10. Systems Versus Slots

Jimmy the Mooch had a sure way of beating a slot machine. He had to wait a long time to work it and it didn't bring him a lot of money, but what did come was better than 1000 per cent profit because he didn't have to invest even a nickel, though occasionally he did, to justify what he took.

His system was this. He waited until somebody hit a Jackpot. Once the wreckage has been cleared away, in the form of loose coins, including those that rolled on the floor, the machine is anybody's, as anybody will tell you.

Who wants to play a machine with the Jackpot gone? Jimmy did. His friends watched as he approached it. They laughed when they saw him pick up the machine. But they stopped when he let it thump after he had raised it about six inches. Down from the pay tube dropped five coins that had stuck there when the Jackpot fell.

That was Jimmy's "take," almost a sure thing that cost him nothing, except when he occasionally dropped an odd coin into the slot to clear the Reserve. Sometimes he did that before thumping the machine, rather than be accused of taking some­thing out without putting anything in.

The "Moocher System" is the only one that can beat a slot machine without gimmicks or fraud. We do not recommend it; we simply cite it as an example. The systems that follow are not presented as winners. They are merely ways of losing less money than ordinarily, with some chance of winning.

The "Jackpot System" consists of going after the Jackpot. That's what all players do, but they don't go at it intelligently. The system covers that point. Its aim is to pick the right ma­chine at the right time.

Some machines are known to deliver Jackpots with reason­able regularity. Find one that has such a reputation. Wait until people agree that it is "ripe" or "overdue." Meanwhile, watch the machine and see if it is fairly "liberal" in its lesser payoffs. If it isn't, you don't want it, regardless of its Jackpot propen­sities.

Some players claim that machines get "hot" or go "cold" but that is simply because their smaller payoffs are irregular. If a machine averages a 75 per cent payoff, there is no reason why it shouldn't pay off only 10 nickels in 80 plays and 65 in the next 20. That may be confusing to the casual bystander, but not to anybody who is keeping count over a long haul.

And you need a long haul with the Jackpot System. Some players risk half the anticipated total; they start, say, with $2.50 in nickels as the limit they will spend toward a $5 Jack­pot. Others go higher, investing, say, $15 for a try at a quarter Jackpot which may bring $25.

Some players continue until they hit, hoping that payoffs on the way will lessen their final loss, but still counting on the Jackpot to wipe out most of the deficit. A Jackpot, which pays about 100 to 1, is the only combination on the wheels that can prove big enough to be a target in itself.

The chances of a hit are rated around 1 in 2000 but that is not too bad if a player waits until anywhere from 1000 to 1500 coins have been invested by other people. If the plays have gone well beyond the 2000 mark before he starts, so much the better.

But it's still a lot of work, with a chance of a total loss on a stipulated investment, or a big loss even if the player hits the Jackpot. It's a lot easier and much less harrowing to play:

The "Put and Take" System

The "Put and Take System." Here, the player simply puts in a specified amount and takes what he can get. It is a controlled form of play that promises a good return if the player happens to get in on a good run, as it gives him a definite stopping point.

The player starts with, say, 20 coins ($1 in nickels if playing that type of machine) and simply runs them right through, pausing to let the machine deliver after any hit, but giving no attention to what comes out—if anything!—until he has com­pleted his first run through.

Having made his "put," he then counts his "take." If he has made money, he puts away the profit. Suppose, for example, he was lucky enough to hit Plums for 14, along with a 5 and two 3's. That gives him 25 coins, so his profit is 5 coins, or 25c in terms of nickels.

Now the player puts his original 20 coins right back through hoping to take more profits which he can add to the first gain. But what if his 20 coins come out short, as they most often do?

In that case, he keeps on putting the remainder through. His 20 coins may be whittled down to 10, 5, or even 3, but still a big hit like the Bells (for 18 coins) will put him right back in the running, with maybe a few extra coins for his own private Jackpot.

Never, at any time, does the player use any of his profit. He simply risks his original investment, granting the machine a take of 20 coins and hoping that his own take will more than balance it.

Three things can happen: (1) Either the player will lose his risk money by going short on the first run through and failing to regain his original mark on further plays; (2) He will come out with less than he started, the coins he managed to put away while running through his original quota; (3) He will show an actual profit, if he managed to build up more than his original 20 coins before losing them.

Examples: (1) Player puts 20, takes 15; Puts 15, takes 5; Puts 5, takes 13; Puts 13, takes 3; Puts 3, takes 0.

1. Player puts 20, takes 16; Puts 16, takes 24, keeps 4; Puts 20, takes 28, keeps 8; Puts 20, takes 8; Puts 8, takes 0. Original 20; kept 12. Lost 8.
2. Player puts 20, takes 32, keeps 12; Puts 20, takes 17;
   Puts 17, takes 30, keeps 10; Puts 20, takes 24, keeps 4; Puts 20, takes 8; Puts 8, takes 12; Puts 12, takes 0. Original 20; kept 26. Gained 6.

