History – How To Play – Rules – Odds – Strategy – Pro's Perspective
Slot machines are referred to as slots, pokies, 1-arm bandits, fruit machines and poker machines. Players will place wagers in the form of coins (or virtual coins if it is an online slot) in order to spin the reels of the game. Any slot machine will have a minimum of 3 reels and players can start spinning these reels by pulling a lever (or clicking on Spin). The symbols on the reels will start to spin until they stop. When they stop, players will be rewarded according to the combination of symbols they achieve on the payline. The payline is a virtual line on which players must get certain symbols in order to get paid.
Players will be paid based on the bet they have placed, the combination of symbols, and the paytable of the game. The paytable is a table that shows players the different combinations and their respective rewards. This paytable is usually found at the top above the reels of the slot machine or on the game screen itself – whether land or online-based. The symbols appearing on these reels are usually bars, cherries, bells, watermelon, and sevens, this is why they were called fruit machines. Other advanced slots might have a certain theme. For these games, the symbols will be inspired by that theme. For example, Thunderstruck is an online slot which is themed around Thor and the Norse gods. On this game's reels, players will see symbols that include Thor, Thor's Hammer, and Odin among other related symbols.
In this hypothetical machine there are five symbols available on each line and you need to match five of the same to win the jackpot on a $1 machine. The lines are controlled by random number generators, and over time the five different symbols will come up equally often on each line. So the chance of hitting, say a cherry on one line is 1/5. Slot Machines are those big boxes shaped like vending machines that have bright, flashy lights and play wonky circus music. In a big casino like the ones in Macau or Las Vegas, you will have rooms with rows of slot machines and slot machines in random corners of the casino.
Slots History
The history of the first slot machine dates back to 1895. The father of the first slot machine was Charles Fey, whose original slot machine had poker symbols on its three spinning reels. The symbols also included hearts, horseshoe, bells, and spades. Since the game only had 3 reels automatically, it was easy to make the game payout for the winning combinations. The game paytable was available at the top and it showed players the different winning combinations. The highest combination paid 50 cents when players got 3 bells on the win line.
On a 3-reel 2 x 3- or 3 x 3-display slot machine, any two paylines are linked; therefore we cannot estimate the probabilities of the winning events related to several lines. 16-reel slot machines The 16-reel slot machines usually have the 4 x 4 configuration of the display. The standard length of a payline is 4, but it could also have the.
- If there is a slot machine with 4 slots, each with a possibility of being either a cherry, a lemon, or a 7, what is the probability of getting exactly two lemons? My thinking: 4 slot machine, 3 options: 3.3.3.3 = 81 total options. Getting exactly 2 lemons: 1.1.3.3 = 9. P(LL) = 9/81 = 0.1111. What is wrong with this?
- Suppose you have a slot machine with three reels with ten symbols on each, and it only pays out when three cherries hit. The odds of winning that jackpot, as we determined earlier, is 1/1000. If we set the jackpot as $900, and charge $1 per bet, the payout percentage for that game will be 90%, or $900/$1000.
In 1891, Sittman and Pitt invented another form of slot machine. This new machine looked a lot like the early version of slots that can still be found to this day. The game included five reels and 50 cards with a poker game theme since players were paid according to the poker hand they formed. This is why they were called poker machines. Players would start the game by putting a nickel into the game's slot and by pulling the lever in order for the reels to spin so they could get a poker hand. Most of these machines used to pay players in the form of gifts such as cigars, drinks, or food or other things that were sold at the pub or bar where it was being offered. In order to increase the odds of the house and make it hard to get a poker hand like a Royal Flush, the game did not have a 10 of Spades or a Jack of Hearts.
In 1907, Herbert Mills invented another machine that was called Operator Bell and by 1908 these slots were installed in every bowling alley, cigar store, or salon. One of these original 'Liberty Bell' slots can still be found in a Reno Restaurant in Liberty Bells Saloon.
Another great development occurred in 1963 when Bally invented the 1st electromechanical slot machine called The Money Honey. This was the first slot to have a bottomless hopper and it offered automatic payouts as well. The biggest reward that could be claimed was 500 coins. This machine was one of the reasons behind the skyrocketing rise of electronic gambling. Reel Em was the first-ever video slot that offered players bonus rounds.
