Par Sheet Slot Machine Definition
To determine whether an individual slot machine is per-forming as the vendor intended we first need to know the benchmark. This benchmarking information can be obtained from the probability accounting report or “PAR work - sheet.” Typically, this worksheet is provided by the vendor at the purchase date and is based on the game software. Since PAR sheets released to public eyes are a rarity, and knowing which payback a given slot machine is set to in a casino, it’s not going to give you information to pick out the winning slot machine or one that will pay you more than another (although as we said earlier, analyzing games with more public payout information, like Video Poker. Online Library Par Sheets Probabilities And Slot Machine Play Par Sheets Probabilities And Slot Machine Play When people should go to the book stores, search start by shop, shelf by shelf, it is in reality problematic. This is why we give the books compilations in this website. Not all slot machines will have the same set of play buttons, but in most cases these are really very similar. Usually a machine will have the “Spin Reels” button, which, as the name suggests, spins the reels. “Play Max Credits/Bet Max Coins” will make it possible to bet the maximum amount of credits allowed on that machine, and it is.
If you want to know the setting of a specific machine at a casino you go to, you best bet without contacts is to hope you can catch a glimpse when the machine is opened up and being worked on by a tech or attendant.
What is it you think you will see when the door is open??
ZCore13
What is it you think you will see when the door is open??
Not too much on the inside... cash box, TITO printer, electronic parts, wiring, maybe a paper log (but definitely not the PAR sheet). But I'm more interested in that video monitor which may turn into a touchscreen of menus and data. Depending on what they're doing, the tech/attendant might end up going to the screen that literally states the theoretical and actual return of that machine.
Not too much on the inside... cash box, TITO printer, electronic parts, wiring, maybe a paper log (but definitely not the PAR sheet). But I'm more interested in that video monitor which may turn into a touchscreen of menus and data. Depending on what they're doing, the tech/attendant might end up going to the screen that literally states the theoretical and actual return of that machine.
Usually you want the door to be closed, and for an attendant to be doing something with the menus/selections. Tipping the attendant would be a major NO-NO (and probably cause loss of job). Asking the GM sometimes works.For example, sometimes machines are being checked every two weeks, and the settings are being written down.
There are usually 2+ screens which have the return.
1) Configuration screen, which may have the 'base game return, e.g. without progressives or bonus rounds or fancy features', 'fancy features return', 'overall return'. There are games which have multiple 'returns' at different bets or on different themes.
2) Coin-in, coin-out screen which have the theoretical & actual return
3) Sometimes other screens have the name of the software 'X machine - version Y, Z%'
Warning: the configuration screen may have options selected/unselected which will decrease the return of the game.
If you want to know the setting of a specific machine at a casino you go to, you best bet without contacts is to hope you can catch a glimpse when the machine is opened up and being worked on by a tech or attendant.
Here is a little not so secret secret. Almost every casino in the U.S. uses the same key to access the Attendant menus on the slot machine. It is known as the 'Gold Key' or 'Bronze Key' or the '2341 key'. These keys are not hard to obtain. If you don't have a contact to get one, just buy an old used slot machine and the key will come with it.
The slot techs usually have them. I remember watching them change all of the pay tables, for the worse no less, at MotorCity a few years ago on all of their VP.
Oh my gosh. How did you ever recover from that trauma??
ZCore13
Oh my gosh. How did you ever recover from that trauma??
ZCore13
Never did!!!
Oddly, their revenue revenue from them is down. No idea why though!?!?
Had 4 sessions on it, all profits.
Here is a little not so secret secret. Almost every casino in the U.S. uses the same key to access the Attendant menus on the slot machine. It is known as the 'Gold Key' or 'Bronze Key' or the '2341 key'. These keys are not hard to obtain. If you don't have a contact to get one, just buy an old used slot machine and the key will come with it.
Pretty sure you can get these on ebay or places like that. You probably recall the Peppermill-Reno fiasco a few years ago. Off the top of my head the casino knowingly sent an employee around to the competition to open their machines on the sly and look around. Google it, I forget the details. But I think it cost them a million buck fine.
I once found a bulletin board where guys were asking for and trading par sheets and stuff. I forget the name and I think it stopped. I myself picked up a par sheet of Super-8 Race, one version of it. Let me tellya, there's a gazillion things they can do to that one game. Now that I know the basic setup, I personally thoroughly check out a new game entering my casino and never assume that it is like the ones that it joins.
- Appendices
- Slots Analysis
- Miscellaneous
Introduction
In the past I feared to show a concrete example on this page, not wanting to violate copyright laws. However, in the Netherlands, information on the reel stripping and probabilities of each win are sometimes posted on small cards on the machine. A fan of the site sent me the information provided on an IGT 'Red White & Blue' machine.
First, let me present the pay table. For those who are not familiar with the game, a 3-bar is in blue, a 2-bar is in white, and a 1-bar is in red.
