E-35: Setting Your Limits

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In the stock market, investors regularly issue stop loss orders. These are standing orders to sell stock when the price dips below a predetermined limit. If they were to buy stoock at $100, they may issue a stop loss order for when the stock drops below $50. This doesn't protect all of their investment but it means they are not completely at risk either. This is somethinng that you should do when gambling.



Most players walk into a casino thinking "Ive got $500 to blow" And they often don't leave until every dollar is gone. A smart gambler thinks "I've got $500 in my bankroll for the weekend and I want at least $250 for tomorrow"

The smart gambler has set a stop loss limt for that day and will leave the gaming floor as soon as they reach that level.

There are several ways to set stop loss limits;

• Time loss limits: Where you stop playing after a predetermined amount of time
• Winning limits: Set a reasonable profit goal. 50% of your initail buy in is sound
• Winning loss limits: Set a limit of how much of your winnings you are willing to lose back, again 50% is safe.
• Breaks: Stopping for meals is a safe way to protect your bankroll

E-34: Video Reels vs Mechanical

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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.

E-33: How To Read a Slot Machine

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Not all slot machines are the same. You should learn to read the information given to you before you sit down and play.

The first thing that you should check is the denomination of the machine. Don't just sit down and start playing and then realise you are playing too high for your bankroll. If you do find yourself in this situation, then you should move to another machine. Don't be embarrassed.

There are several machines to choose from:
Multiplier
Bonus Multiplier
Multiple Payline
Buy a Pay
Progressive Slots



Multipliers: This machine has a payout for a certain symbol and the number of coins played multiplies it.
Eg; if the machine pays out 5 coins for 3 lemons when you play one coin, it would pay 10 for the second coin and 15 for 3 coins.
This machine does not penalize you for not playing max coin. If you plan to play one coin at a time, then this is the machine for you.

Bonus Multiplier: This machine works on the same principle as the multiplier but offers a bonus when you play max coins and hit the jackpot.
Eg; three lemons would pay 1000 for one coin, 2000 for two coins, but 10,000 for max coin.
Its up to you to decide if you want to risk more of your bankroll to win the bonus payout.

Multiple Payline: These machines have more than one line of play. Each coin activates a particular line. If you hit a winner on a line that is not activated, you will receive nothing. Older machines use to have just three lines, but the new machines have many more.

Buy a Pays: Each coin activates a different symbol and payout. You need to bet the max coins to receive the largest jackpot.
Eg; the popular Sizzling 7's machine pays on cherries, bars and 7's. If you play one coin, you can collect only on the cherries. If you play two coins you can collect on cherries and bars. But you must play three coins to collect on the 7's.
If you hit the jackpot while playing one coin you will win absolutely nothing.

Progressive Slots: These take a small percentage of every coin played and add it to the pool for the jackpot. You should only ever play these if you are willing to play max bet.

All of this information can be found on thee machine, either on a sticker, or displayed on the menu. Take your time to read it carefully.