• Factoid: Most large Las Vegas hotel-casinos have more than 2,000 slot machines.
• Factoid: The slot machine was invented in 1895 by Chares Fey in San Francisco.

It is not accidental that two-thirds of every casino is littered with row-upon-row of slot machines of every type imaginable. The reason is that they provide the most profit to a casino ...and billions of dollars in tax revenue to the state. (The state of Nevada collects a $250 annual tax plus a $20 quarterly license fee per slot machine plus a percentage - about 5% - of gaming revenue.)

Slots: Odds of Winning Around 1 in 49,836,032. You play slots by putting money into a slot machine and pulling a lever or pushing a button to spin a wheel. Depending on where the wheel lands, you win or lose. With over 140 casinos, Las Vegas is filled with casino games. In fact, Sin City has over 200,000 slot machines alone. This massive variety is great for entertainment sake. It gives you endless opportunities to choose from when gaming in Las Vegas. However, it’s not so great when you’re trying to find the best odds in Vegas. If you are looking for sophistication, you cannot beat the Bellagio Casino.

Slots account for more revenue to a casino than all other gambling games combined. Their formula for success is simple. They make money by paying out less than they take in. They are popular because players don't need any gambling knowledge and slots require only a very small bet. There are more than 200,000 slot machines in Las Vegas.

Most slot machines work the same way. The player pulls a handle or presses a button to spin a series of reels (typically three) that have pictures printed on them. You win when certain combinations of pictures line up with a pay line in the middle of a viewing window. The payout depends on which pictures land along the pay line. Some machines have multiple pay lines. A pay table (chart) tells you the amount of the payout. It is usually found on the front of the machine, above or below the area containing the wheels. While you can lose your money faster, the payout percentages are always better if you bet the maximum amount of coins on each “pull.”

All slot machines in use today in casinos are electronic (computerized) rather than mechanical. As a general rule, reels, handles, sound effects and other attributes are there to make them appear to be like older, more familiar, mechanical machines.Themed slot machines that require the manufacturer to pay a license fee (such as one named after a movie star, cartoon character, TV show, etc.) generally have lower payouts since the additional cost must be recouped. So stick with the traditional machines (such as the Double Diamond, Blazing 7s, and Red, White and Blue) that pay back more.

As a general rule, slot managers place their most popular - and best paying - machines in areas that generate excitement - such as near the front entrance and other high traffic areas. Some popular slots - such as nickel machines - are placed in the rear of the casino to get people to walk to the back. High payback machines are also sprinkled throught the casino floor.

Be aware that the higher the cost per 'handle pull,' the higher the payout. According to one industry insider, the so-called 'hold percentage' on the Las Vegas Strip averages 11% for nickels (that is, 89% is paid back), 6.5% for quarters, 4.5% for dollars, and 3.5% for five dollars and above. (The Nevada Gaming Control Board has a slighty different figure. See below.)

The payback percentage for Las Vegas (and all Nevada) slot machines are a known factor. Because they are taxed, all machines are strictly controlled and keep track of 'coin in' and 'coin out' which, overall, is a matter of public record. Manufacturers program each machine to payback a specific percentage which is based on a span of ten million handle pulls! Any slot can (and does) pay out more or less over a shorter period. It might pay out 400% today ...or 20% for a week.

A good website on slot machine gambling is located here ... and they have no advertising whatsoever.

Vegas Casino Slot Odds

The newest wrinkle in slot machines is coinless slots. They use bar-coded paper tickets instead of coins and are known as “ticket in/ticket out” ('TITO') machines. The traveling coin gal (and coin cups) are fast becoming a thing of the past. You feed bills and get paid in vouchers which are redeemed at the cashier’s cage. Don't forget to redeem the tickets! Some have expiration dates on them.

Although poker machines have been around since 1964, video poker did not become popular until 1979 when International Game Technology (IGT) introduced its electronic “Draw Poker” machine. Video poker adds the element of skill and players are given decision-making options that regular slots don’t offer.

