The post by Soltis, #121990, is an excellent take on what life is like for a machine pro. A lot of the analyzinig I do goes for naught. But every once in a while I find a gem. So I have to keep at it.
A machine pro is not just in competition against the casinos. He/she is also in competition against other knowledgeable players. So when something is found you have to keep it to yourself as long as possible. All plays end sooner or later. I've seen more plays come and go than Carter has pills. It's just a routine part of machine pro life.
The more knowledgeable a machine pro is the more he has a leg up on the competition. I've been studying machines for 16 years. I still am today. The knowledge and experience I gained from advantage slots of yesteryear makes it fairly easy for me analyze many of the new games that hit the casino floor today.
I'll give away one current thing that I'm doing. Not long ago I learned that Michael Shackelford, the Wizard of Odds had deconstructed some video line games like Jackpot Party and Hexbreaker....and put it up on his site. So when I get a little spare time here and there, I'm over on his site studying his technique. I'm a sadly miserable mathematician compared to Shackelford. The process of analyzing the games is extremely complicated for me. So I've tried to soak it in in bits and pieces. I think that I will eventually get the entire process down.
Why am I studying Jackpot Party and Hexbreaker, two negative EV games? Because I know that Shackelford's technique of deconstruction can be applied to video line game progressives. I've already started my own deconstruction of a new video line game that goes positive and has a hittable progressive jackpot bonus. This is the kind of stuff a guy has to do to stay a leg up on the competition.
