouble is, somebody is already at the machine.

At this point, I’m going to evaluate the situation. A pro, or semi-pro, will probably be playing the machine like he’s in a slot tournament. That is, he will keep hitting the spin button as fast as he can. He knows that he’s the favorite and the sooner he can get to the Mini meter to go off, the more time he has to make money on other machines. 

Generally speaking, I don’t wait around for a pro to finish. Most likely he’s not going to stop until the Mini meter is hit. And when that happens, the machine is no longer interesting to me because the Minor and Major meters are way too low to be profitable.

But sometimes you’ll find a “regular” player — that is, someone who might not know or care that he’s playing a game returning in excess of 100%. He’s in the casino for enjoyment and knows the casino usually wins. It’s the price he pays for entertainment. This player usually plays relatively slowly, listening to the music and enjoying the sights and sounds of the game.

I then look at the credits. If he has $239.17 in credits, I probably won’t stick around, unless I get some vibe that he’s ready to go (like maybe a wife telling him about dinner.) If he has $12.34 in credits, I’m going to find a nearby chair and wait. After all, running out of money in the machine creates a natural stopping point.

Once seated, I look around and see if anybody else is waiting for the game. They will have seen me evaluate the situation and sit down. Normally, they give me some sort of “evil eye,” or maybe use sign language to indicate that they were there before I was. If I see this, I nod acceptance of reality and move along. There are many reasons I don’t want to be in any sort of fight in a casino.

If I see nobody, then I watch the player to see if he gives up. I’m also alert to other players coming and thinking about moving in on the machine. If I observe this, I give them my own version of the evil eye. Usually that works.

If the player runs out of money in the machine and grudgingly puts in a $20 bill or smaller, I stick around. If he puts in a $100 bill, I figure he’s not going to run out of money.

If he does stand up, I move in fast. I’m usually seated within five seconds after he leaves. Once I’m seated there, I’m in a strong position to be able to keep the machine. If I dawdle, some other player might move in — and even if I was waiting longer, it’s not always simple to enforce my rights without making a scene — which is a situation I don’t want.

Once I’m there, I’ll insert my money and player’s card and keep playing until the Mini goes off. With the numbers presented in the example, it’s unlikely that either the Minor or Major will be high enough to be playable before the Mini goes off. But if the original numbers were 26, 34, 38, even if the Mini goes off quickly, I’ll keep playing until “one or the other” of the other two meters goes off. Even though neither is high enough by itself, the combination is playable — at least in my opinion.

I know that most of my readers are video poker players and don’t care about playing slots — but I felt that this situation was different enough from regular video poker waiting that it would be interesting to many of you. I have more to say about this subject, but I’ll give it a rest for a few weeks.