Video poker slots work the same way as regular rotating wheel machines. Instead of a reel, they have changing playing card images. They are generally based on five-card draw poker.

A series of five cards are generated from a freshly shuffled 52 card deck for each play and shown on the screen. The player discards some (or all of the cards) and replacements for the remaining cards are drawn. While you are deciding which cards you want to hold, the remaining 47 cards are constantly shuffling. After you decide and hit the button again, the cards stop shuffling and the x-number of cards you need to fill your draw hand come off the top and occupy the vacated positions.The objective is to get the best poker hand. Again a chart indicates the amount of the payout.

The most basic version pays on two jacks or better, but there are variations, such as “wild” cards.

All video poker is not alike. Be certain you are playing a “full pay” game which pays out 99.5% of incoming coin. They are known as a “9/6 JoB” machines – which stand for a payout of 9 coins for a full house and 6 coins for a flush with one coin inserted. (JoB stands for “Jacks or Better.”) The paytable for a full-pay or 9/6 JoB machine looks like this:

A casino can tighten a Jacks-or-better video poker machine by simply paying out less for a full house and flush. The most common way that a casino increases it's win is to pay only 8 for the Full House and 5 for the Flush. This is a short-pay 8/5 machine. The casino keeps an extra 2.2% on these machines.

A “10/7 DB” video poker machine (Full House=10 coins, Flush=7 coins) is better yet Payout (when played perfectly and max-credits) is 100.1%. Double Bonus Poker (DB) is a variation on video poker in which the payout for two pair is reduced from two to one in exchange for greatly increased payouts for other hands ...like a payout of 4000 for a Royal Flush.

The best place to play video poker is downtown or at such off-strip properties as Sam’s Town. A great video poker website is VideoPokerReview.com.

A couple of playing hints: Never keep a high card kicker with a pair; draw three cards. Hint No. 2: Always go for the Royal Flush if you have four of the five needed ...even if it means giving up a high pair. The odds are one in 52 that you will hit the needed card ...and Royal Flushes pay up to 4,000 to one if you put in the maximum number of coins.

All slot and video poker machine models are tested by the state of Nevada to be certain that all results are based on a random number generator (RNG.) A new machine can’t be introduced until it meets all state regulations and technical standards. Because gross revenue is taxed, every machine keeps track of the money paid in and the winnings paid out.

Winning at slot machines is pure luck. And there is no such thing as a machine being “ready to hit.” The chances of winning never change whether it is the first or one hundredth pull. And a machine that hasn't paid recently is not due to win.

While winning combinations are determined on a totally random basis, the overall payback percentage is set on a standard machine. A casino tells the slot machine manufacturer what percentages it wants specific machines to pay back and that amount is programmed in. So, some machines are “looser” than others over the long haul.

The payback percentage is determined by state-approved computer chips which are installed by the manufacturer. The RNG in these microchips continuously generate hundreds of randomly chosen numbers every second the machine is on ...even when not being played. Each number corresponds to a set of symbols on the wheel. There are many approved chips for every machine type and the chip can be changed by casino technicians to “tighten” or “loosen” the machine payout. But this is hardly ever the case. It is easier just to change out the machine programmed by the manufacturer.

The state of Nevada requires that every machine pay out a minimum of 75 percent of the money it takes in. Due to competitive pressures, however, the overall payout percentage is much higher. Slot machines are typically programmed to pay out around 82 to 98 percent of the money that goes into them as winnings. Most pay around 92 to 96 percent ...certainly not the worst bet in the house. (Don’t be taken in by casinos that advertise winnings of “up to 99 percent.” They might only have one machine out of 2,000 set to pay that rate.) Hint: Playing the maximum coins always pays more per “coin-in” and reduces the house advantage.

According to the Nevada Gaming Control Board, $1 slots pay out an average of 95 percent of receipts. (25 cent slots pay back an average of 93 percent, 5 cent machines: 90 percent.) And where you play the slots makes a difference. The payout on machines located on the Strip is about one or two percent lower than downtown or other off-strip properties ...a fact well known by the locals. Hotel-casinos frequented by Nevada residents on a regular basis (such as Sam’s Town) pay better than tourist hotels whose guests are there for only three days.

