Casinos – Knowing the Score

Let’s get something straight right from the beginning. The more money the casinos can extract from the pockets of their Players, the more money they are going to make. It’s that simple.

So the basic principle is that the more money you can keep in your pocket, or return to your pocket after playing, the more money you are going to take home.

Casinos have come up with an innovation for slot machines that seemingly makes it easier for them to get that money out of your pocket and into the machines. In America it’s called a "bill acceptor", and provides a way for you to preload the machines with cash, being a method of pumping up profits. They don’t have to hire cashiers as they handle fewer coins, and they get greater play time because you spend more time on the machine.

What casinos have ignored, or simply overlooked, is that bill acceptors – along with the, credit meters on modern machines – offer an important and previously missing element: a way to keep score.

Table game players are able to track their funds, because they have their chips in front of them at all times. They know how much they cashed in and can determine how much they have at any time, so they can determine their wins or losses.
 
Until recently, slot machine players haven’t been able to keep score, unless you kept track by the number of the discarded coin wrappers at your feet.
Bill acceptors can make all the difference. Decide ahead of time on your budget, whether it’s What you have allocated for the entire session, or what you’ve allowed for a particular machine. Pre-load the machine with the whole amount. Since you don’t have to use coins, there’s no reason to start with part of what you’re willing to risk then dig for more if your initial outlay is lost. The newest machines even give you a read-out of,the exact amount of your stake. In the older games, the only maths you’ll have to do to keep track is to convert the number of coins to sterling (or your local currency).
 
Pre-loading the machine with your total budget and keeping score on the credit meter affords you several advantages. If your strategy is to quit when you’re ahead, your built-in scorekeeper lets you know when that moment has arrived.

If your strategy is to earn a profit, then try to hit the big jackpot; but not dip back into your original stake, you can monitor your progress by watching the meter.

If you have a loss limit, pre-loading these amounts into the machines helps reinforce the discipline you need to stay the course.