Loose Slot Machines Vegas
Wouldn’t it be great to know the loosest slots in any Las Vegas casino? Well, you can, and it’s easier than you might think.
- Red Rock Casino won Best of Las Vegas 2015 for Paying Slots! Translation, our slots are loose, way loose. Over 3,000 machines. Bet big and win big today!
- This year, the second-loosest slots in the nation—and the loosest in Nevada—are in the Reno/Tahoe area, with 94.96 percent of wagers returned to players. That was enough for Reno to squeak by our third-place finisher nationwide, the Boulder Strip—the group of properties along Boulder Highway in southeast Las Vegas that includes Sam’s.
How To Find Loose Slot Machines Vegas
Before we provide you with a list of the best casinos for slots in Las Vegas, we would like to clarify a few things. A loose slot in one casino can be programmed at a payback of 99%, while the same slot in another casino will be programmed at 90% payback. The programming is not universal and almost always differs from one casino to another.
A “loose” slot, of course, refers to a machine that pays out frequently and in large quantities, every player’s dream. Those machines are also described as being “hot.”
In the parlance of casinos, loose slots can be said to have the lowest casino “hold.” The hold percentage is the part of a machine’s “coin in” that the casino keeps. Hey, these casinos aren’t going to carpet themselves.
The lower the hold percentage, the more a slot machine pays back to guests. The secret to finding the loosest slots in a casino, then, is knowing which machines have the lowest hold percentage.
Many believe this information is a closely-held secret, but here’s an easy way to find out which slots are the loosest: Ask someone who knows.
Crazy, right? Every casino with slot machines has a Slot Manager, often called the Slot Operations Manager. This person, who you will never see without a suit and tie (yes, they tend to be male), knows precisely what the hold percentages are for given machines, or more typically for banks of machines.
It’s the Slot Manager’s job to monitor how machines are performing, if they’re delivering sufficient profit to the casino given the space they take, if new machines are needed, where they should be placed on the casino floor and myriad other duties.
If you want to know which slots in a casino are the “loosest,” simply ask a Slot Manager.
These are some of the loosest slots at The D Las Vegas. How do we know? We asked.
Here’s how.
Ask anyone on the floor if the Slot Manager is available to chat. Slot attendants and cocktail waitresses can be very helpful tracking them down. Hint: Be professional and courteous.
Introduce yourself to the Slot Manager and let them know you’re interested in locating the slots with the lowest hold percentage on the floor. Slot Managers are busy people, so while there’s no harm in schmoozing, don’t be shy about getting to the point.
In most cases, a Slot Manager will either point you toward a bank of machines or escort you there. Express your appreciation accordingly, and it’s time to play!
That’s it. No, really. It’s that easy.
All this begs the question: Why would a casino employee tell a player the best-playing slots in the casino?
Simple: Casinos just want people to play, they don’t care which machines they play on.
Why? Because no matter which machine you play, the house has the advantage. It’s built right into the machine’s microprocessor. Even if a machine has a great payback percentage, say 98%, it will keep $2 for every $100 put into the machine. Many machines keep significantly more.
As a rule, slots are looser at locals casinos than downtown casinos, and both pay back more than slots on The Strip. The more you know.
Now, if you can’t locate a Slot Manager, you can fall back on tried-and-true ways to find the best-paying slots.
Loose Slot Machines In Las Vegas
A solid rule-of-thumb is the more active a bank of slots is, the higher the payouts tend to be. Casino regulars see patterns, so follow their lead.
It’s also good to know that the higher the machine’s denomination, the more generous and frequent the payouts. For example, a $5 coin machine is going to have a higher payout percentage than a quarter machine, and so on.
And finally, don’t discount the advice of those slot attendants and cocktail waitresses we mentioned. They, too, can see patterns in machine payouts. They may not be privy to the same information a Slot Manager has, but they can often point you toward the machines showing signs of being “hot.”
The next time you’re in a casino, remember our simple tip for finding the loosest slots: Ask a Slot Manager.
And remember to have fun when you play. That way, whether Lady Luck is in the mood or not, you’re always a winner.
