11. The One Hit System

Some players say that a slot machine is "hot" when it de­livers several sizeable payoffs close together; they class it as "cold" when it shows a long series of misses, with few or small hits in between.

Such terms as "hot" or "cold" may apply to Roulette or to the Craps table, where a player has some choice regarding the way he bets his money. But with a slot machine it's a case of a player putting in what he has and taking out what he can get.

A slot machine is only "hot" when it finishes a single se­quence with a payoff bigger than the total invested. That is: If a player puts in five nickels and takes out ten, he has had his lucky break. He should stop right there, unless he has good reason to believe that the next sequence will be lucky, too.

What reason has he to expect that? Normally, none. But there is a way of playing for single hits in a systematic fashion. That is to "tap in" on a sequence that another player started and abandoned before the "hit" arrived. In brief, the system player is letting some one else pay for the losing spins that began the series.

The One Hit System: To introduce this, we shall take a hor­rible example of a machine which is paying off only 50 per cent and we shall show this over a series of 100 plays. Assum­ing that it's a nickel machine, every asterisk (*) represents an actual risk—and loss!—of 5c by the poor player. Each win (given in terms of coins) also means dropping a coin in the slot. Here we go:

Note what beatings a player would take, hit by hit: 8 coins for the first 5; 5 for the next 3; 21 for 3; 24 for 10; 11 for 5; 10 for 5; a slightly redeeming 1 for 5; an even less helpful 11 for 14; and finally, 9 for 0.

This shows not only the weakness but the utter futility of all the systems so far given; the player has no chance for a long, profitable run unless the odds are far better than the percent­ages that One-armed Bandits give.

Studying the progression carefully, we note that the player's only hope of any luck would be to eliminate a lot of those "loss" plays. This, in turn, would be impossible unless he could somehow "tap in" on a sequence just before a payoff.

That is what the "One Hit" plan tries to do. It can't beat the machine, but it does profit at the expense of other players. Let's suppose that some players (represented by letters A, B, C, etc.) are taking turns at putting five coins each through the machine.

Any time one wins, he keeps playing until he runs out of coins. This could happen very readily if the machine were in a back room, so that each player would get change for a quarter, go in and use it up, then come out to get five more nickels. Meanwhile, however, the system player, Mr. X, steps in be­tween the other players.

His system is this: He keeps putting in coins until he makes a hit. He drops one more coin to "clear the machine" so it doesnt' show a winning combination. If he gets a "repeat" hit, he naturally drops another coin to clear.

How It Works Out

Here is how the play would work out, the heavy numbers representing X's hits. Remember, if other players hit, they simply tack that many more plays on to the sequence:

A   A  A   A   A A A X  X 5 X B B B 3 B B
B    B X   X   X X X X X X X X X X X X
X   X X   3    X C C C C C X X X X X X
X   X X   X   X X X X X X X X X 10X D
D   D D   D   X X X X 5 X E E E E E E E
X   X X   5    5   X F  F F F F X X X X X
14  X G   G   G G G X X X

Adding them up: X played 4 for 5; 18 for 3; 19 for 10; 6 for 5;

6 for 10; 6 for 14; 3 for 0. A total of 62 coins dropped for a return of 47. Though the system player lost, he raised the pay­off (in his case) from 50 per cent to 78 per cent. Could he have done better?

Possibly. You will note that his big losses came over those long, barren stretches where there were no hits for about twenty plays. Those can be murder to all players, the system player included, if he hits early in such a run.

To offset this, suppose the system player limits himself to five plays on the basis that 5 for 0 is the worst loss he cares to take. This particular case would then run:

Here, the system player missed a nice big 10 and a juicy 5, but his "five play limit" enabled him to escape a lot of single losses.

His box score adds up to: 4 for 5; 5 for 0; 5 for 0; 5 for 0; 5 for 0; 6 for 10; 6 for 14; 3 for 0. A total of 39 for a return of 29. Player's chance, 74 per cent.

