Break the One-Armed Bandits!

Rating:
Summary: Business or Recreation
Review: Can the art of Gambling be considered a business or merely a recreation. FS introduces some scientific insights into the seemingly mindless activity of pulling the lever on a piece of apparatus designed to swindle users out of their hard-earned cash. Bearing that in mind, the money-management techniques appear to be of greatest value here. I am not a systematic gambler; the book goes on endlessly about selecting and using the machines wisely, but it is much deeper. It is really about pragmatic approaches to mathematics, psychology..........and success.....business.

Rating:
Summary: The ONLY Slots Book You'll Ever Need!
Review: Casinos are in the business of taking people's money. They are not a charity and they don't have a 30 day money back guarantee. It's a fact and no matter what spin they try to put on it, it's your wallet that they have in their sights. It's operation drain pocketbook. And according to some estimates, as much as 80% of a given casino's revenues now come from slot machines.

They are easy to play and you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure them out. Even the dumb kids can play them. Unlike table games which can be intimidating because of the interactions with other players and the complexities of the games themselves, you just put a couple of coins in and hit the little button or pull the magic lever. Who can't handle this?

It is because of this simplicity that slots generate the largest share of revenue for the gaming industry. In Blackjack, a player has lots of control over how much of an "edge" the house has. With a slot machine, it does what it is programmed to do and short of taking a sledge hammer to it - there is nothing you can do to change that - until now.

Frank begins with an excellent - but short and sweet - history of slot machines as they relate to the industry. He also describes how the machine actually works, which is of great importance to the player. Some of the most basic information he provided about today's "smart slots" dispels many myths: including the one of hot and cold machines and the infamious "it pays better when I don't use my [player's] card".

Not only is this title a learning experience, it helps the savvy slots player understand the forces at work behind the machines designed to take his money. Understanding how the machines work is half the battle - knowing how the casino works and why it works that way is the other half. And Frank does a remarkable job of quenching the readers' thirst for both.

Using Frank's techniques and information obtained from his interview with a casino slot executive who he refers to as "Mr. Handle", I have been able to locate the "loose" machines in even the tightest casinos. The information is not only on target, it makes perfect sense when one considers what is being said.

Frank's extremely revealing interview - quoted verbatim - has exposed so much about the placement of "loose" machines. And what's even more valuable is the fact that Frank has not only provided the locations but also the reasoning behind the locations.

Finally, the book contains a wealth of information that has been put into perspective about the slot player's long and short term prospects. Can you really come out ahead? According to Frank, yes - but only if you are careful and heed the warnings in this title.

For the few dollars you spend on this book, you may save yourself hundreds and maybe much more at the slots.

Rating:
Summary: Loaded with Valuable Information
Review: Frank Scoblete's "Break the One Armed Bandits" is just packed with interesting, fascinating and important information for slot players. I can break these down into the following areas:

1. Explains the RNG in a way that is understandable for nonmathematicians. The RNG as you may know controls what comes up on the reels.

2. Discusses which machines are loose and tight and where they can be found. Has an interview with a slot manager that is really mind-blowing.

3. Shows you what areas of the country have the best machines.

4. Explains which denomination of machine is the loosest.

5. Gives a complete history of the slot machine that is truly fascinating.

6. Discusses strategies to reduce your risk and increase your chances to come home a winner.

7. Shows how the house edge is achieved and what you should do about it.

8. Has great stories about slot winners and losers that you can learn from.

9. Offers ways of finding loose machines by observing other players. Great stuff about slot "natural selection."

10. Scoblete's style is just great and even difficult ideas are made easy to understand. When you finish this book you will have a complete knowledge of the slot machines.

Rating:
Summary: The Best Book on Slots
Review: I have read just about every book on slots but I resisted buying this one because I thought the information would be old and stale. Now having read it I have to agree with other reviewers that just about all slot books "borrow" heavily from Scoblete's work and are nowhere near as comprehensive. The book is a masterpiece of research and it is well written and extremely fun to read. I recommend this as the first and only slot stop you'll need before you try your hand at the one-armed bandits.

Rating:
Summary: THE Slot Machine Book
Review: If you are intent on playing the slots (which are always a negative expectation game), this book will introduce you to the methods that you need to have at least a minimal chance of winning over the long term. The author has many topics in the book, and they include : the history of slots, money management, how to select a machine, as well as various anecdotal stories about slot players. No person who plays slots even semi-regularly should do so without reading this book.

Rating:
Summary: Very funny, very enlightening, very good book
Review: This book is worth getting just of the inerview with "Mr. Handle," the casino executive who reveals where the loose and tight machines are generally located in casinos. The whole book is great, but this section alone is th emoney maker.

Rating:
Summary: Best Book I Have Ever Read on Slots!
Review: This book not only tells you where to find the loose and tight machines, it also explains exactly how today's machines differ from those of the past. But what truly sets the book apart is the author's writing style. Scoblete is a great writer. Even if you have no interest in the subject, his stories are so interesting and at times so funny that the book is hard to put down. My husband read it, loved it, and he hates slot machines! I recommend anyone even remotely interested in gambling get this book. It has many methods of play and tells you exactly what you need to know to try to beat the one-armed bandits.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing strategies--but good history of the machine.
Review: This book was somewhat disappointing--the strategies are so basic that they really don't add too much information that is useful to serious slot players. However, I did enjoy the sections on the history of the machines and the explanation of the current RNG (random number generator) functions in the slots. This explanation alone is worth the price of the book if you want to know how the new computerized machines actually determine their payoffs.

Rating:
Summary: I BROKE THE ONE ARMED BANDITS!
Review: THIS BOOK WAS VERY ENTERTAINING AND FULL OF GOOD ADVICE ON HOW TO COME HOME FROM THE CASINOS WITH WHAT YOU WENT WITH AND POSSIBLY MORE. AFTER READING THIS BOOK, AND FOLLOWING MR. SCOBLETE'S ADVICE I LEARNED THE SECRETS OF THE CASINO'S SLOT MACHINES, AND WHERE THEY PLACE THEIR GOOD PAYIING MACHINES, AND HOW THEY TRY TO CLEAN OUT YOUR POCKETS BY YOUR OWN GREED. I TOOK HIS ADVICE AND DIDN'T GIVE ANY OF MY WINNINGS BACK TO THEM. ANYTHING I WON I KEPT, AND DIDN'T GET GREEDY. I WENT WITH 500.00 TO ATLANTIC CITY'S HARRAH'S AND CAME BACK WITH 750.00!! I HAD FREE DINNER ON THEM WITH COMPS, AND ENJOYED MYSELF IMENSELY. I WENT HOME SATISFIED, AND HAD MONEY IN MY POCKET. THANKS TO THE AUTHOR I CAME UP AHEAD. THIS BOOK IS HIGHLY RECOMENDED, AND EVEN IF YOU DON'T WIN ANYTING, I AM MUCH MORE EDUCATED IN THE PROCESS.