Pay Table for Red White & Blue
| Win | 1 Coin | 2 Coins | 3 Coins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red 7, white 7, blue 7 | 2400 | 4800 | 10000 |
| Red 7, red 7, red 7 | 1199 | 2400 | 5000 |
| White 7, white 7, white 7 | 200 | 400 | 600 |
| Blue 7, blue 7, blue 7 | 150 | 300 | 450 |
| Any 3 sevens | 80 | 160 | 240 |
| 1 bar, 2 bar, 3 bar | 50 | 100 | 150 |
| 3 bar, 3 bar, 3 bar | 40 | 80 | 120 |
| 2 bar, 2 bar, 2 bar | 25 | 50 | 75 |
| Any red, any white, any blue | 20 | 40 | 60 |
| 1 bar, 1 bar, 1 bar | 10 | 20 | 30 |
| Any 3 bars | 5 | 10 | 15 |
| Any 3 reds | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Any 3 white | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Any 3 blues | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Blank, blank, blank | 1 | 2 | 3 |
After the player makes a bet and presses the spin button, the machine selects three random numbers, one for each reel. These are chosen from a random number generator that is constantly drawing random numbers at a rate of thousands per second. The numbers chosen at the moment the play is initiated are the ones used to determine the final outcome. In other words the outcome is predestined the moment you press the spin button.
In the case of Red White & Blue, each random number has 64 equally likely outcomes. Each random number is mapped to a stop position on what is called a 'Lookup Table.' The following is my estimate of what the Red White & Blue lookup table looks like, based on the total number of stops per symbol per reel, provided to me.
Lookup Table for Red White & Blue
| Stop Number | Reel 1 | Reel 2 | Reel 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 bar | 2 bar | 2 bar |
| 2 | 2 bar | 2 bar | 2 bar |
| 3 | 2 bar | blank | 2 bar |
| 4 | blank | blank | blank |
| 5 | blank | 3 bar | blank |
| 6 | 3 bar | 3 bar | 3 bar |
| 7 | 3 bar | blank | blank |
| 8 | blank | blank | blank |
| 9 | blank | blank | blank |
| 10 | blank | white 7 | white 7 |
| 11 | white 7 | blank | white 7 |
| 12 | white 7 | blank | white 7 |
| 13 | white 7 | blank | white 7 |
| 14 | white 7 | 1 bar | white 7 |
| 15 | white 7 | 1 bar | white 7 |
| 16 | white 7 | 1 bar | white 7 |
| 17 | blank | 1 bar | blank |
| 18 | blank | blank | blank |
| 19 | blank | blank | blank |
| 20 | 1 bar | blank | 1 bar |
| 21 | 1 bar | blue 7 | 1 bar |
| 22 | 1 bar | blue 7 | 1 bar |
| 23 | blank | blue 7 | 1 bar |
| 24 | blank | blue 7 | 1 bar |
| 25 | blank | blue 7 | blank |
| 26 | blue 7 | blue 7 | blank |
| 27 | blue 7 | blue 7 | blank |
| 28 | blue 7 | blank | blue 7 |
| 29 | blue 7 | blank | blank |
| 30 | blue 7 | blank | blank |
| 31 | blue 7 | 2 bar | blank |
| 32 | blank | 2 bar | 2 bar |
| 33 | blank | blank | 2 bar |
| 34 | blank | blank | 2 bar |
| 35 | 2 bar | 3 bar | blank |
| 36 | 2 bar | 3 bar | blank |
| 37 | blank | blank | 3 bar |
| 38 | blank | blank | blank |
| 39 | 3 bar | blank | blank |
| 40 | blank | blank | blank |
| 41 | blank | blank | blank |
| 42 | blank | red 7 | blank |
| 43 | blank | red 7 | red 7 |
| 44 | blank | red 7 | blank |
| 45 | red 7 | blank | blank |
| 46 | blank | blank | blank |
| 47 | blank | blank | blank |
| 48 | blank | blank | blank |
| 49 | blank | blank | 3 bar |
| 50 | blank | 3 bar | 3 bar |
| 51 | 3 bar | 3 bar | 3 bar |
| 52 | 3 bar | 3 bar | blank |
| 53 | 3 bar | blank | blank |
| 54 | blank | blank | 2 bar |
| 55 | blank | 2 bar | 2 bar |
| 56 | 2 bar | 2 bar | 2 bar |
| 57 | 2 bar | blank | blank |
| 58 | blank | blank | blank |
| 59 | blank | 1 bar | 1 bar |
| 60 | 1 bar | 1 bar | 1 bar |
| 61 | 1 bar | 1 bar | 1 bar |
| 62 | 1 bar | 1 bar | 1 bar |
| 63 | blank | blank | blank |
| 64 | blank | blank | blank |
Immediately after the random numbers are chosen they will get mapped to a stop on the machine via the Lookup Table, the outcome will be scored, and the player paid if he won anything. For example, if the random numbers chosen were 26, 8, and 43 the player would get Blue 7, Blank, Red 7.