The infamous gambling capital, Las Vegas, is home to more than 100,000 slot machines. The old one-armed bandits have been around for nearly a century now, and over all that time, they’ve evolved to say the least.
Las Vegas reigns supreme when it comes to the slots. The city’s epicenter shifted from Downtown to present-day Las Vegas Boulevard, and the Strip is home to over 30 casino resorts. If your main focus is finding the best places on the Strip to play slots, this page is for you.
Using the latest payback percentage rates, which are also known as return to player (RTP) rates, a team of gambling researchers from the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) recently conducted a survey of every Las Vegas casino’s slot machine inventory.
Based on that payback percentage data, the list below presents the seven best places to play “loose” slots, or machines which offer a higher than average payback percentage, whenever you visit the heart of Las Vegas.
1 – Circus Circus Hotel and Resort
So, let’s start with the glass half empty side of the Circus Circus to get it out of the way… This place is kind of a dump.
The big top theme hasn’t been interesting in 20 years, and nothing else inside of the Circus Circus has been updated either. Renovations were announced in the latter half of 2019, but the décor at the time of this writing is significantly dated.
On the other hand, if you don’t mind “slumming it” for a spell, playing slots at the Circus Circus scoresan average payback percentage of 92.56%, the highest offered by any casino on the Las Vegas Strip. And if you happen to have the family in town, Circus Circus is still the best casino in town in terms of non-gambling entertainment for the kids to enjoy.
The aptly named Slots A Fun has been a staple of old-school Las Vegas gambling for generations now, and this gritty gambling hall is home to a diverse collection of “Classic Coin Machines.” These are the big iron boxes of old, which still take quarters and use a pull-lever to send the reels spinning. You’ll also find Classic Coin Machines for $1 a spin over at the Main casino.
Circus Circus’ sterling 92.56% payback rate, which outdoes the Strip’s overall average of 91.47% by more than a full percentage point, is bolstered by the popular Magnificent 7 slot machine. This three-reel design classic produces an average payback rate of 97.4%, good for some of the most favorable slot machine odds out there.
The Magnificent 7’s machine uses a $1 coin denomination, and because it pays out the $1,000 jackpot with such regularity, many slot fans exclusively play this game.
If you’re in the mood for a something a little different, take a whirl on the Carousel, a spinning platform outfitted with penny slot machines and offers a great view of the daily Circus performance.
2 – Luxor Hotel and Casino
Even if you didn’t know its name, the Luxor is likely the first casino resort on the Strip to catch your eye during the initial after-hours excursion in Sin City.
A gleaming black pyramid seemingly taken straight out of the Egyptian sands and relocated to the Mojave Desert, the Luxor Hotel & Casino is best known for shining a bright beam of light straight from its peak into the skies above. This obelisk of light can be seen from miles away, making it one of the dominant features of the Strip’s skyline.
Head inside, and you’ll find more than 1,100 slot machines at the Luxor, one of Las Vegas’ largest inventories. They collectively offer an average payback rate of 91.92%. The massive selection covers everything, from classic three-reel machines to modern video slots equipped with movable seats and sound effects, so slot players of all stripes will feel at home.
Coin denominations here range from $0.01 to $100, and those bets put players in the mix for jackpots that can eclipse the eight-figure plateau. As an MGM Resorts operated casino, the Luxor makes sure to spread all of the best progressive jackpot slot games, including Megabucks, Wheel of Fortune, and Millionaire 777’s.
3 – Paris Las Vegas
If you’re loyal to Caesars Entertainment properties and their Total Rewards program, rather than MGM Resorts and the M life card, you can head across Las Vegas Boulevard to Paris and find the exact same 91.92% overall payback rate.
The slot selection at Paris is impeccable, with more than 1,700 different machines dotting the well-appointed casino floor.
Playing slots at Paris is a treat in more ways than one, thanks to the property’s world-class dining, shopping, and entertainment options.
4 – Excalibur Hotel and Casino
A step up from Circus Circus if you’re visiting Las Vegas with little ones, Excalibur is famous for its medieval castle theme.
