Customer Reviews

The Slot Machine Answer Book: How They Work, How They've Changed, and How to Overcome the House Advantage

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

There are two "must have books" on slots. Frank Scoblete's "Break the One Armed Bandits" and now this one. Most slot books insult the readers' intelligence. These two books don't. Grochowski is a very good writer and his explanations of how the machines work and how to approach them are excellent. It is also a very enjoyable book to read as it is written in a question and answer format. You should try to answer the questions yourself in a given section before reading the author's explanations. I recommend this book to all of you who are interested in slots.

This is much more than just a guide to how to get the most out of the slots, although it does an admirable job of that. It explains how the slots work, how the odds work, development of the games, where to play for the best paybacks. It's also really easy to read and understand in its question and answer format. It has a cautionary tone and doesn't make promises of untold riches, and yet explains how to get an edge. It tells of some specific beatable games, and yet it recognizes that games come and go, so it concentrates more on explaining the principles of finding beatable games. I find this book just incredibly honest, understandable and valuable.

This is a really comprehensive book, whether you're looking for fun stuff like where the fruit and bar symbols on slots came from, or looking to bust some myths like whether a slot is ever due for a jackpot, or what to look for in tournaments or slot clubs. Lots of good stuff.

I have to disagree with the previous reviewer ... a book doesn't get any easier to follow than this one. The start of each answer paraphrases the question. You can easily browse through, reading the answers as a series of essays on slots, without ever taking the quizzes. To me, breaking down the volume of information into short, digestible essays makes this one of the most user-friendly books on slots around. It goes beyond Break the One-Armed Bandits with information on video slots and slot clubs. Definitely a must for slot players.

I agree with Karl from New York that this and Scoblette's Break the One-Armed Bandits are the two best slot books on the market. I've read just about all the slots books so I know. What sets Grockowski and Scoblette apart is the fact that these writers can write. They are professional writers who know how to interest a reader. The information is accurate, the anecdotes fun and informative. Grockowski's book is filled with insights and stories. I love the way he tests your knowledge before he answers and elaborates on his information. His other book, The Casino Answer Book, is also a very fine book. I read that about a year ago. In a field, gambling writing, where semi-literates have dominated over the years, it is refreshing to have some good writers appear.

The way that this book is set up is that the author gives you a series of questions, and then the answers. Personally I did not care for this format. Part of the problem is that by the time you get to the answers, it is easy to have forgotten the exact wording of the questions. I think that it is ok to have a quiz after the information is presented, like some of the Dummies and Idiots books might do, but I did not care for the quiz first format. If you know NOTHING about slots, this is not a good first book to read.

Some of the chapters were more interesting than others, and more useful. I did not really care for some of the chapters about the different manufacturers of the machines, and thought that it was pretty difficult to take a quiz on this information.

Many of the themes are repeated over and over, such as how the machine is random. Sometimes this becomes a dead horse that is beaten. I know there are a lot of misconceptions about slot machines, so maybe this is neccessary.

Overall a good book, but I preferred Break the one-armed bandits better. Perhaps that is because I read "Break" first, and it was such a ground breaker. This book even quotes "Break" a few times.

The book is somewhat informative on the basic functions of the newer slot machines. It also contains some interesting info on the origins of slots and how they progressed. It has useful information on how they function and even some BASIC ideas on how to approach playing certain machines. It's easy reading and entertaining, but not for a serious "how to beat the slots" type player. It reads more like a discussion of slots as compared to a how-to type book.

i spent 10 bucks for the book read it i made $660 the first time playing slots.......i say i made my money back....$660 stars,,,,

Book informed me of a few things I wasn't aware of but didn't much cover the small Indian casinos prevalent in our area which is all we play in. Would possible be O.K. for anyone that travels around some.

It all boils down to luck or no luck. No book will help you win in slots.