Breaking the Slot Code review

A better title might be How to Vulture Bonuses, because basically it just covers machines where the bonus persists from player to player.  If you've played one of these machines a lot, the info isn't that surprising but might have a couple of details you missed or hadn't thought about. I was a little concerned that the info might be dated but as of my last trip in February most of the machines were still in casino, although some like Hexbreaker are fading away. This is where the website hook comes in, to actually keep up to date it would be essential.  Some machines are covered in more detail than others, and there is a Reddit feel to some of the information. 

For me the book is worth the $30, had some points I might use and will probably take it with me on my next trip just in case.  I won't be vulturing, play for enjoyment and the idea of hunting down an improved chance for a bonus doesn't appeal to me. But I do enjoy learning things so this is good for that.

Will I do the website? still out on that, the $ isn't trivial and frankly the discount offer isn't enough to matter, and the risk that I will be disappointed and pissed off for a year is a factor.  I have been an LVA subscriber for 30 years and accepted the wait for the book, but the website is something else so I'll wait on that.

Feel free to ask or question, this is just me and my opinion.

Allow me to cut the Gordian knot. If this info was even a tenth as valuable as the author claims, AND it was complex and hidden to the point that most players weren't aware of it, then why on Earth would the author ever publish it? Wouldn't he do much, much better to continue to loot, pillage, and burn? Wouldn't the publication of a how-to drastically reduce and shorten the lifespan of his opportunities?

Let's take a look at the history of other "how to beat the casinos" books. Let's set aside the snake oil nonsense that we know is mathematical folderol, like craps or keno systems. Then let's consider genuinely beatable games. Blackjack books only became prolific after the casinos learned how to detect and choke off advantage play. VP books only came out after the casinos started slashing paytables and players' club benefits. Poker books, for the most part, only came out after the casinos and cardrooms jacked up the rake so high that no one could be a winner (Doyle Brunson's iconic book aside; he regrets ever publishing it).

So I segue to only two possibilities:

1. This guy is full of shit.

2. This guy's advice is sound as far as it goes, but opportunities have dried up as the vultures flock and the casinos remove (or worse, "modify") the existing potentially +EV games. Therefore, he's telling us how to do something that is no longer viable or even possible.

And as I've said before, I wish I was wrong. And for what it's worth, I was very much inclined toward 2. But from the what I've learned so far, 1. is seeming increasingly likely.

 The reason for the soon to be outdated book and the pricey monthly website is purely financial. The casinos ALSO read any and all tomes and adjust the games to modify and/or eliminate any and all possibility of a player having a chance of making a profit. Like most really informative gaming material goes, I think the smart, reasonable thing one should do is not to make valuable gaming information publically available - keep the info to yourself and reap the financial rewards, hopefully long term.

Perhaps the chance for immortality, i.e. a book that sells forever, seemed more attractive than looting, pillaging and burning.  Just a thought.

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Given that this book, and the entire shtick, is about acquiring money, and not the joy (or whatever) of actually playing slots (following their precepts turns slot play from a happy-go-lucky, alcohol-fueled joyride into a tedious and monotonous, time-consuming exercise), I suspect that the creator's sole or at least primary goal has been financial. After all, he could acquire the same immortality by making his book affordable and not attaching any strings, thus ensuring the dissemination of his priceless knowledge (and fame!) far and wide.

Edward Thorp didn't care about the money he could have made by keeping it all under wraps and LPB'ing. He published a book and made some money from it (far more than he probably expected), but he always treated card counting as an academic exercise, not a financial one.

The rather sloppy presentation of the book and its associated claims (on video) also suggest that the author isn't looking for fame, but rather, a chance to make some quick $$$.

I'll repeat: I'm really surprised that LVA is flogging this. At best, slot vulturing is a tedious, time-consuming, not very productive pursuit. At worst, it's an illusion that's like setting fire to money. And the book is extremely vague re its methodology, which is suspicious.

my assumption is that he wrote the book to make money, and LVA is selling it to make money.  I'm more of a spender of money, but it's good to remember that anytime checking those bonuses and walking around is actually more profitable than spinning the reels

If this was posted anywhere else, by anyone else, I'd for sure think this post was a joke.   So in a way it's even funnier knowing that this is actually a serious take!   The ones who blocked you have missed out on this one!   Thanks Sherlock!   lol

There are some individuals who are immune to sarcasm, or perhaps I should say, oblivious to it.

One of the machines that are probably also in that book, that's the Regal Riches game. In the first or premier versions it may have worked out. But now  it seems this game has been taken from the floor and a new "Recal Riches (arch?) or so has been placed. That game has way more pots to fill and its graphics is stunning but I doubt that it is a game for vultures. Also I get the feeling that most casinos have been reducing such slots and in essence this makes it much harder for vultures to find a good machine and compention vultures are also a problem then.... 

Am I seeing this correctly or not?

I don't know.  My comment was just a shot at what somebody asked, 'why would he bother to write a book...'  

I concur with the word Kevin used for the vulturing process...tedious.  Not the way I want to spend my time.  And David said it right...why publish the location of the burried treasure if you have the map?   

I was around, way back, when VP got popular.  LVA posters (and probably other gambling sites as well) shared too much; enough to inform casino personnel tasked with following gambling articles, blogs, etc and reporting back up the line.  Those were some glory days of VP, but they soon toppled, and I wasn't surprised. 

And tier points:  I played nothing but VP once I discovered it way back in the whatever, and I zoomed to the high tier levels amazingly fast every year, especially during Vegas trips.  Vegas MGMs (Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, etc.) awarded tier points a lot higher than in Biloxi or Tunica, which is kind of beside the point, but suddenly, down went VP, not only the pay schedules but the tier points earned. 

I'm not enthralled with the book at all, not motivated to join the website.  Another monthly donation of my money to learn about what I don't want to bother with.  Will be interested to read what those who do sign up find out.  Actually, they shouldn't share it, the burried treasure, other than, if it sure enough shows them the way, the road map to the winnings as never before.  I like tables and VP and a smattering of slots. 

And BTW, the book did not feature the most popular of slot machines that I've seen in every casino I've been in.  People wait for seats on them.  Maybe he will introduce it on the web sites.

But, as always, YMMV, and congratulations to anyone who finds it really useful. 

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