You’ll be greeted at the entrance by “town criers” dressed in traditional medieval garb, complete with Old English dialogue all the rest. Every night sees the white and black knights battle it out in a full-on jousting tournament, while audience members munch on oversized turkey legs and swill wine from a goblet.
Indeed, the ambiance at Excalibur is certainly unique to say the least…
As for the slot lineup, you’ll find hundreds of slots at Excalibur, running the gamut from $0.01 to $100 stakes. All of the most popular machines are here too, including 88 Fortunes, Buffalo Grand, Dancing Drums, Monopoly Hot Shot, and so much more. All told, Excalibur’s slot menu offers a 91.84% payback rate on average, good enough to beat the baseline for casinos along the Strip.
One of the coolest things about playing slots at the MGM-owned Excalibur is the seasonal tournaments that run once every month or so. Tournaments like the “Excaliventure” or the “Riptide Reels” offer $25,000 prize pools in a unique format, as players try to spin their way to the highest profits over a given period of time.
5 – Bally’s Las Vegas Hotel and Casino
The Caesars-owned Bally’s makes up for its worn-down appearance and generally uninspired interior with a long lineup of high-paying slots.
All told, the hundreds of slot machine games spread by Bally’s combine for an average payback rate of 91.82%.
Bally’s is the definition of a “no-frills” casino at this point, so expect to find all of the slot industry’s staple titles and jackpots without much in the way of cutting-edge technology.
But while the machines here might be dated, the players grinding them have a much higher chance to win than across the street at Bellagio, where the luxurious surroundings and fancy amenities mask one of the Strip’s worst payback rates at 87.42%.
6 – O’Sheas Casino
If the vibe at Bally’s is a no-frills affair, playing slots at O’Sheas is like stepping into another world altogether.
This Irish-themed casino within a casino is technically part of the LINQ, a relatively new addition to the Strip’s landscape which was rebranded in 2014 by Caesars Entertainment. If you visited Las Vegas before that, you probably know The LINQ as The Quad or Imperial Palace.
As for O’Sheas, it previously occupied a location of its own near the Flamingo before relocating to the LINQ in 2013. But moving didn’t do a thing to change O’Sheas famous Irish pub-inspired ambiance, which is best known for $1 drinks, beer pong tables, and an intimate setting.
The slots at O’Sheas average a 91.48% payback rate, so even though the selection might be a bit limited compared to other venues on this list, you’ll still be above the Strip average.
7 – New York-New York Hotel and Casino
Coming full circle, the New York-New York casino is what Circus Circus could be if the latter had any ambition.
This MGM Resorts property boasts all of the “extras” gamblers today have come to expect, complete with cafes and restaurants, retail shopping outlets, a variety of bars, and in-house shows. Kids are welcome here too, what with a full-scale video game arcade, carnival games, and the famous roller coaster twisting and turning outside.
New York-New York is also home to more than 1,500 slot machines covering all the bases, including the ubiquitous brands shown below:
- Wheel of Fortune
- Megabucks
- Jackpot Party
- Blazing 7’s
- Top Dollar
- Sex and the City
- Monopoly
- Goldfish
- Wizard of Oz
Add them all up and you’ll find an average payback rate of 90.99%. That’s only 1.57% lower than the Circus Circus, making New York-New York the perfect alternative for sharp gamblers who know the value of a family-friendly casino that’s also safe and clean.
Conclusion
Playing the slots is a time-honored ritual among recreational gamblers, and for many visitors to Las Vegas, it’s the only game they’ll ever play. Knowing that any spin can potentially produce a life-changing jackpot sets the slots apart from more modest table games like blackjack and baccarat, and the thousands of themes ensure one session will seldom sound, look, and feel like the next.
Naturally, the slot scene along Las Vegas Boulevard is just as eclectic as its multicultural-inspired skyline and carnival-like sidewalks. The games, stakes, themes, and jackpots span the spectrum from traditional to postmodern, but armed with this list of the seven best slot machine venues found on the Strip, you’ll always enjoy the best odds around.