The newer and more luxurious hotels, have the poorest overall slot payout ...especially on under $1 machines. The poorest then would be the Bellagio, Venetian, Mandalay Bay and new Wynn Las Vegas. The best paying slots on the Strip are the older properties on the North Strip. Generally, avoid slots at the airport, convenience stores, restaurants and “restricted” operations ...that is, those with less than 15 machines.

Many veteran slot players believe that the loosest (best paying) machines are located in high traffic areas, such as near elevators, buffets, aisles, showrooms, registration areas, etc. Theoretically, frequent payouts are good advertising and entice others nearby to play. Typically, slot machines with a similar payout percentage are grouped together in the same area. In any event, the payback percentages on Nevada slot machines are the highest of any state ...and probably the highest of any country in the world.

Progressive slots are exactly what their name implies; with each bet made, the jackpot grows. Progressive jackpots (such as Nevada's “Megabucks”) can pay astronomical amounts ...always in the millions of dollars. Their payout system is different from a standard machine and steadily increases as players put more money into it. To get the high jackpot, multiple machines and casinos are linked together to form one giant payout. Just about every Las Vegas casino participates in Megabucks.

The cardinal rule is to always play maximum coins at a progressive machine since they only pay the top jackpot if you bet max. Megabucks is a $1 slot so you must play 3 coins ($3.00) to hit the jackpot. When someone wins, the jackpot is reset to a starting value ...$7 million for Megabucks.

In the long run, the chances of winning a progressive jackpot are very, very remote and the overall payback is much lower than the standard $1 machine. Statistically, they are a very poor bet. In the short run, however, anything can happen and the “Megabucks” jackpot does get hit by someone about twice a year. (The odds of winning are one in 50 million.) The payout averages more than $10 million each time it does. It might be worth one $3 play.

Most casinos offer free memberships in “slot clubs.” They exist to attract, reward, and ultimately retain slot players. You join at the casinos slot booth and get a membership card - otherwise known as a “comp card” (as in “complimentary.”) It looks like a plastic credit card. The purpose of these clubs is to keep players from wandering from one casino to another. The card tracks your play and are the Vegas equivalent of frequent flier miles.

Whenever you sit down at a slot machine, insert the card in the slot at the top of the machine. At a table game, you give it to the dealer or the floorman. The machine (slots) or casino personnel (table games) then keeps track of how much you bet and how long you have played. A word to the wise! Never place your handbag on the floor when you are playing the slots. Keep it in sight at all times.

There are two schools of thought about applying for slot card membership. One is to apply for as many as you can because you will get a sign-up bonus prize on the spot for enrolling ...sometimes even a little free 'match play' gambling money to get you started. Joining a player’s club also identifies you as a gambler and gets you on their mailing list of upcoming offers. There are dozens of different slot clubs in Las Vegas.

The second theory is to concentrate your gambling - even if it is conservative - on one casino. You won’t get any “comps” (free meals, rooms, upgrades, shows or other offers) with just a few points at a dozen casinos. But they will add up when you gamble using a single slot card.

My recommendation is, at the minimum, to apply for Players Club membership at the two largest Las Vegas casino operations: MGM Mirage and Harrahs Entertainment. This way you can gamble at many of their owned casinos and still receive credit toward on your card. MGM Mirage recently merged with the Mandalay Bay Group. And Harrahs recently acquired Caesars Entertainment, Inc. These two companies will soon control nearly two dozen of the largest hotel-casinos ...about half the hotel rooms on the Strip.

Slot tournaments can be fun, take no skill to play and are offered at many casinos to their slot club members ...some by invitation only. The idea is to get the most “credits” by continually pushing the slot’s spin button. Sometimes the contest is free to enter ...but usually there is a small ($10 to $25) entry fee. The people who get the top scores wins a prize ...sometimes hundreds or thousands of dollars. Participants frequently get freebies and offers (sometimes worth more than the entry fee) just for entering the tournament.

