Introduction to Casino Gambling Definitions
Improving the odds of winning at slot machine gambling includes knowing slot machine casino gambling definitions. Basic to understanding slot machines, so we can have intelligent conversations, is to know the terminology used to describe its components.
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Bonus
Some game themes have a special feature activated when certain symbols appear. The specific bonus varies with the game but is, in essence, an additional round of play. This bonus round may include free spins, quite possibly with a theme or odds different from the primary game, as well as a multiplier.
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Or the bonus round may give the player of a choice of picking between several items on a screen, each revealing the number of credits awarded. Some bonuses use a mechanical device, possibly the primary reels, and additional reels designed for this purpose, or an entirely different spinning wheel prominently displayed to garner other player’s attention from a distance. Some slot machines have multiple styles of bonus rounds.
Candle
Located at the top of a slot machine is a signal light. It can be activated by a player via a service button on the machine’s console, activated automatically when a jackpot requires a hand pay be provided by a casino operator, or if the machine is having a mechanical problem. Mechanical issues can include
- being out of paper
- paper jams
- tilt condition
- other unplanned maintenance issues internal to the machine
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Carousel
A grouping of slot machines.
Credit Meter
A visual display of the amount of money and/or credits currently available to the player on the machine.
Electronic Gaming Machine (EGM)
This is another term for a slot machine designed for gambling purposes.
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Hand Pay
A payout made by a casino operator either at the slot machine or at the casino’s cashier “cage”. A hand pay occurs when the ticket amount exceeds the limit of automatic pay dispensers, which can vary from casino to casino, or when a single jackpot exceeds the limit set for automatic payment of government taxes of gambling income. A hand pay may also be necessary if a short pay on a coin-operated slot machine has occurred.
Low Level/Slant Top Machine Configuration
A type of physical arrangement where the slot machine has a stool or chair allowing the player to sit down.
Optimal Play
The payback percentage in slot machine game themes requiring mental or physical skill when player performance is ideal, i.e., perfect play.
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Pay Line
A line crossing each reel of the slot machine to determine winning combinations. Slot machines may have a single or multiple pay lines. It is not uncommon for small denomination slot machines to have a hundred pay lines of many geometrical shapes in addition to a straight line. Video slot machines have a variable number of pay lines set prior to playing.
Pseudo Random Number Generator (PRNG)
An element of the algorithm used by a slot machine to determine the outcome of a player’s bet based on the pre-determined odds of winnings as set by the casino operator.
Roll Up
When a jackpot is won, a slot machine can emphasize the win by making sound effects to signal the counting of credits won. This roll-up can be stopped by pressing most buttons on the slot machine console, including making the next bet.
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Stand Up/Upright Machine Configuration
A type of physical arrangement without a stool or chair where slot machine players are required to stand.
Taste
A small amount paid to the player during a session to keep them playing continuously.
Tilt
An electromechanical switch triggered if a slot machine is tampered with or has an internal fault condition such as a motor failure, out of paper condition, etc. In modern slot machines, the actual tilt of the machine no longer triggers this alarm.
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Theme
The specific game designed to be played on a specific slot machine, including but not limited to the number of reels, the specific symbols on the reels, any bonus rounds, etc.
Theoretical Hold Worksheet
Provided by slot machine manufacturers, it indicates the theoretical percentage or odds that the slot machine provides based on the amount paid in as well as the number of reels, reel symbols, number of credits and denominations that can be played, the payout schedule, and other descriptive information specific to that slot machine.
A Theoretical Hold Worksheet is alternatively known as a Probability Account Report (PAR). These confidential company reports are extremely rare to find publicly available. Furthermore, PAR sheets do not apply to Class II bingo-style, historic horse racing, and digital scratch-off gaming machines.
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Volatility
A beautiful but often misrepresented statistical term meaning deviation or variance. Extremely low variance means every bet returns the amount defined by the payout setting of the machine. For example, in Nevada, their state average return of 93% would result in a $1 bet paying out exactly 93-cents every time.
An extremely high variance would pay out once in, say, 1,000 bets. Again, for Nevada’s average state return of 93%, making 1,000 bets would result in a single win of $930. Perhaps that $930 win would occur early in the 1,000 bets, perhaps later, but only once.
The misrepresentation often found on the internet is that high or low volatility means better or lesser pay outs, on average. This confusion comes from finding slot set to often win by the casino for a particular day and time frame, then calling that difference in average/mean/expected value instead a difference in variance/volatility/deviation in avoid acknowledging winning slot machines exist.
Yes, volatility is a beautiful word. And people using it online to confuse you are trying to sound smart. Unless you know its meaning because you’ve taken stats, then they come across as the opposite. It’s just statistics, dear slots enthusiasts.
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Summary of Casino Gambling Definitions
Slot machine casino gambling definitions currently relevant were defined.
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