How to Track AP Results

Tracking tests the process—not your memory

A win/loss total tells you what happened to the bankroll, but it does not explain why you played or whether the original assumption was reasonable. Useful records connect the starting state, wager, decision and outcome so that repeated patterns can be reviewed later.

Record every qualifying session, including losses, abandoned plays and situations where you passed. Selective records create selective conclusions.

Record the starting state before wagering

Begin with the exact game title, cabinet or version, casino, date, time and bank location. Then document the visible meters, collectors, jackpot values, reel positions or other persistent elements you believed were relevant.

Photos can help when casino rules permit them, but written values are still important. Use the free AP Slot Scouting Checklist to capture the machine state and uncertainty before the first spin changes the display.

Track the wager and decision

• Denomination, bet level and total wager.
• The feature or jackpot believed to be active.
• Why the state met—or failed to meet—your play criteria.
• The source of the assumption: help screen, public documentation, observation or model.
• Any information that remained estimated or unverified.
• The stop condition selected before play.

If the wager changes, record when and why. The lesson on Bet Level & Denomination explains how different settings can affect both cost and feature eligibility.

Record the financial result consistently

Use the same definitions every time. At minimum, record the amount committed, amount returned and net result. When available, also record coin-in, coin-out, time played, number of spins or attempts and any promotional value used.

Do not count money transferred between machines as new profit or loss. If several machines are combined into one session, preserve individual entries as well as the session total so weak and strong decisions do not disappear inside one number.

Separate outcome from decision quality

Label the result and the decision independently. A well-researched play can lose because outcomes are variable. A poorly verified play can win through luck. The Expected Value lesson explains why one result cannot validate or disprove a long-run estimate.

After each session, review questions such as:

• Did the machine match the version researched?
• Was the visible state recorded accurately?
• Was the correct wager eligible throughout the play?
• Did the state reset or behave differently than expected?
• Were the predefined stop conditions followed?
• Would the same decision be made again with the information available at the start?

Use notes to improve assumptions

Describe unexpected behavior while it is fresh: a meter that moved differently, a feature that reset, a jackpot that changed with denomination or a shared event won by another player. Over time, these notes can identify which assumptions deserve more research.

Machine examples help keep the record specific. A Buffalo Link entry should preserve the visible collection state and active wager. A Phoenix Link record may need several displayed elements. A title such as Magic Treasures should be logged by its exact version rather than grouped with every similar presentation.

Review in meaningful groups

One session is too noisy to establish a reliable conclusion. Review results by machine, version, state category, wager and time period. Look for missing information and repeated process errors before interpreting profit or loss.

Do not keep changing the evaluation rule after every outcome. If new evidence supports a change, record when the rule changed so older and newer sessions are not treated as if they used the same method. APWebsite's research methodology uses the same distinction between confirmed, estimated and still-unverified information.

A simple session record

Frequently asked questions