In 2008, China's economic growth environment was favorable and still in a strong upward phase.
Among these, internet cafes and amusement arcades, representing the cultural and entertainment industry, both made indelible contributions to the country's economic development.
However, unlike internet cafes, amusement arcades could quickly generate revenue purely by operating gambling machines under the guise of legitimate entertainment.
Following Qin Lei into the Happy World Amusement Arcade, I saw familiar arcade machines from my childhood, such as "King of Fighters," "Knights of Valor," and "Journey to the West," among others.
But what dominated the scene were the dazzling array of various gambling machines.
These were all the currently popular slot machines, fishing machines, roulette machines, and so on.
After following Qin Lei through several twists and turns in the arcade, I finally spotted Sun Miao, who had safely escaped the cesspool of vice, in an area lined with slot machines.
To be honest, if Qin Lei hadn't been there to identify him, I would never have connected the person I saw before me with Sun Miao.
Because his appearance was... truly indescribable!
Of course, I'm not saying Sun Miao was ugly, but he looked far too aged.
Sun Miao, with his square face, wide mouth, and a full beard, wore the standard attire of a street punk: flip-flops and baggy shorts. His hair was slicked back and messy, and his eyes were dark and listless.
Not only was his appearance unkempt, but his clothing style was also somewhat unconventional.
Judging solely by his exterior, Sun Miao didn't resemble a vibrant young man at all. Instead, he looked more like a dispirited, listless middle-aged man.
Completely oblivious to the commotion nearby, Sun Miao was fully engrossed in his battle with the slot machine.
Unfortunately, in gambling, nine times out of ten, it's a scam.
In about the time it takes to smoke a cigarette, Sun Miao had already lost several hundred yuan.
For those who have played slot machines, you'll know that betting in smaller denominations is far more exciting and thrilling than betting in larger amounts.
"Damn it! This makes no sense!"
"After playing this long, it should be hitting the jackpot."
As he spoke, Sun Miao picked up the small basket of coins and began frantically feeding coins into the slot, preparing to add more credit.
Although Uncle Tuo hadn't taught me much about gambling machines and techniques, the principle remains the same.
As long as it's related to gambling, no matter how it changes, it boils down to patterns of winning and losing, and probabilities.
Therefore, during the time Sun Miao was adding credit twice, I gradually began to understand some of the tricks.
I can confidently say that whether it's in amusement arcades, card rooms, or casinos, the slot machines provided for gamblers are pre-set with payout ratios.
Generally, it's a seven-to-three payout, or even eight-to-two if it's particularly unfavorable.
Based on ten games, most slot machines will eat seven and spit out three, or eat eight and spit out two.
As for a nine-to-one payout, that's impossible.
They say prolonged illness makes one a good doctor; a nine-to-one probability might swindle new gamblers, but it definitely won't swindle addicted gamblers.
At this point, some of you might scoff at my words, thinking slot machines are purely a game of luck.
Where does this "eat seven, spit three" come from?
Is there even any skill involved!?
If you truly think that, then I can only say... I wish you the best when you're playing Three Card Poker, holding Aces and ready to sweep the table, only to be beaten by a 2-3-5 and question your life choices!
Hahaha, just kidding.
What does "the principle remains the same" mean?
It means no matter how much things change, they can't escape the fundamental nature they exhibit.
You must understand that slot machines are gambling machines designed by humans.
As long as they are designed by humans, there will be some patterns to follow, but most gamblers who are deeply involved can't grasp them.
Let me give you an analogy, just an analogy.
If you have the means, try what I'm about to say and see if it's correct.
Everyone knows that slot machines have phases like "eating coins," "spitting coins," "jackpot burst," and even "machine burst."
First, after identifying the machine you want to play, especially before you start, you must patiently observe for about seven to eight minutes, noting the subtle changes before and after it spits out coins.
When I say patiently, I mean you can watch others play first, or spend a hundred or two hundred yuan to slowly "fish" for the machine.
Don't be stingy with your money! Because you have to give to receive! You have to put in to get out!
If you want high returns without investing, it's purely a matter of luck.
Alright, back to the point.
Taking fruit slot machines as an example.
For "Big or Small": if you see the horizontal line above, press "Small" and the first button. If you see the vertical line on the left, press "Big" and the second button.
For "Odd or Even": if you see "Odd" and wait one second, press "Odd." If you see "Even" and wait two seconds, press "Even." If you see "Odd" and wait three seconds, press "Even." If you see "Even" and wait four seconds, press "Odd," and so on.
These techniques for "Big or Small" and "Odd or Even" are not guaranteed to win every time, but the win rate is at least very high.
And I can guarantee that it's definitely much higher than your win rate if you just close your eyes and guess randomly!
After discussing "Big or Small" and "Odd or Even," let's talk about the main gameplay.
When playing the fruit slots normally, pay close attention whenever the large colored light in the middle lights up. If the light goes out for two to three consecutive rounds, either switch machines immediately or just stop playing.
The reason is simple!
Every fruit slot machine has a set "coin-eating" phase. During this phase, it doesn't matter if you bet 1 yuan or 100 yuan; you won't get any coins back!
If the above situation doesn't occur, then when you hit the big bell, the next three spins are highly likely to be bells or oranges.
If you hit the big mango, it will likely be mangoes again.
If you're hesitant, you can place a small bet to test the waters.
If you don't win for 6-7 consecutive rounds, it means the machine is in its "coin-eating" phase again. Cutting your losses and leaving is the most sensible choice.
The seven-to-three payout I mentioned earlier doesn't mean seven consecutive losses followed by three consecutive wins.
For any fruit slot machine with a seven-to-three payout, you're basically guaranteed to win once within 2-3 rounds, at most 4 rounds.
If you manage to hit the big star, then the next few spins have a high probability of continuing to yield stars.
There's another point that many of you might have experienced: when you hit an apple, often the next spin will also be an apple.
Do you know why?
If you hit apples twice in a row, I can boldly tell you: within about 15 rounds, the fruit slot machine will definitely burst with coins, or even hit the jackpot!
There's about a 70% chance of this happening!
Although luck plays a certain role when playing fruit slot machines, true masters can still win money consistently without relying on luck.
At least I can do it effortlessly.
Why do they say gambling is nine times out of ten a scam, and nine times out of ten you lose?
It's because the win/loss probabilities of every gambling machine displayed publicly have already been pre-adjusted by people.
You appear to be losing to a cold, inanimate machine, but in reality, you're losing to cunning individuals!
...
After roughly figuring out the patterns of the fruit slot machine Sun Miao was playing, and seeing that he was losing more and more and seemed to be getting deeper into it, I walked directly to the machine, bet all the remaining credit in the upper right corner on "Big Three Yuan," and pressed the "Start" button.
"Son of a bitch! Who the hell is messing with this!?"
Just as Sun Miao was about to explode due to my sudden action...
"Big Three Yuan!"