Note how there are clusters of the same symbol in a row. For example, stops 60 to 62 on reel 1 all are mapped to a 1 bar symbol. These will all be directed to the same 1 bar symbol on the actual reel. There are exactly 22 groups of like symbols on each reel, which is the standard number of stops on an electro-mechanical three-reel slot machine, known as a 'Stepper Slot.'
Also note that only stop 45 on reel 1 is mapped to the red 7 symbol. However the blanks above and below it have five positions each. This causes the often seen near miss effect, where the reel stops directly above or below the highest paying symbol. Many people have written to me, claiming that this near miss effect is against the law. My slot machine Appendix 1 proves otherwise.
To calculate the return of the machine, add up the number of positions for each symbol on each reel, to get the total symbol weightings. The following table shows these totals. This table is what was indicated on the Red White & Blue machine in the Netherlands. The Lookup Table above, was reverse engineered to produce these total weights.
| Total Weights for Red White & Blue | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Stop Number | Reel 1 | Reel 2 | Reel 3 |
| Red 7 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| White 7 | 6 | 1 | 7 |
| Blue 7 | 6 | 7 | 1 |
| 3 bar | 6 | 7 | 5 |
| 2 bar | 7 | 6 | 9 |
| 1 bar | 6 | 8 | 9 |
| blank | 32 | 32 | 32 |
| Total | 64 | 64 | 64 |
With the weighting of each symbol and reel known, it is just take simple math to calculate the return. The following table shows the win, number of combinations, probability, and contribution to the return for all possible events. For example, the table above shows the number of white 7's are 6, 1, and 7, for reels 1, 2, and 3 respectively. The total number of winning combinations for three white sevens is thus 6 × 1 × 7 = 42.
Return Table for Red White & Blue
| Win | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red 7, white 7, blue 7 | 2400 | 1 | 0.000004 | 0.009155 |
| Red 7, red 7, red 7 | 1199 | 3 | 0.000011 | 0.013721 |
| White 7, white 7, white 7 | 200 | 42 | 0.000160 | 0.032043 |
| Blue 7, blue 7, blue 7 | 150 | 42 | 0.000160 | 0.024033 |
| Any 3 sevens | 80 | 1199 | 0.004574 | 0.365906 |
| 1 bar, 2 bar, 3 bar | 50 | 180 | 0.000687 | 0.034332 |
| 3 bar, 3 bar, 3 bar | 40 | 210 | 0.000801 | 0.032043 |
| 2 bar, 2 bar, 2 bar | 25 | 378 | 0.001442 | 0.036049 |
| Any red, any white, any blue | 20 | 113 | 0.000431 | 0.008621 |
| 1 bar, 1 bar, 1 bar | 10 | 432 | 0.001648 | 0.016479 |
| Any 3 bars | 5 | 7977 | 0.030430 | 0.152149 |
| Any 3 reds | 2 | 335 | 0.001278 | 0.002556 |
| Any 3 white | 2 | 1036 | 0.003952 | 0.007904 |
| Any 3 blues | 2 | 756 | 0.002884 | 0.005768 |
| Blank, blank, blank | 1 | 32768 | 0.125000 | 0.125000 |
| All other | 0 | 216672 | 0.826538 | 0.000000 |
| Total | 262144 | 1.000000 | 0.865761 |
The lower right cell shows a return of 86.58%. That means that for every dollar bet at the one coin level, the player will get back 86.58 cents, on average. Doing the same table for two coins results in a return of 86.58% as well, and three coins has a higher return of 87.47%, due to the disproportionately high win on the top two pays. The standard deviation is 9.03 for 1 or 2 coins, and 10.80 for 3 coins.
Igt Par Sheet
Other Information on Slots
- Appendix 1 shows the details and analysis of almost 4000 actual spins on a Reno slot machine.
- Appendix 2 shows an example of the virtual reels behind a hypothetical slot machine and how the average return is calculated.
- Appendix 3A Las Vegas slot machine rankings.
- Appendix 3B Jean/Primm slot machine rankings.
- Appendix 3C Tunica slot machine rankings.
- Appendix 3D Henderson/Lake Mead slot machine rankings.
- Appendix 3E Quarter and dollar returns for Las Vegas slots
- Appendix 3F Miscellaneous slot machine rankings.
- Appendix 4 shows how the return is calculated for my Wizard's Fruit Slot Machine
- Appendix 5 analysis of the 21 Bell Slot Machine.
- Lock and Roll analysis of the skill-based slot machine found in North Carolina.
- Baltimore Sun article in which I am quoted.
External Links
- For a simplified explanation of slots, please see my companion site Wizard of Vegas.
- German translation of this page is available at richtigspielen.com.
- Another decent overview of how slots work and some practical advice for playing them is How Slot Machines Work at VegasClick.com.
- PAR Sheets, probabilities, and slot machine play:Implications for problem and non-problem gambling by Kevin A. Harrigan and Mike Dixon, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. This is an outstanding academic paper that details how some popular slot machines were designed.
- Blazing Sevens simulator.