The rules are simple. Generally you are assigned a certain machine, a time to play and a beginning amount of “credits” which must be played during a specified time period. For example: you might get to play a beginning 1000 credits in 15 or 20 minutes. The tournament is managed by casino personnel and there can be several tournament sessions to accommodate all who want to play. Many tournaments have hundreds of participants.

You just keep tapping the maximum bet button as fast as you can. Three credits are deducted each time. The machine has a special meter that keeps track of winning credits which can not be replayed. At the end of the time period, the machine locks up and play is over. An important objective is to use all your credits since they are lost if you do not. After you finish playing, you wait at your machine until a tournament official comes by and records your score. The scores on the winning meters determines the winners. It is that simple.

Slot tournaments are held in certain designated casino areas on specially programmed and outfitted machines that generate many more jackpot combinations than normally the case.

One advantage of a slot tournament is that you know ahead of time that your maximum loss will be the amount of the entry fee. (You should probably avoid the slot tournaments that have large entry fees ...those more than $100!) Winning them is totally pure luck ...the only skill needed is to be able to push the spin button quickly.

NEXT PAGE: 10.3 CASINO GAMES YOU SHOULD NOT PLAY! ⇨

Introduction to Las Vegas Visit

In June of 2019, 3.6 million people visited Las Vegas. Perhaps you were one of them? Or maybe you’ve yet to have your first Las Vegas visit. Whether you’re a frequent traveler to Las Vegas or a newbie, you want to be better prepared at playing slots in Las Vegas.

Good for you! Preparation is key. A little can go a long way, especially when it comes to your hard-won cash. In this post, I’ll start with seven secrets to winning on slots during your Las Vegas visit.

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1. Nevada Payout Return Limits

Nevada state gaming regulation #14 places a minimum legal limit on payout returns for slot machines. This minimum payout limit is 75%. Further, this lower limit applies per wager.

“All gaming devices must: Theoretically pay out a mathematically demonstrable percentage of all amounts wagered, which must not be less than 75 percent for each wager available for play on the device.”

What does this 75% minimum mean? Does it mean the player gets back 75 cents if they make a $1 bet on a slot machine? No, it doesn’t.

What it means is that the statistical average is at least a 75% return over many, many bets. The additional use of the words “per wager” in Regulation 14 means the slot machine must never be set less than an average 75% return.

For example, an unscrupulous casino operator might set a slot machine to have a 70% return for some time, then later set the payout return to 80% for an equal number of bets. Such a setup would also result in an average 75% return over both periods combined, but wouldn’t meet Nevada’s legal requirement.

Another close examination of the regulation shows something missing, which is well worth noting. What’s missing? There’s no mention of a maximum legal limit, which some states have put in place.

Without an upper legal limit on payout returns, casino operators in Nevada can offer the occasional slot machine which, on average, wins. Of course, casinos would lose money on slot machines set up this way. But, there are still good business reasons to do so.

I go over these reasons in How to Win at Slots in Older Casinos Built Before 2012. Suffice to say now, Nevada gaming regulations make doing so legal. Two questions naturally follow:

Best Slot Machine Odds In Las Vegas Strip

1. Do Las Vegas casinos set up the occasional slot machine to be winners?
2. How can a slots player find these winning slot machines?

The answer to the first question is yes. Casinos often decide to set up an occasional slot machine to win for promotional purposes. It’s a silent casino promotion because casinos choose to do this on slot machines situated to be easily visible to passersby.

It’s also worth noting that, like any business activity, it’s on a careful budget. Casinos can’t afford to do this often because, like everyone else, they are on a budget. But they do it. I know because I’ve found them before.

Later in this post, I’ll share some recent experiences from my fan base regarding candidate winning slot machines in Las Vegas for your consideration. But knowing they exist, and why they exist, is a necessary first step to finding them.

