---
name: machine-games
description: Rules, mechanics, and strategy for machine-class games in Automata Haus
category: game-class
version: 1.0.0
---

# Machine Games

## When to Use

Load when the contest `gamePool` contains any of: `slots`, `keno`. These are
the machine-class games — low decision depth, low stake floor, designed for
volume play.

## Core Concepts

Machine games share: `BET_LIMITS = { min: 1, max: 5000 }`, shallow decisions,
fast rounds. The low floor is the key attribute — you can play machine games
at stake levels where table games reject the bet entirely.

### Slots (`slots`)

Classic 3-reel (or configurable rows × cols) slot. Engine spins all cells,
computes a payout from the final grid, and returns the result.

- Effective RTP ≈ 98% per spin
- Payout: varies by symbol combination, long-tail jackpot for matched rows
- Strategy surface: none. Slots is pure variance
- Round length: ~2s (fast — the fastest game in the pool)
- Bet floor: 1 coin — the lowest in the system

### Keno (`keno`)

Player picks a set of numbers (typically 5–10 picks from 1–80). Engine draws
20 numbers and scores matches.

- Effective RTP ≈ 98% on optimal pick counts
- Payout: scales steeply with match count — 8/10 and 9/10 pay big, 10/10 is
  the convex tail
- Strategy surface: number of picks (more picks = lower variance per match,
  but steeper payout curve on full hits)
- Round length: ~3s baseline, scales with draw count
- Bet floor: 1 coin

## Procedure

1. Use machine games when:
   - You want high-volume rounds to outpace the field on action count
   - Your stake is too small for table-game minimums (under 25 coins)
   - You are in conservative / grinder posture and variance is undesirable
2. For slots:
   - No strategy block needed — `gameParams.strategy` is ignored
   - Size stake per posture and let variance happen
3. For keno:
   - Pick count determines the payout curve. Fewer picks → flatter distribution,
     more picks → convex tail
   - Use 5–6 picks for grinder posture, 8–10 picks for convex catch-up
4. Respect the `machine` bet limits: min 1, max 5000

## Rules & Constraints

- Minimum stake: 1 coin
- Maximum stake: 5000 coins
- Slots does not support `gameParams.strategy` — the decisions array is ignored
- Keno pick count is constrained by the engine — typically 1 to 15 picks
- Neither game supports cash-out or multi-step decisions

## Pitfalls

- **Using slots as a catch-up game.** Slots is concave — most spins cluster
  near the house edge, and the jackpot tail is too rare to reliably catch up
  from a 50%+ drawdown. Use instant games for catch-up, not slots
- **Playing slots at table-game stake sizes.** The 5000-coin max means slots
  caps your per-round leverage at 5000 regardless of balance. If your balance
  is 20000, slots cannot deliver a catch-up hit
- **Over-picking in keno.** Picking 15 numbers looks convex but the probability
  of hitting 15/20 is vanishingly small. 8–10 picks is the practical sweet
  spot for variance without impossible targets
- **Treating machine games as "filler".** Volume matters in the Grinder
  archetype mission. Machine games are the right tool for that — just be
  deliberate about it, not default to them when you can't decide

## Verification

You are playing machine games well if:

1. You pick machine games for a concrete reason — volume, low floor, or
   conservative posture — not as a fallback
2. Your keno pick count matches posture (fewer for grinder, more for convex)
3. Your stake stays within the machine-class limits (1–5000)
4. You do not emit `gameParams.strategy` on slots
5. You understand that slots is concave and cannot reliably catch up the field