Play by the rules and the one-armed bandits will still win

Page 2 of 2 -- Because the Nevada board calculates return percentages only for geographic areas rather than for specific casinos, there's no easy way to know individual casinos' return percentages in Las Vegas -- unless you're as committed to finding out as Michael Shackleford is. A few years ago, this former government actuary turned self-employed gaming consultant conducted a study of Las Vegas casino slot machines. He played nickel machines at dozens of casinos and kept meticulous notes on his results. He found rates varying from a high of 93.42 percent (at the Palms) to a low of 85.02 percent (at the airport). His complete results are posted on his website, wizardofodds.com. (These numbers do not apply to slots that take quarters or dollars.)

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Things get even more complicated if you try to compare return percentages on different games (say, slots versus craps). Still, while all slot machines are not created equal, Shackleford has one tip for playing the slots: Don't.

''Slots are a very bad bet," he says. ''I wouldn't ever play the slots, even at the best casinos." He tries to direct people toward video poker instead, ''which offers a much better bet." He suggests if you do go in for video poker, you should study strategies before you play; see his website for resources to learn more.

Still, if you're one of the people contributing to that billion-dollar bottom line for the casinos, and losing doesn't bother you, Shackleford and the website slotadvisor.com have some tips for playing the slots to help you win -- or, more accurately, to help minimize your losses.

If you play the maximum number of coins, most video poker and slot machines give a marginally higher payout. If you stick with one denomination at a time, it is better to play one quarter than three nickels. This is because casinos generally increase the return percentage as the coinage goes up. For example, according to the Connecticut Division of Special Revenue, in fiscal year 2002-03, nickel slots at Mohegan Sun offered 86.58 percent return, the $5 slots 94.61 percent.

Never leave or play a machine that owes you money. Sometimes a machine will run out of money before it is finished paying off. If you get up, someone else can sit at the machine and claim they hit the jackpot -- which was yours.

Stay away from machines in places where most gamblers are ''transients" -- at the airport, for example. Also, while some specialists believe slots closest to the casino door offer the lowest return percentages, Shackleford found that, in most cases, this wasn't true. In other words, if one nickel machine had a certain return, then all others like it, regardless of their placement in the casino, returned the same percent.

Look into frequent-player programs run by casinos -- if you don't mind getting on mailing lists. The more money you spend, the more points you acquire; you can cash in the points for rooms, meals, merchandise, and shows.

Decide on your primary goal before starting to play. Is it to play for three hours? Not to lose more than a hundred bucks?

Stop when you've reached your goal.

Betsy Block is a freelance writer in Arlington.