An Opposite Sequence

Not quite as good. But suppose we treat the plays as though the system player started; followed by the others. In that case, the non-limit "play to a hit" would come:

Box score: 9 for 5; 18 for 3; 19 for 10; 6 for 5; 6 for 10; 6 for 14; 3 for 0. Total, 67 plays for a return of 47 coins. Player's chance, 71 per cent. As compared to:

Box score: 5 for 0; 5 for 0; 5 for 0; 5 for 0; 5 for 0; 2 for 5; 6 for 10; 6 for 14. Total, 39 for 29. Players chance, 74 per cent, exactly as before. In this case, however, the five-play limit gives the player a better per cent than the unrestricted type of play.

It resolves to this: A non-limit player is vulnerable to extend­ed losses, so requires more capital. The limit player may miss some choice hits, but can't go as deep. The question is: Why play either way if the system loses?

We've already given the answer: It's silly to tackle slot ma­chines to begin with. For those who either refuse to believe that advice or take it, the One-Hit System will probably lose the least, as it takes advantage of the weakness—or losses—of other players.

The System Summarized

With a machine that pays as high as 75 per cent, there are possible progressions that will bring the system player out ahead and, of course, if he keeps approximately even long enough he may hit the Jackpot and really win.

But remember, he's working on "sucker money" that other players drop and, where the Jackpot is concerned, they have as much chance—and often more—of hitting it. There are other angles where the human element enters.

One, of course, is the necessity of "clearing" the machine. Lots of players won't touch it if they see that someone else has just made a win, particularly a big one, though "repeats" are fairly common with many machines. The "One Hit" plan is no good without the other players who unwittingly contribute to the system, so they have to be encouraged.

Also, they must be watched. Maybe they will be playing the One Hit System, too, if they have read this book. Or they may be trying to prove something to their own satisfaction. The system works best when other players go at the machine until they go broke. That means they will use up those "dry runs" that the system player wants to avoid. When such beavers are working for the system player, he can afford to try the "no limit" plan instead of the "five play."

At places like Las Vegas, where dozens of machines await an invitation to the dance, luce the wallflowers that they are, a player can try the One Hit system—limit or no limit—to his heart's content by merely ambling from machine to machine and night spot to night spot.

If he knocks them down, one after another, all in a row, he will find that it's true what they say about Las Vegas; that the machines aren't gaffed against the player but are set to give him anywhere from 72 per cent to 85 per cent as his break. If the system flukes, he should take it up with the local Chamber of Commerce.

The Back Room Book

There once was a way of beating One-armed Bandits by playing with them but it's really no good any longer. Whoever used it would require a government gambling stamp, thus branding himself as illegal before he started. But it still is worthy of the record.

It was called the "Bookie Method" and the man who ran it simply "made book" on a slot machine instead of the horses. He walked into a backroom where the boys were doing nothing and asked them why they weren't playing the slot machine. When they said it didn't pay off well enough, he sat down at a table, brought out big gobs of money and said: "If it won't pay off, I will."

Here was his proposition. The players took turns at the ma­chine. While one played it the rest made their bets with the bookie. But he paid one better than the One-armed Bandit. If two Cherries and a Bar showed for three, he paid four. Two Cherries and a Bell meant five from the machine; six from him.

He gave better breaks in the higher brackets. 12 instead of 10 for Oranges; 16 instead of 12 for Plums; 24 instead of 18 for Bells. As for a Jackpot, this kindly man would pay you double whatever you hit.

It wasn't long before the proprietor of the store would hear the incessant clatter of the machine and would look into the backroom. He'd see one player whamming away at the One-armed Bandit while six others piled their money on the little table and were paid off according to agreement every time the machine made a hit.

The man at the table was making a smaller percentage than the machine. Maybe he was giving 65 per cent instead of 50 per cent. But he had six times as many suckers and they weren't restricted to nickels. They could put up quarters, dollar bills if they wanted—and usually they did.

If the proprietor put up a beef, the little man with the big book would simply gather up his cash and say, "All right, I'll take my business down the street where they have a machine that isn't doing this good. In fact, this machine never did this good until today. Shall we say good-bye, now?"

He seldom bowed out after that spiel. If he'd demanded a cut on the One-armed Bandit's take, he probably would have gotten it. Maybe they should try it in Nevada.

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