Dear Mark: If it's true that slot plays change every millionth of a
second at random, and that every play is completely random, how do you
explain that the three "ovals" (the big hit) don't come up as often
as, say, "cherry-bar-bar" or any other small pay or loser? I mean,
there are only so many pictures on those reels on the old mechanical
slots, my favorites. Even if there's only one oval on each reel, and
more of the others, it still doesn't seem right mathematically. Can
you explain the odds? This really bothers me with the those huge
jackpot connected slots around the country too -- I mean, with millions
of plays on hundreds of machines, how is it that the "big one" might
only pay once in a year or so? Rich P.
More often than not, Rich, when something looks like a duck, and walks
likes a duck, and turns out to be a duck, nobody's surprised. But that
doesn't necessarily apply to today's slot machines compared to those
of yesteryear. Today's slot machines are designed only in function and
appearance to call to mind their old mechanical predecessors.
Those patriarchal machines of the past you are describing each had
three reels, with 20 symbols on each reel. Mathematically, Rich, that
works out to 20 x 20 x 20 possible combinations, equaling a 8,000 to 1
chance of hitting the "big one."
Sure, the hardware of an old mechanical may look something like
today's three-reel/20-symbol slot machines, but the similarity stops
there, and you would be wide of the mark in assuming that there is an
8,000 to 1 chance of hitting the grand whameroony.
Today's hybrids of yesteryear all have computer chips operating inside
them, and those 20 symbols are now just computerized stops, with as
many as 256 imaginary symbols per reel. The chance of hitting the top-
line jackpot is one in 256 x 256 x 256, equating to 16,777,216 to
1. With four reels and 256 stops, try four billion and change.
It sort of works like this, Rich. Today's electronic gizmos have fixed
halting points that are determined by an electronic chip in the slot
machine, that controls stepper motors to halt each reel at precisely a
preappointed moment.
Now granted, Rich, that might not pass the smell test when it comes to
randomness, but the preprogramming that is linked to the payoff
protocol of the device is based on yet another microchip -- the random
number generator (RNG). By using an RNG microchip, you are guaranteed
that each spinning reel has an equal shot of producing a jackpot.
With the RNG crunching possibilities, with millions polled every
second, the final verdict is calculated at the exact millisecond that
you either press the play button, or yank the handle, then that
information is sent to an electronic chip to synchronize a particular
halting point for each reel.
So although, Rich, you may set eyes on 20 symbols per reel, it's the
stops, not the symbols, that rule the roost here, and it truly is
going to take millions of plays on hundreds of machines for the "big
one" to hit.
Gambling Wisdom of the Week: "Percentages never lie. We built all
these hotels on percentages. We stay rich on the percentages. You can
lose faith in everything, religion and God, women and love, good and
evil, war and peace. You name it. But the percentage will always stand
fast." --Mario Puzo, Fools Die
