Re: Cats are neither a solid nor a liquid.
"weird addiction to slot machines..."
Speaking as someone who once had the lovely job of writing code for such beasties, I can tell you they are the ultimate cheat machines. Anything labelled as a "skill feature" (You know, where you have to stop reels, nudge them, stop a lamp trail lighting at a given point to win a prize) have determined, before you push the button, whether you are going to "win" or not. This is why most of these machines are listed as Amusement With Prizes (AWPs) rather than slot machines, or automated gambling etc. The idea of automated gambling is strictly limited in the UK, though you'll note that the gloves come off the moment you step on a cruise or ferry.
I love these people who write books on "systems" for beating bandits, AWPs etc. They are so full of crap. The only rule that's worth knowing is the UK law on AWP return rates. Many machines are listed as having "Play/Return" rates upwards of 60%; some as high as 80%. What that means is that, in a given period of play (a day or a week for example, depending on local settings) the machine is likely to pay out the return rate. If a machine takes £100 quid in, then it'll pay out between £60 and £80. but the Play/Win rate will be WAY less; perhaps as little as 2%. That's the chance of you winning more than has been put in in a given play period.
Therefore, sometimes, you can watch a machine in a pub eat someones tenner and payout bugger all then you drop a quid in and win a fiver. All that's happened is that the machine has made a profit (£6 in this example) and you've won some of the last mugs money (£5).
Anyone who tells you there is a way to beat these machines, other than by camping them for days and watching the ones that haven't paid out for a while, is talking cobblers.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
