Puzzle solved.

[gambogaz1]

I've got a jailbirds thats 9 times out of 10 Notey off or it's off when i've finished on it. Now it's been puzzling me how it can be so low all the time but always pays out.
Then yesterday I went to play a vortex in a pub that I know is refilled every monday. It's quite strange as they have vortex and prize fighter anyway a family member works there on a monday so I asked if they'd been out to refill and they had. Plus no-one had played it yet so I stuck a quid in expecting it to back and it didn't
Infact I put £40 in to get the 1st top and it still wasn't backing
I dropped 2 MS both £35 but loads of afters giving me £110 out for £60 in.
Took out the coins and the notey switched off so they must only be filling it half up? Which has made me think thats probably whats going on with the Jailbirds.
Throws a spanner in the works if they're gonna start doing this on more machines.

[bowie]

We do a daily refill at my pub but rarely top it up to the top, that's done once a week by the collector, wouldn't imagine any dailly refill pub does it to the top, we need change for the tills aswell.

[darcle]

In my local the collectors are the only ones that refill the machines but even they aren't filling them to the top. They leave them £30-60 shy every week. Only been happening the last 5 or 6 weeks though.

[Matt Vinyl]

This has actually been happening to a Vortex / Carribean Cash in a pub near me. They refill either Thursday evening / Friday morning, but the note changers are always off. I 'enquired' and found that indeed, they only put enough in to cover a £70 win after putting £20 in.

Certainly makes it harder to judge whether to play or not...

[PMK]

It seems quite a number of chain pubs are doing this now. I've never understood the need for daily refils anyway. I know spoons don't refil if the balance is below a certain level as its obviously a waste of change.

In pubs with note changers I barely play any attention to the balance. In yates the other day Vortex was £155 off but was there from the off and was £40 in for £110 out. Same as rovers in the spoons - £106 off - most people wouldn't have bothered but the PMK never sherks from a challenge, ended up leaving it nearly £200 off thanks to a nice streakypoos!!!

To be fair how many of us check the balance and then give it a board anyway!!

I have a RR that is almost constantly just over £150 off - afterwhile you realise its just note play and change. So I take it being as a £150 float. If its there and ready I still wouldn't shy away from a dirty chase!!

[gambogaz1]

I've never owned a key so I always play not knowing the balance. But I have to admit a few weeks back I came across an Invincible that I didn't notice the notey was off till i'd put a few quid in. 1st board was ARB2 but the notey was playing on my mind and as the wife was with me I didn't want to risk taking a big hit infront of her so I just milked a few wins out of it. Got £21.50 of red hidden riches so It obviuosly was ready :x Just another lesson learnt.

[ob]

loads of machines are not filled to full, this is not a new concept! some put £100 in, some £125, some even less...

rather annoying tbh, here's an example: £140ish light COULD mean that it was filled with £125, someone who did put £90 in for £105, and then left... if this was the case if you play it out, you're screwed! Wheras £140 could also just mean someone had either put a note in it, or it was filled with £100 and people have lost £10, this is obviously a much better situation to play it out. (Obviously in either case you're going to check a board to see if its red).

[Mattb]

I always play a board anyway, only places keys are useful is where you know there aren't any refills. Got a few here which aren't worth touching if they are a certain level off. The ones in the bowl i'll alway splay though, as the change machines are always screwed and poeple use the fruits for £1 coins. Everything is usually £50-£150 off but can still be there straight away.

[MrRed]

I must admit my key does not get much use these days
I never key in spoons what's the point??
Always over £100 off
There are places that do not refill but not many
I too have a few places that half float
I always try a board anyway and check where it is at

I used my key once on sunday and still made £350
In fact the m/c i used it on was the one i lost on :P
SMTM £15 off no refill either
Played it out lost £30

Also you can always check meter readings and see how much m/c's have been refilled by
Mobile phones note section, comes in usefull