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PLAYING IT SMART by ALAN KRIGMAN
Multi-line Machines Add a Meaningful Choice to Slot Play .
The slot machines dominant in the '90s gave players little flexibility for tailoring games to meet meaningful personal preferences. Differences like symbols on the reels were cursory, and serious options were accordingly limited. True, there was a pick of denomination -- $0.25, $0.50, $1, and so on. Another choice was giant jackpots with infinitesimal chances of hitting, modest meed with merely minuscule prospects of prosperity, or somewhere in between. And there were alternatives that few folks ever fathomed, like machines where extra coins bought more confusing ways to win as opposed to bigger returns and bonuses.
The nickel and other multi-line machines now proliferating at punting palaces across the ever-widening wagering world offer solid citizens additional diversity. This, more significant in shaping session performance than most slot fans yet fathom. For a particular amount dropped into the hopper of hope per round, it's the trade-off between more money on fewer lines or the converse.
Slot machines differ among games, to the extent that two devices may look identical, yet don't necessarily have the same inner workings. Further, the relationship between what players do and what they get involves the unpredictable intervention of chance rather than the certainty of cause and effect. So a painstakingly precise analysis entailing the probabilities and payoffs of one particular machine won't apply exactly to another. Intuitive understanding of what to expect, among any proficient gambler's greatest talents, is far better served using a simplified model.
For this purpose, picture a hypothetical five-line nickel machine. Make believe it takes up to five coins per line and has only one return level -- $0.15 for every $0.05 bet on a winning line. Experienced bettors know this means you win 2-to-1, a nickel earns you a dime, since the $0.15 includes your own money -- the $0.05 bet you didn't lose. Say you're comfortable risking $0.25 per spin. You could do it in various ways, the extremes being a quarter on one line or a nickel on each of five lines.
If the chance of winning were 31 percent, this game would have a payback of 93 percent. About average for the nickel slots.
The 93 percent return isn't affected by your decision to play one line at quarter or five at a nickel each. But, the net wins and losses per spin, and the chances associated with them, do change.
Betting $0.25 on a single line, you have 31 percent chance of winning $0.50 and the complementary 69 percent chance of losing your quarter. Betting $0.05 on each of five lines, probabilities and profits are as shown in the following list.
Chances of various wins and losses on hypothetical machine, betting $0.05 on each of five lines
no of probability net profit hits or loss
0 15.64% lose $0.25
1 35.13% lose $0.10
2 31.57% win $0.05
3 14.18% win $0.20
4 3.19% win $0.35
5 0.29% win $0.50
These figures demonstrate how distributed bets dampen expected ups and downs. Shifting the total from one bet to five drops forecast $0.25 losses from 69 to 15.64 percent, and only 50.77 percent of all spins are projected to lose anything. Big wins are also fewer -- the chance of earning $0.50 is below one percent with $0.05 per line, versus 31 percent betting all-or-nothing. But, a nickel win in the multi-line mode is expected slightly more often than $0.50 going for broke, and the other payoffs bring the overall shot at winning something to 49.23 percent.
Smaller bankroll swings characterizing each round of multi-line play ultimately keep players in the game longer on a given stake. Say you start with $50 and bet $0.25 per spin. The chance of being in action for at least 2,000 spins, about three hours of fast fingering, is 78.8 percent with a quarter on one line. It's higher, 98.5 percent, with a nickel on each of five lines. Sumner A Ingmark, celebrated songster of the slots, said it like this: You cannot win if you don't play, So temp'ring risk may save the day
(c) 2001, ICON/Information Concepts Inc.
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It's obvious. An online casino is literally a few clicks away. Not having to
leave your house to play means you can play anytime you want for as long as
you want. You can play in-between loads of laundry during the day, or kick back
and spin the reels over a few drinks at night. And you don't even have to be
at home to play. Anywhere you are where there is a computer, whether it's your
own portable laptop or a friends PC, you can start playing in seconds with a
few clicks of the mouse. Simply put, playing slots online is ultra convenient.
When you're playing online slots it's much easier to keep track of how much
money your betting and how much you're winning. With a simple click you see
all your financial information. This added tool allows you to stay on top of
your finances, and control how much you're betting. You can make wiser decisions
overall about your playing strategy, which translates into higher winnings.
Online Slots The Better Choice.
When you add it all up, playing online slots is the far better choice for both
new and seasoned slots players. Not to say that playing in a Las Vegas Casino
doesn't have its high points too. But unless you can jump in a jet and fly to
Las Vegas whenever you like, playing online is the next best thing. And even
if you have a personal jet, you can still satisfy your slots desires faster
online than you can via the jet to Vegas or a car drive downtown.
Viking's Voyage is a 5 reel and 20 payline video slot with an Nordic theme. A rather wild looking Viking is the substitute symbol and his Longboat is the scatter symbol in this adventurous slot. Two or more Longboats get you 10 free games and you can win re spins during the free games. A 10 free game feature is triggered when 3 or more scattered longboats appear left to right. All prizes except scatters are doubled during the free games. During the free games the triggering reels are held while any remaining reels re-spin from 1 to 10 times. Whenever 2 or more scatters appear left to right on a free spin a free game re-spin feature is awarded. 4 to 5 scatters occurring during a re-spin awards 3 to 5 additional free games. 5 scatters triggering a re-spin holds all reels and awards 5 scatters from 1 to 10 times.
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