There are two types of players in the world: those that can quickly do math, and those that hold their breath and hope the coins falling from the digital sky are actually worth millions of dollars. This article is for the latter, the folks that can use some extra help figuring out how to easily convert credits into dollar amounts on the fly. That act of credit mastery is sometimes referred to as “casino math” and, thankfully, class is in session!
Disclaimer: The author of this piece is by (absolutely) no means a math wiz. She (me) has always struggled with calculations of the number variety and this issue is only compounded when gin and sodas are involved. For everyone’s benefit, we’ve listed out the most common slot denomination shifts and their accompanying quick math below.
Like with nearly everything in life, there are many ways to do things, drop your best casino math tips in the comments below!
1. 2 Cent
Multiply by 2, Add the Decimal
While 2 cent machines are seemingly becoming harder to find on the casino floor, there are still some popular titles that provide this option! 2 cent denomination is a great warm up for players looking to flex their casino math skills and it is perhaps the most exciting. This is because players simply need to multiply their total credits by 2 and put in the decimal for cents and dollars as you would 1 cent denomination. Suddenly, all payouts appear doubled*.
Example: 28.00 credits, multiplied by 2 and add the decimal = $.56
*It is still the same payout, doubling the credit amount just feels more exciting!
2. Dimes (10 Cents)
Move the decimal one to the left or multiply by 10
Players that typically play penny denomination but are looking to spice up their normal routine may want to consider dabbling with dimes. The dime denomination is one the easiest to convert from credits to dollars. There are two ways to get your final dollar amount. You can either slide the decimal point one place to the left or you can multiply the entire number by 10.
Example: 28.00 credits, move the decimal one to the left = $2.80
3. Quarters (25 Cents)
Divide by 4
Moving on to a little more advanced tabulations, for quarters (25 cent denomination) players will need to brush off their division skills. When selecting this denomination setting, players need to divide the total slot credits by four. This is easy to remember because there are four quarters in every dollar.
Example: 28.00 credits, divide by 4 = $7
4. 50 Cents
Divide by 2
Following 25 cent denomination, we turn our attention to 50 cents. For this one, players simply need to divide their credit total by two. The 50 cent denomination can be a little bit of a buzz kill because unlike the 2 cent denomination, players need to halve their total win instead of doubling it.
Example: 28.00 credits, divide by 2 = $14
5. Nickels (5 Cents)
Multiply by 5, Add the Decimal
Alright, now the math is really heating up. For some players, myself included, nickel conversions take the most brain power. For this denomination you need to multiply the credits by five, and then add in the decimal as you would the 1 cent denomination.
The good news is that theoretically, the longer it takes you to multiply your credits by five in your head, the bigger your payout should be! If you still need to break out a calculator you might be looking at a few hundred dollars or even a handpay.
Example: 28.00 credits, multiply by 5 and add the decimal = $1.40
Alternative: Multiply by 10, Divide by 2, Add the Decimal
Another way to reach the same result is to multiply by 10 and divide by 2 – this is a two step vs a one step process, but sometimes is easier for people to process mentally.
Example: 28.00 credits, multiply by 10 = 280, divide by 2 = 140, add the decimal: $1.40
I think there’s a typo on the Quarters example: 28 divided by 4 should be 7, not 9.
Thank you for catching that and sharing with us! It was indeed a typo on our part and we have corrected the mistake.
Im a penny player
That certainly makes the casino math easier :) Many of us here like to play pennies as well!