Re: [MLUG - DISCUSSION] so who took the Eagles for the points?

[Mike Miller <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

On Mon, 7 Feb 2005, Vern Green wrote:

> I cannot bring myself to play slots. I understand they have laws that 
> require them to work randomly, but the fact they are all computerized 
> now just worries me about the ability for the house to cheat. I know 
> they can change the odds of payout on them. Slots are sucker bets, even 
> if they are "honest" they are the lowest payout game on the floor.


Define "random."  They won't cheat you because it is not in their best 
interest to do so.  In other words, you will have exactly the chance of 
winning that they promise.  What they do with their computers is make it 
so that certain "close" combinations come up at a higher than expected 
rate.  Suppose you need 7-7-7 to win a big prize.  The machine will 
produce 7-7-blah much more often than you would expect, but it will 
produce 7-7-7 exactly as often as it is supposed to.  Seeing 7-7-blah 
makes people think they "almost got it" - but they are wrong because the 
trials are virtually independent and getting two sevens the first time 
doesn't tell you anything about what will happen next time.

The results are random (really "pseudorandom") in the statistician's/ 
probabilist's sense of the word, but they do not follow the distribution 
you would expect.

Mike
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