For playing the slots, some rules of thumb

Rather, the majority of casino revenue is generated by that game where the results are decided by pure luck — slot machines.

About 70 percent of casino revenue in New Jersey is generated by slot machines, according to a recent report on slots by the American Gaming Association. And while playing the slots is devoid of a skill factor, and the odds are always in the casino's favor, you're better off if you can make some informed decisions as you go about playing them.

The first choice is determining whether you want to go for a huge, life-changing jackpot or simply want to get the most play possible for your investment. Usually, you can't have both.

So, how can you tell a high-jackpot (also known as high-volatility) machine as opposed to a high-hit frequency (low-volatility) machine?

"You have to look at the denomination of the machine, the maximum bet, and compare it to the highest jackpot," said Chris Downey, director of slot operations for Resorts Atlantic City.

Downey cited the traditional Blazing 7s $1 machines at his casino as an example of a high-frequency machine because the maximum wager is $3, and the jackpots are in the $1,000 to $1,200 range. Those aren't life-changing jackpots, but they hit relatively often, and so do the smaller payouts.

Another machine with the same $3 max bet that pays $5,000 or $10,000 might be more tempting because of the sweeter top prize, but the hit frequency will be lower for both the big jackpot and smaller payoffs.

"The best advice is to read the award panel on the machine and don't play until you understand it," Downey said.

One rule of thumb regarding slots has been to always play a machine where you can afford the maximum bet, because if you wager less than that, you'll miss out on the grand prize jackpot if it does hit.

While that's often true, it is not the case in a new generation of slots at Resorts and other casinos, Konami's Advantage Revolution machines. In addition to having some whiz-bang graphics and animation where the screen seems to spin on an axis in bonus rounds, the Advantage Revolution slots have a triple-tiered progressive jackpot, and even the minimum bet, 35 cents at Resorts, allows the player to be eligible for the top prize because 10 cents goes into the progressive payoff pool. So, whether a player puts in the minimum (35 cents) or the maximum ($2.60), the jackpot is in play.