Page 6 - February 2011 • Southern California Gaming Guide

Bill Burton: About Gambling
TLeaving After a Win
he other day I was sitting around with a few friends, and the conversation turned to superstitions and idiosyncrasies when gambling. One friend asked whether we would leave a slot or video poker machine after winning a jackpot or if we continued playing the same machine. If we
did leave the machine, would we leave immediately after the winning spin, or play one or two more hands? is led to another question: Would we sit down and play a machine that we knew that had just hit four-of-a-kind or higher?
A Silly Slot Strategy
When I started going to casinos many years ago, there were no video slots, and all of the machines had three to ve reels. You could walk down any aisle of slot machines and quickly determine if the last hand had been a winner or not. One of my friends had purchased a “winning slots system” that advised playing a spin on any machine that showed the previous player had left after a winning spin. e reasoning was that the machine could be at the beginning of a hot streak and you could catch it if you played. is, of course, was a fallacy, but I spent quite a few hours walking up and down banks of slot machines with a few rolls of quarters to nance my adventure. Of course, once I understood how slot machines actually worked, I quickly gave up on this system. It also got tiresome jumping from machine to machine after one or two spins.
Identifying slot machines that were left after a winning spin is a little more di cult now because slot machines in most casinos revert back to a main menu when the machine is not being played. In order to see the last hand, you have to select the game from the menu on the machine.
It is entirely up to you whether you want to leave after winning a jackpot or a winning video poker hand. If you feel that you will have more luck if you change machines, then go ahead. You go to the casino for entertainment, and should do whatever brings you the most enjoyment. However, the main reason to leave a machine after hitting a substantial jackpot has nothing to do with whether or not you think the machine will pay o again. After you have a nice win, it is a perfect time to take a break and lock up a win.
Until next time, remember: “Luck comes and goes.. Knowledge Stays Forever.”
Bill Burton is the author of 1000 Best Casino Gambling Secrets and Get the Edge at Low Limit Texas Hold’em available online at www.billburton.com. Burton is also an instructor for Golden Touch Craps: www.thecrapsclub.com.
A few of my friends believe that once you hit a jackpot, you should quit playing or switch to another machine. ey will cash out after hitting a jackpot of $200 or
winning streak, so if I am getting ready to leave, I will always play until I have a losing spin. I once hit a royal ush on a Deuces Wild video poker machine and then
more because they believe that once the machine pays out, it will not be due to hit again for a while. If they want to continue playing, they will switch to a di erent machine. One of the video poker players in the group said that she switches machines after she hits a four-of-a-kind or better.
All Random
“I am always hoping to get on
a winning streak, so if I am getting ready to leave, I will always play until I have a losing spin. I once hit a royal flush
on a Deuces Wild video poker machine and then hit four deuces on the very next a hand. After that experience, I always continue playing a few hands after a big win.”
hit four deuces on the very next hand. After that experience, I always continue playing a few hands after a big win. When I do take a break, it has nothing to do with whether or not I just had a winning hand.
Most of us agreed that we would play an additional hand or two after winning a jackpot.
A couple of us said that whenever we leave a machine, we prefer to play it down to an even dollar amount before cashing out.
What I found surprising was that several friends who said they would continue playing the same
I tried explaining that the
mathematical odds of hitting
a slot machine jackpot or a
winning video poker hand
on the next spin are exactly
the same as the previous
spin. e random number
generator has no memory of
the previous hand, whether
it was a winner or loser. e
or not pay you based on the results of hands that were previously played.
machine after they hit a jackpot also said they would not sit down and play a machine that they just saw hit a jackpot. I guess that is one of the beliefs shared by many players. Of course, there are some players who think a machine that just hit is on a “hot streak” and will continue to pay o .
machine is not set to pay you
I told them that I never leave a machine immediately after a winning hand. I am always hoping to get on a
PAGE 6
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
February 2011