2. Know Your Nevada Gaming Stats

The Nevada Gaming Control Board and the Nevada Gaming Commission regulate the gaming industry in Las Vegas. This state gaming commission’s website is both thorough and comprehensive. The site offers several useful resources, but let’s consider the other side of payout returns: Actual payout statistics.

Legal limits and reported statistics are like the difference between a plan of attack and an actual battle. Remember the adage, “No plan survives contact with the enemy.” Or, in more normal circumstances, having a budget isn’t the same as paying bills.

In terms of slots gameplay, we know that Nevada gaming regulations have set a minimum payout return limit of 75% per wager on their gaming machines. That’s the law. But what happened? How did it work out in the real world?

Some states, including Nevada, do more than define a theoretical payout return limit. Nevada provides comprehensive payout return statistics. Each year, I review these actual statistics in Nevada Slot Machine Casino Gambling.

Rather than repeat myself fully, I’ll point you toward the Payout Returns in Nevada section of the Nevada post just mentioned. For now, I’ll say Nevada provides actual payout return statistics by:

1. State region, including Downtown Las Vegas versus the Strip
2. Slot machine denomination, including most common amounts but also multi-denomination, Megabucks, and other
3. Duration, including the current month, last 3 months, and last 12 months
4. Casino revenue range, including all casinos, over $1B, $1B to $12B, etc.

While past statistics never predict future behavior, a truism from the study of statistics, we can look at the available actuals to see if we can spot business trends.

Maybe, just perhaps, we can find a slot machine denomination with the best odds of winning last week. And perhaps they still have high odds this week.

Why? Because, in general, casinos are businesses as described and slots aren’t table card games. The odds of winning at table card games can’t change unless someone cheats or the game rules change.

Slot machines are electronic devices. Yes, they have random number generators – but RNGs are adjustable as a tool by the casino operator trying to control their financial performance metrics finely.

3. Check the Most Recent Payout Return Statistics

Before your next trip to Las Vegas to play slot machines, visit the Nevada Gaming Commission’s website. Under Statistics & Publications, you’ll find an entry for Gaming Revenue Report with PDF files available for download.

At the time of this writing, the most recently available monthly gaming revenue report from Nevada is for June 2019. These reports include the gaming statistics for slot machines, table games, and sports betting. Further, the left-most columns are for the most recent month with the remaining columns for a combined three months and twelve months.

Page 1 is a state-wide summary. Since we are discussing a Las Vegas visit, we need to find two specific state regions in the report: Downtown Las Vegas and Las Vegas Strip. Both are situated in Clark County.

The gaming revenue statistics for downtown Las Vegas begins on page 8:

• Page 8: All downtown Las Vegas casinos combined
• Page 9: Downtown Las Vegas casinos with over $1 million in gaming revenue
• Page 10: Downtown Las Vegas casinos with $1 million to $12 million in gaming revenue (none currently exist)
• Page 11: Downtown Las Vegas casinos with over $12 million in gaming revenue

The gaming revenue statistics for the Las Vegas Strip are on pages 12 through 17:

• Page 12: All Las Vegas Strip Area casinos
• Page 13: Las Vegas Strip casinos with over $1 million in gaming revenue
• Page 14: Las Vegas Strip casinos with $1 million to $12 million in gaming revenue (none currently exist)
• Page 15: Las Vegas Strip casinos with $12 million to $36 million in gaming revenue
• Page 16: Las Vegas Strip casinos with $36 million to $72 million in gaming revenue
• Page 17: Las Vegas Strip casinos with over $72 million in gaming revenue

Since the format is common on all these pages, let’s review how to read and understand one of them: Page 8 – All Downtown Las Vegas Area casinos combined. The current month columns are:

1. Number of Locations
2. Number of Units
3. Win Amount in 1000s of dollars
4. Percent Change from the last month
5. Win Percent

Note that Nevada reports the Win Percent for the casino, not the player. In most other states, this percentage is the casino hold percentage or Hold%. Subtracting it from 100% provides the percentage of winnings retained by the player. Further, negative numbers are in parenthesis.

