By Alan Maxi
Here are a handful of the slot online strategies that are marketed as winning techniques. Some are blatantly ridiculous, while others appear to make sense but break apart when tested with cold hard logic.
One of my favorite crazy strategies is the zig-zag system. The concept is that you look at the reels on the various machines to see if you can spot a pattern. For example, you might wish to look for a “V” or an “X” shape drawn by a specific symbol. The notion is that such a machine will soon pay off. Of course, once you realize that the symbols on the reels are merely for show, the entire technique falls apart. Slot machines never get to the point where they’re ready to payout. Each rotation is a separate event.
Money management systems are frequently promoted as a technique to ensure success, but the reality is quite different. Money management is based on the concept of setting win and loss limits. When the machines are cold, the idea is to limit the amount of money you lose, and when the machines are hot, to stop while you’re ahead.
Of course, we all know that slot machines don’t truly become hot or cold, so any form of money management strategy is pointless in the long term. Money management strategies are frequently combined with methods for determining whether a slot machine game is hot or cool. This combination has inspired an entire book of strange-sounding “solutions” by author John Patrick.
The “straight 60” method is one of these. The concept is that if you’ve won or lost 60% of your money, you’ll walk away from the slot machine. The other stipulation in this approach is that you must walk away after 9 bare pulls. (A “naked pull” is one in which you win nothing on that particular spin.)
So, let’s say you’re starting with a $25 session bankroll. You’ll keep playing until you’ve completed one of the following tasks:
- $15 was lost.
- $15 was won.
- 9 straight spins resulted in a loss.
That’s a straightforward system, so memorizing it and putting it into practice is a no-brainer. However, the notion that it will help you win more money and/or lose less money is absurd. Nothing you do changes the system’s chances in your favor.
The “play and run” system is another system from the same book. The concept behind this strategy is that you just spend 5 or 10 minutes at each slot machine game before leaving with your winnings. Patrick recommends splitting your money into five or ten five- or ten-minute periods. You stop on any computer after 9 bare pulls, as you do with all of his systems. It’s incomprehensible how anyone could believe that this method would help them win more money at slot machines.