In the 1990's multi-line slots made an entrance to the scene. These games had more than one winning line. This meant that players could claim payouts according to combinations on more than one line aligned on the game's screen. With the emergence of online gambling, slots were one of the first games to be adopted and transformed into online games. They developed quickly and can now offer up to 100 lines and 1024 ways to win. They also offer players a lot of bonuses in the form of wilds, scatters, and progressive jackpots.
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How to Play Slots
Slot machines can be found at every gambling venue, whether online or land-based. The online gambling world has fewer restrictions in terms of technology and development, therefore players will find a wider array of slot machines than those found at land-based gambling venues. We are going to discuss the gaming procedure for both online slot machines and land-based slots:
For Land-Based Slots:
For land-based slots, players will have to buy bar-coded coins, quarters or other cash values the game accepts. Usually, players will see the cash value the game accepts written on the game itself. After players enter the coin or cash in the game's slot, they will pull down the lever or press the spin button, causing the reels of the slot to spin. The symbols on these reels are usually themed around fruits that are accompanied by bells, sevens, and the usual one bar, two bar, and three bar symbols.
After the reels stop spinning, players will be rewarded if they have a winning combination on the game's win line. Players can find out the combinations that would make them eligible for a win at the game's paytable. This paytable can be found at the top of the reels, or these days on the game screen itself. It will show the different combos and their rewards.
There are also slot machines that resemble video slots that can be found online. (Some can even be found with the same features online.) These video slots usually have a touch screen that players will use in order to control the game like in video poker.
For Online Slots:
Players who want to enjoy this game at an online casino will have to follow another gaming procedure. For online slots, players will first choose the game, then they will choose their wagers. Skybet casino promo code. Choosing the wagers, whether a classical or a multi-line video slot, includes 3 options:
- Choose the number of lines that players want to activate by placing their stakes on.
- Choose the coin value that players want to use to place wagers and get rewards.
- Choose the number of coins they wish to place on every activated line. All of this creates the wager. The total amount of their bet will be seen under the Bet Cell.
After placing the wager, players will be able to start the game by clicking on Spin. It is usually found under the reels in the game's control panel in between or next to the wagering options that were mentioned above. The symbols will spin and, after they stop spinning, players will be paid according to the paytable, their bet, and the winning combination. The paytable can also be viewed at the top or as players click on 'View Pays' or Paytable that is found somewhere on the game's screen.
Slots Rules
The rules differ from one slot machine to another. Each slot machine will have its own set of rules printed on the game itself or, in the case of online slots, players can view them by clicking on 'Game Rules.'
Max Bet Only Triggered Bonuses:
Some bonuses and jackpots will not be triggered or activated unless players have placed the maximum wager.
Wild Symbols:
Wild symbols differ from one game to another and can substitute for any other symbol the slot machine has. These wild symbols will not replace other bonus or scatter symbols.
Triggering the Jackpot:
The jackpot is triggered when players get a certain combination of symbols on any of the winning lines of the game. It can be found at the paytable.
Scatter Symbols:
Scatter symbols are special symbols that reward players generously in the form of scatter payouts. They can also trigger free spins. Free spins mean players will get a number of spins on the slot for game free. They are usually triggered when players get three scatters on the reels or three of the bonus symbols on the payline.
Apart from these rules, there are also some rules of etiquette that players should follow when playing at a land-based casino or a venue that is offering these slots.
Players can play on two slot machines side by side provided that the gambling venue or the casino is not crowded. If it is crowded and there are players waiting to be seated, the attendant will ask players who are playing on two slots to end one of the sessions.
Some players prefer to keep rapidly clicking on the buttons thinking that it gives them better luck. This is usually frowned upon because it causes the buttons to wear out quickly and causes a lot of disturbance to other players in the casino or the gambling venue.
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Players who want to watch another player spinning the reels should leave one chair between them and the players unless they plan to play on the slot machine right next to that person. If they do not do that, an attendant will approach them and ask them to move away.
It is ok to celebrate when you get a big win or hit the jackpot, provided that you do not celebrate for too long. Also, when you get a big win, it is customary in certain parts of the world to tip the attendant who is getting the payout for you. It's common etiquette.