The lowest casino Win Percent, i.e., highest player return, in June 2019 was the $25 denomination slot machine with a negative 7.57 Win%. There were nine of these slot machines at three locations with an overall monthly player return of 107.57%

Why so high? Quite likely, someone won big on one of these $25 denomination slot machines. That big jackpot pushed up the overall monthly average on all nine machines with this denomination in the downtown area.

Looking on the same line under the 3-month entry, it was 100% minus 4.77% equals 95.23%. The 12-month average was even smaller, at 92.44%. This abrupt change indicates playing $25 denomination in downtown Las Vegas is not the advantage it might otherwise appear.

Otherwise, slot machine denominations with the highest-to-lowest player returns for June 2019 in all casinos in the downtown Las Vegas area were:

• Multi-denomination: 100% minus 5.44% equals 94.56% return to the player
• 25-cent quarter slots: 100% minus 5.49% equals 94.51% return to the player
• 1-dollar slots: 100% minus 5.59% equals 94.41% return to the player
• 5-cent nickel slots: 100% minus 5.75% equals 94.25% return to the player
• 5-dollar slots: 100% minus 7.49% equals 92.51% return to the player
• 1-cent penny slots: 100% minus 11.03% equals 88.97% return to the player
• Megabucks: 100% minus 14.02% equals 85.98% return to the player

I understand that this is a lot of statistics. But consider what we learned even with this simple research of statistics from downtown Las Vegas casinos for June 2019:

1. The worst payout returns are on Megabucks
2. The second-lowest payout return is from penny slots
3. The third-lowest payout return is from $5 and $25 slot machines
4. The best returns, all very similar, are nickel slots, dollar slots, quarter slots, and multi-denominational slot machines

A further detailed analysis would be to perform the same straightforward payout return study on downtown Las Vegas casinos separated into three ranges of gaming revenue.

I’ll save this further analysis for another time. We’d need to run down the monthly gaming revenue for each casino, likely from their casino operator’s financial reports filed with the Security Exchange Commission.

4. The Many Wonderful Las Vegas Gambling Podcasts

So far, I’ve talked about gaming regulations and gaming revenue reports available from the state of Nevada. These topics were based on official information from the government. But, that’s not everything we have. There are also people like you.

More specifically, there are people like you that have enjoyed Las Vegas so much that they started a podcast about it. There are more than a few such Las Vegas gambling podcasts. In preparation for your next Las Vegas visit, start listening to them to learn a lot of tips and tricks from these Las Vegas experts.

Each show is more-or-less available anywhere you find podcasts. Some shows are former or current radio shows which distribute as a podcast so, again, look for them wherever you find podcasts.

If you’ve never listened to a podcast before, you might wonder how to start doing so. Here’s how. There are a selection of podcast apps and services on this webpage. It’s on the right side if you’re at a computer or at the end if you’re on a mobile device.

Those linked images go to my podcast show at those sites. After subscribing to my show, of course, use their search tool to find any of the following podcast show names:

• Five Hundy by Midnight
• Vegas Never Sleeps
• 360 Vegas
• You Can Bet on That
• Gambling with an Edge
• Vegas Confessions Podcast
• Vital Vegas

The longest-running Las Vegas gambling podcast is Five Hundy by Midnight: The Original Las Vegas Podcast. They’ve been at it since January of 2005 providing weekly episodes since then. At the time of this writing, they are up to episode #702. The hosts are relatively focused on Las Vegas news stories.

Vegas Never Sleeps by Steven Maggi is a former radio show now distributed as a podcast. He’s been broadcasting since 2008. His show is mostly thoughtful interviews with various Las Vegas entertainers and others. I was one of those other interviewees in March of 2018.

360 Vegas is a popular podcast about all things Las Vegas. They also host an annual meetup called 360 Vegas Vacation. The 2019 event, Twitter hashtag #360VV9, is on September 1-3, 2019. At the time of this writing, it’s still about a month away.

