Page 11 - May 2014 • Southern California Gaming Guide

Slot Tournament Basics: Competitive Slot Play 101 by Maya Winkler
If slots are your favorite casino game, you can get into the high-paced frenzy of competitive slot play almost any day of the week at Southern California casinos with prizes that include free play and cash. And sometimes, it’s big cash! Slot tournaments are thrilling and provide a level of competition where slot players can join together right on the casino
oor in an exciting party-like event. Casino slot tournament teams are cheer and party leaders who provide a thrilling fun experience encouraging players to tap-tap-tap the spin button at breakneck speed.
Even though you may be a slot tournament novice, check out this month’s feature story on page 16 to learn about how you could be in the running for the Nation’s Best Slot Tournament Player and represent a participating Southern California casino in the 2014 Nationwide TournEvent of Champions®. And read our Tournaments section each month, in this issue it’s on page 4, for monthly featured casinos’ slot tournament news.
How Slot Tournaments Are Played
If you have never played in a slot tournament, you’re missing out on a lot of fun and a chance to win, and sometimes, win big. For the uninitiated, casino slot tournaments are played on a speci c group of slot machines, like Multimedia Games’ TournEvent System®.
e TournEvent System provides players and casino operators with a dynamic and interactive tournament experience unlike any other. With the TournEvent System, casinos can switch networked slot machines from live single-player status to tournament status at the touch of a button, eliminating the hassle of machine moves, or separate tournament areas. e TournEvent System enables casinos to create unique slot tournaments for the rst time, o ering a variety of customizable options based on the number of players, mechanics of advancement, rankings and tournament prize awards. Gone are the days when casinos had to take hours to determine session and overall tournament winners.
Slot tournaments are run at a speci c time, and are divided into sessions, with each session lasting a predetermined length of time, often in short increments,
3 to 5 minutes. Slot tournament machines automatically stop when the time has elapsed. e object of slot tournament play is to rack up as many points as possible in the allotted time. Usually, players can play only one time in a slot tournament, but there are exceptions.
When all the players of a session are ready, the slot machines are activated and the frenzy of play begins. Players furiously tap the spin button for the entire length of the session. e top prize goes to the participant who has the highest point total for the entire event.
Slot tournaments are not like regular slot play. Instead of trying to win money, the objective is
to accrue as many points as possible. You want
to accumulate more points than any of the other players. e slot machines are adjusted for play without money, therefore your risk is limited only to the cost of the tournament entry fee, if any.
Many casinos run slot tournaments for players club members who can enter by earning a speci ed number of points within a speci c period of time. Or there are invitational tournaments for certain levels of players club members. Or there can be tournaments with a small entry free, often $20 or $30. And there are sometimes re-buy-ins for slot tournaments, as well.
Odds of Winning
To determine the odds of winning in a slot tournament, you need two pieces of information: how many prizes are o ered and how many players are taking part in the tournament. For example, if there are 200 players in a tournament and there are prizes for the top 50 players, you have a 1 in 4 chance of at least winning something. And you have a 1 in 200 chance of winning the top prize.
Ways to Win
What can you do to increase your chances of winning? e two biggest factors in slot tournaments are speed of play and concentration. All tournaments have a time limit, and to have a chance at winning, you need to play the maximum amount of spins. is means you have to keep pressing the spin button as soon as the reels start and until they stop. Don’t waste time waiting for credits to count up and don’t waste time getting annoyed at near-miss spins. Keep tapping the spin button, and don’t let anything distract you. Every fraction of a second can add a few more points. It’s not unusual that only a few
points can separate rst and second place winners.
It is also important to concentrate on what you are doing and not let other players distract you. While you may want to see and compare your score to other players’, don’t. It just wastes time. Wait until your session
is completed to see your score. And turn o your cell phone! Don’t let anything, including your smart phone, disturb you from your goal — pressing the spin button as fast as you can, and racking up points!
Slot Tournament Do’s & Don’ts
So now you know the basics. Here are a few points to keep in mind when preparing to play in a slot tournament.
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SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
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Do arrive at the tournament area before the required time.
Do make sure you press the spin button as fast as possible.
Do play the maximum bet on every spin.
Do make sure there is nothing to distract you.
Don’t play if you have an injury that prevents a lot of button pressing.
Don’t waste time waiting for wins to count up on the machine.
Don’t look around at what other players are doing. Don’t stop pressing the spin button until your
session is up.
Don’t forget to have fun!
Join the slot tournament party at a Southern
California casino, and who knows? You may end up being one the best slot tournament players!