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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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Sunken Treasure 5 reel 20 line bonus feature video slot has an under the sea theme with Sunken Treasure Ship scatter symbols that trigger the feature and a Diver symbol for a substitute symbol. 3 or more Sunken Ships takes you to a Treasure Dive Feature where you choose from Treasure Chests. Each treasure chest will reveal 5 free spins or a prize of 2, 3, 5, or 10 times the triggering bet. Treasure Chest may also reveal a red or blue jewel and award you with the Jewel Pick Feature. During the free spin feature all prizes are tripled and the feature can be won again. In the Jewel pick feature each Blue or Red Jewel awards 1 bonus pick after the completion of the Treasure Dive feature. All symbols pay left to right except scatters. Your prize is doubled when one or more Diver symbols appear in the winning combination.
A single Double Wammy symbol on the payline and
a single Cherry symbol on the payline completes a
two Cherry symbols combination. A two Cherry symbols
combination pays out 15 coins, with three coins bet.
Since a Double Wammy symbol is showing, the payout
is 2 x 15 = 30 coins.
Two Double Wammy symbols and a 3-Bar symbol on the
payline complete a three 3-Bar symbols combination.
A three 3-Bar symbols combination normally pays out
120 coins, with three coins bet. Since two Double
Wammy symbols are showing, the payout is 4 x 120 =
480 coins.
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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.
There
are 2 bonus games in this slotmachine. The first game will
start when you collect both halves of the Money Bag. In a
separate screen you choose a one out of 5 safes. The safe will
open and show you the bonus you won. If the safe contains a
key, a giant safe will open and a second bonus game will
start. Another wheel will begin to spin and when it stops you
win the corresponding number of free spins. You can win more
bonus rounds during the free spins. However, you can't win
more free spins during the free spins.
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