Gambling Podcast: You Can Bet on That, a podcast for the recreational gambler, is hosted by Mark and Dr. Mike. They have great chemistry and produce a fun and friendly show. While they are physically located in San Diego, they are so near Las Vegas and visit so often that they often talk about it.

Gambling with an Edge is a weekly live radio show in Las Vegas found afterward as podcast episodes. It’s hosted by Bob Dancer and Richard Munchkin of video poker fame. They interview professional gamblers, authors, and casinos insiders.

Vegas Confessions Podcast is all about the casino and gambling lifestyle. The three hosts are often in Las Vegas. They cover Las Vegas topics as well as gambling superstitions, casino games, food reviews, trip reports, and more.

Last but certainly not least is Vital Vegas by Scott Roeben. His blog, twitter feed, and podcast are incredible. He loves Las Vegas. Here you’ll find essential Las Vegas news, tips, deals, and (as he says) WTF. In my opinion, out of all the Las Vegas podcasts I mention here, pick Vital Vegas. You won’t regret it.

None of these podcasts have paid me to promote them in this blog. I like to listen to them and thought you might find them useful in preparing for your Las Vegas visit.

I should further note that this is not a comprehensive list of Las Vegas podcasts. For instance, I haven’t yet listened to the Faces and Aces Las Vegas podcast. Again, the podcasts listed are merely those I have discovered and enjoyed over time.

5. Downtown Versus the Strip

Las Vegas is famous for the Strip with its world-famous mega-resorts, shops, five-star dining options, and entertainment venues. But there is also the smaller and lesser-known historic downtown Las Vegas with its venerable casinos, museums, and zip line.

Comparing the Strip to Downtown is like comparing apples and oranges. Each location is a unique experience with different options. At a high level, I could perhaps best describe Downtown as where many locals go while the Strip is where out-of-towners tend to be.

How do I know this? Because of reported gaming revenue for the two areas. For 2018, the Las Vegas Strip had $6.6 billion in annual gaming revenue. Also for 2018, Downtown Las Vegas had less than 10% of that annual gaming revenue or $650 million.

The Strip has big casinos, big acts, and big everything else. Again, it’s world-famous and hardly a secret. Downtown Las Vegas is known as Old Vegas or merely Fremont Street. For many visitors, Old Vegas is the secret worth sharing.

Old Vegas is more than one secret. It is perhaps as many as 15 secrets, all by itself. In advance of your Las Vegas visit, consider reviewing this post from The Crazy Tourist, 15 Best Things to Do in Downtown Las Vegas.

If you are staying on or slightly off the Las Vegas Strip but want to visit downtown Las Vegas or vice versa, how do you get there? How far apart are they?

Downtown and the Strip are about two to five miles apart. With light traffic on Las Vegas Boulevard, it takes 15 to 20 minutes to drive from mid-Strip to the Fremont Street Experience. This time applies to driving your car, or taking a rental, including finding a spot to park.

Otherwise, there’s taking the bus, walking, rideshare services like Uber and Lyft, and taking a taxi. It’s a two-mile walk from the Stratosphere on the north end of the Strip.

6. When to Visit and When Not to Visit

Whether you visit the Las Vegas Strip, downtown Las Vegas, or both, winning at slots in Las Vegas means considering when to visit. This question has to do with the number of visitors in Las Vegas at any given time.

In 2018, over 42 million people visited Las Vegas. In June of 2019, 3.9 million people visited according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Bureau. Only 514,000 visitors, about 13% of the monthly visitors, were visiting in June to attend a conference.

Per month, most visitors are in March at less than 3.8 million while the least visitors were in February at 3.2 million individuals. Conference attendance is meager during December.

What I’m trying to do here by digging into these statistics isn’t to examine the number of visitors in a month or a year in the city of Las Vegas. What I’m trying to dig into relates to experiences my fanbase has been having when visiting Las Vegas.

What happens to them? Whether they are on the Strip or Downtown, they have been reporting that they win at slots on weekdays and lose playing slots on weekends.

Why? I can explain why, and touched on why above, but it hardly matters. This pattern exists, whatever its cause. And I want that you should know about it when planning your Las Vegas visit.

