Saturday, October 20, 2012

E-34: Video Reels vs Mechanical

In order to gain the most play from your bankroll it is important to know the differences between video and mechanical reels.

Manufacturers have added many more paylines and the number of coins you can bet per line to video reels. The reason for this simple, time. Video slots take a little longer between spins, due to bonus rounds.By adding more paylines and increasing the max bet, the casino is able to recoup some of the expected hourly loss.



Most new video slots have a minimum of nine lines and you can often play from 1 to 10 coins per line. The standard however is 5 coins per line, so on a nine line machine the max bet would be 45 coins. That translates to $2.25 per spin for a nickel and $11.25 for a quarter machine.

Another major thing to consider is the return on a single winning spin. On a mechanical reel you, when you do have a hit you get at least your money back.
This is often not the case with video reels. You might have one line that is a winner and pays three coins, but lose on the other eight lines. It cost you nine coins for the spin and you only won three, so you are still down six coins.

The last thing to consider is the jackpots. You are only ever applicable for the jackpot if you are playing max bet. On a reel machine, that may only cost you 3 or 4 coins, but on a video slot its more likely to cost 45 coins.


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