Variations of "Put and Take"

There are two modifications of this system: One is to risk the profit instead of the original amount. If the player starts with 20 and comes out with 28, he keeps the 20 and plays the 8. Should he build the 8 to 12, he would keep the 8 and play the 4. That is, the moment he gets ahead he uses the machine's money, not his own. So he can't lose.

The question is: Can he win? Not very much if he only has a few coins to run through each time, as they can be so easily wiped out. If he puts in 12 and comes out with 13, he would only have 1 to play; while if he put 12 and took 11, he could run the whole lot through.

This brings up the other modification: Here, the player simply decreases his risk money after each losing run through. He plays the original amount as long as he wins; if 20 coins bring him, say, 23, he keeps the 3 and plays the 20. But if he takes only 13, he keeps 3 and runs through 10 as his risk.

A larger initial investment, say 50 coins, offers more stop-off marks, like 40, 30, 20, 10, giving a longer play. If a player puts 30 and takes, say 43, he can keep 3 and go up to the 40 mark again. Or he can stay with 30 and keep 13. That is optional, but before he starts, the player should decide upon his plan and never deviate from it.

The advantage of such a system is knowing when to stop; namely, after the risk fund is gone. The average player never comes out with anything because he drops all his winnings in hope of gaining more, or uses what few coins he has left, think­ing he can make a come-back.

Once the risk fund is gone, it is unwise to repeat the Put and Take system with the same machine on the same occasion. That is, the player should return to the machine only after someone else has played it. He can, of course, try the Put and Take with another machine if one happens to be available. This brings up:

The Pyramid System

The Pyramid System. This can only be used when machines of varying amounts are handy; preferably a nickel, dime, and quarter machine. What the player does is go after a win on the nickel machine, using the "Put and Take" system in an effort to get ahead.

In this case, however, he has a set goal, say, to bring 20 nickels up to 30, turning $1 into $1.50. If he makes that gain— or more—he changes the full amount into dimes. He uses this as his risk fund ($1.50 or above) to play the dime machine.

If he attains a certain goal (say 25 coins or $2.50) with the dime machine, he changes the dimes to quarters (10 or more) and uses them to play the quarter machine on a regular "Put and Take" basis. It's a long shot, but very` gratifying when it comes through.

Since it is a long shot, some players prefer to keep putting their entire fund, risk money plus any small winnings, through the nickel and dime machines. That is, if a player has $1.25 and has to bring his nickels up to $1.50, he puts all 25 coins through.

But with the quarter machine, winning are nursed, as with the usual "Put and Take," unless the player wants to go on with the half dollar and dollar machines. If they are on the premises, there is nothing to stop him—provided he doesn't go broke on the way up!

The Reverse Pyramid

The Reverse Pyramid is what its name implies, but with a certain modification. The player begins by tackling the quarter machine with, say, 20 coins ($5) and plays a straight "Put and Take," hoping to come out ahead.

When his risk fund is gone, he takes what he has managed to keep (if anything) and has it changed to dimes. He uses that as a risk fund in the dime machine. Whatever is left (if anything) he changes into nickels and uses as a risk fund in the nickel machine.

Should he climb high enough with either the nickel or dime machine, he goes back up to the one above. What he is really doing is play the quarter machine on a "Put and Take" basis, using the dime and nickel machines as "insurance" to redeem his losses and give him another try at the quarter job.

Granted that these systems seldom work, it may be fairly asked: Why should they ever work at all? The answer is found in a factor that is present in the Jackpot, Put and Take, and Pyramid systems; namely, that the play is limited to a particu­lar period or purpose.

It is an obvious fact that the longer a machine is played, the more certainly will the player lose. His return will eventually level off to the precise percentage which the machine is geared to pay out, whether 50 per cent or 75 per cent. In the early stages, the player may rise above that level and win; or he may sometimes fall below.

This last is very deceiving as some players who keep on after a bad run begin to think that they are winning or that the machine is "hot" when actually all it is doing is bringing its payoffs up to the miserable percentage that they should give. All this proves that the player is really at the machine's utter mercy except at one stage of the proceedings; that is, before the first "hit."

By the "first hit," we mean, of course, when the player steps up to the machine and begins what is a brand-new sequence where he is concerned. Naturally, it isn't "new" for the machine, which just keeps going on and on in a somewhat eternal fashion. But it is "new" for the player and remains so, until he makes the "first hit" in that particular series.

Sometimes he may drop a lot of coins before he gets any back. Again, he might hit the Jackpot on the first try. Who knows? Only those who have made the experiment in order to find out. So far, however, statistics are unavailable regarding such players, as well as most others.

But the player does have a better chance of winning in the long run if" he stops immediately after that first hit. Or to phrase it more exactly, he is likely to lose less. That will be more fully emphasized in the next chapter.

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