I touched on why this is above, about casinos being a business with fine control over their payout return statistics for slots. This control is now daily due to technological advances in casino operating systems. At most modern casinos, central computers control slot machine odds of winning.

As I have mentioned elsewhere, casino operators have been seeing an unprecedented number of casino visitors. To manage such large groups, casino operators needed to automate their casinos. Doing so allowed them to reduce their workforce while also providing them the ability to achieve their daily financial performance metrics.

Both changes resulted in significantly reduced operating costs. However, automation means casinos can quickly adjust the odds of winning on all their slot machines. When would they need to do this?

It’s a business decision. Casino operators universally decrease the odds of winning on slots machines during the weekends when hotels have higher occupancy. To keep some balance, they’ll also increase the odds of winning on slots during weekdays.

Nevada gaming regulations require a monthly revenue report from each casino. That’s a monthly report. Even if it was a weekly report, this difference in weekday and weekend payout returns is unnoticeable.

Both a weekly and monthly report shows the payout return average over their respective periods. Only a daily report would show the casino’s behavior of changing slot machine odds within a week.

But the Nevada gaming regulations don’t show daily gaming revenue reports. No state does. So, casino operators can do this without breaking any laws.

Based on experiences shared by my audience, there are lower odds of winning on slot machines starting by 10 a.m. on Friday through around sunrise on Monday morning. Further, the same reduction occurs on significant holidays or whenever Las Vegas has more extensive than usual crowds of visitors.

Please plan your Las Vegas visit accordingly, especially when choosing which day or days you plan on playing slot machines while there. In general, if there’s a crowd then be very cautious about risking your bankroll.

7. Candidate Winning Slot Machines in Las Vegas

Scott Roeben first mentioned the best slot machine I know about in Las Vegas. He runs the Vital Vegas blog, Twitter feed, and podcast. This slot machine is in Four Queens in downtown Las Vegas over by the cashier’s cage.

Scott posted a photo of this “Old Faithful” slot machine on Twitter along with its general area within the casino. It’s a 2-credit, $5 denomination Progressive Wheel of Fortune machine.

Being a $5 denomination slot machine, it’s high-limit. I don’t recommend playing high-limit slots unless you can afford the relatively large bankroll required to make 100 to 120 bets of $10 each. Don’t ever bet with any amount of money you can’t afford to lose.

Remember, winning by luck isn’t something with which I can help you or anyone else. Instead, winning because you have an excellent plan is something with which I can and do help.

Bonus Secret

Thanks for reading so far into this rather long post with so much statistics. You deserve a reward. And so here it is.

Less than two months ago, audience member James reported from the Four Queens Casino in downtown Las Vegas. Based on his experiences, they’ve set up their slot machines to provide a quick win or “taste” followed by no wins.

The advantage play to use in response to this casino setup is what I call my “Five Pull” approach. For slot machines there, make only five bets before moving to another slot machine. If you win anything at all, move on without making any remaining bets.

Optionally, if you can, try to play slot machines not played for at least a few minutes or longer. Of course, finding an idle slot machine isn’t possible on busy nights at the casino.

I explain this specific winning strategy in detail in my blog article Winning Strategy 1: Only Win Immediately.

Summary of Las Vegas Visit

In June of 2019, 3.6 million people visited Las Vegas. Next month, you might be one of them. Whether you’re a frequent traveler to Las Vegas or a newbie, this post helps you be better prepared for playing slots in Las Vegas.

When it comes to winning with slots at someplace you’re not as familiar with as your local casino, preparation with a little thought is the key to a successful trip.

Best Slot Machine Odds In Las Vegas

Join our Nevada slots community, a private and closed Facebook Group, for more advice from fellow lovers of slots and Las Vegas.

What Is The Best Slot To Play In Vegas

Have a great Las Vegas visit and let us know how it goes!

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Have fun, be safe, and make good choices!
By Jon H. Friedl, Jr. Ph.D., President
Jon Friedl, LLC