Originally Posted by mickeycrimm View Post
Originally Posted by acescracked_1210 View Post

Originally Posted by smurgerburger View Post
Wow. Of all the people I've heard wonder about this (including me), nobody else bothered to just compare the listed pays at the different denominations.
He can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Prozema was implying that he thought the reel strips themselves in the main game were different at the higher bet levels. I don't believe that's the case. I think the difference in base game return is solely due to the extra money taken out to fund better bonuses.
The 75 level returns more units in the freespins than the higher bets levels but the frequencies to get to the multipliers are longer. The overall return to player is about the same on all 4 bet levels but big differences in the configurations. The 75 and 160 levels are pretty close in configuration but the 250 and 400 levels are quite different; smaller main game returns, shorter frequencies on the multipliers but also lower returns in the freespins.
Small(ish) sample size, but I'm not sure I agree with the first part of your first sentence. The $2.50/$4.00 bet levels are quite heavily played in my locale. Current numbers are as follows:

2x;

$.75: 3.248 bets/spin, 1026 free spins played
$1.60: 3.305 bets/spin, 1077 free spins played
$2.50: 3.279 bets/spin, 864 free spins played
$4.00: 3.563 bets/spin, 889 spins played

The sample is small enough that I could just be running good at the $4.00 level. It's also possible that the machines here are set at a higher overall RTP, as I am in a highly competitive market.

I'm using your methodology of only counting the initially awarded number of free spins in the sample.

On a personal note, good to see you back. Don't rush things. Setbacks can and do happen, and a majority of the time over-exertion plays a big role. Glad you're OK, Mick.