Fair play for digging into the numbers like that—slots always feel like a black box to me, so seeing someone crack it open and poke around is intriguing. I’ve never been one for spinning reels myself; I’m usually too busy sweating over football spreads to care about RNG payouts. But your experiment’s got me thinking about how the math holds up across different games. A 4% dip off the expected return after 700 spins tracks with the house edge, like you said, though I’d be skeptical of calling it a pattern with such a tight sample. Slots are built to grind you down slow and steady—kinda like a relegation scrap where the odds just keep stacking against you.
I’ve done similar tinkering with football bets, though. Last season, I tracked every punt I took on derbies—big rivalry games where the form book goes out the window. Ran 50 bets, all fixed stakes, mix of overs, both-to-score, and straight wins. First week was brutal, lost 60% of my stake chasing hyped-up odds. Mid-run, I hit a streak—cashed out on a few chaotic 3-2 thrillers—and by the end, I was only down 8%, which felt like a win given the volatility. The edge was still there, though, gnawing away at the margins. Point is, whether it’s slots or shots on goal, the numbers don’t lie over time—they just tease you with those little hot streaks to keep you hooked.
Your setup sounds solid for a week-long stab, but I’d reckon you’d need a month, maybe more, to really see if the machine’s payout dance matches the spec sheet. Ever thought about scaling it up? Or you sticking to this as a one-off curiosity? Either way, respect for logging the spins—most wouldn’t bother.
