Ask the Slot Expert: Going beyond just seeing the future on a slot machine

Last week I described a parlor trick in which, under certain circumstances, you could see into the future on a slot machine and know whether you were going to get a bonus on a spin before the machine has revealed that result.

Let's take it one step further this week.

I'll begin by describing an experiment.

Scientists showed test subjects randomly chosen images. Images fell into one of three categories: violent, calm, or explicitly sexual.

Each type of image triggers different sections of the brain. The subjects wore brain monitor caps so the scientists could record the brain waves triggered by each image.

The experiment generated the expected results. Each image triggered the expected section of the brain.

A closer examination of the results showed something unexpected. Some test subject's brains reacted before the image was shown.

These subjects' brains knew what kind of image was going to be shown and reacted to the image before the subject saw the image.

An even closer examination of the results revealed something no one expected to see. Some subjects' brains reacted not only before the image was displayed, but also before the random number generator had chosen which image to show. Their brains had the appropriate reaction to an image that hadn't been chosen yet.

What was happening? Is it possible that their brains were not predicting the future but creating it?

Buddha said, "With our thoughts, we create the world."

The next time I play the Diamond Quick Hit Link machine I wrote about last week, I'm going to imagine myself getting spins that have many Quick Hit symbols landing on the screen and I'm going to imagine spins with the bonus-triggering symbols appearing on the screen and triggering the bonus.

I'm going to try to use my thoughts to make the machine give me more high-paying spins.

Note: Today is April Fool's Day. But only half of this column is a prank. The experimental results I described are real. Dan Brown writes about the experiments in his latest book, The Secret of Secrets.

The test subjects who reacted after an image was chosen and before it was shown could somehow have been sensing the kind of image that was selected. What about the test subjects who reacted before the image was selected? Were they seeing into the future or creating it?

I don't really think I can influence the RNG with my thoughts. I'll probably have no effect.

I'll give it a try anyway. I have nothing to lose.

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Send your slot and video poker questions to John Robison, Slot Expert™, at slotexpert@slotexpert.com.

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Send your slot and video poker questions to John Robison, Slot Expert™, at slotexpert@slotexpert.com. Because of the volume of mail I receive, I regret that I can't reply to every question.

Copyright © John Robison. Slot Expert and Ask the Slot Expert are trademarks of John Robison.