Lastly, if you spot a slot machine that has a leaning chair on it, it is advised to leave that slot machine alone. It signals someone is still playing at the slot machine and he had to go to the bathroom or get something to drink and will be back shortly, it is courteous to leave it for a maximum of 10 minutes before you move the chair and take a seat.
Slots Odds
Probability Of Jackpot Slot Machines
Slots are usually programmed to payout 82 to 98 percent of what was wagered in the form of winnings. This percentage is known as RPT (Return to Player) or the Theoretical Payout Percentage. The minimum RTP for every slot machine depends on the regulations and laws of the state or country. In Nevada, for example, the minimum percentage is 75 percent, in New Jersey it is 83 percent and in Mississippi, it's 80 percent.
The winning combinations and patterns on a slot machine, the amount it pays, and the frequency of these payouts are carefully calculated and selected so they pay a specific fraction of money to the casino or the house while giving back the rest to the players. For example, a spin on a slot machine costs one dollar and it has an RTP percentage of 95. It can be calculated that over the long term, for example after one million spins, the game is going to give back $950,000 to players from the 1,000,000 dollars they have put into the slot. The house or the operator will keep the remaining $50,000.
The RTP is not the only important statistic in slots as the percentage of every payout on the game's paytable is also important. For example, in any slot machine that has 12 different rewards in the paytable, the probability of every reward equaling 0 percent except the jackpot can be quite deceptive. If the jackpot win is 4000 times the wager, then it would happen 1 time every 4000 spins and would make the game have an RTP of 100 percent, despite being a very dull game.
The table of the probabilities for any slot machine is called the Paytable & Reel Strips sheer, also known as PARS. PARS helps players understand the psychology of the slot machine. For instance, if the game has 13 payouts that range from 1:10 up to 2400:1 it will show that the 1:1 payout would happen once every 8 spins, the 5:1 would happen once every 33 spins while the 2:1 payout will happen once every 600 spins. The PARS sheet is usually confidential and developers and manufacturers never post them; however, it is possible to find the PARS sheet of any of your favorite games posted online. Despite this, they are not of any real value to players as slot machines usually have 8 to 12 different programs that have varying payouts.
Slot machines are also known for the 'Taste.' The Taste refers to a small amount of money the game pays every few spins to those who are seated at a slot machine to keep them engaged in the game. The logic is simple: if players keep losing their bets without winning any back, they will eventually grow bored and leave the game. The taste is usually the 1:1 or the 2:1 payout.
Slots Strategy
Slot machines are games of luck, so there are no strategies or techniques to implement. On the other hand, there are some tips and suggestions that may be quite useful for any player who is looking forward to spinning the slots:
Stick With Slots With a Low Jackpot:
If you are a land-based casino player, you will notice that the slot machines that offer millions in jackpots are not that popular because the chances of hitting the jackpot are very slim. This is why you should stick to slot machines that have a jackpot in the $1,000 range since you have a better chance of triggering it. These smaller jackpot slots are known for paying out better rewards and more frequently, too.
Know When You Should Move On:
Like any other casino game, you might find yourself on a losing streak. When that happens you should just move on or stop playing or perhaps go to another slot to change your luck.
Quit While You Are Ahead:
If you have been on a winning streak or have just hit a jackpot, it is a good idea to cash in your winnings and leave. The more you play the bigger the chance you might lose what you won (or at least a big chunk of it). Like any casino game, you should quit while ahead.
Work According to a Betting Pattern:
You should always follow a wagering pattern that will help you earn rewards. For example, always start with the minimum wager possible and, if you lose, up it up a notch and keep increasing the bet after each spin. When you win, do the opposite. The + / – betting pattern is not guaranteed as there are no guaranteed betting patterns for slots because it is 100 percent random, but this can help increase your odds.
Placing the Maximum Wager:
Although this contradicts the last tip, it is another way of playing. The aim is to place the highest wager so you can earn high rewards. This is essential in online video slots as some bonuses cannot be triggered if players do not place the max bet.
There are also some misconceptions we have to clarify:
- Playing the game faster will not increase the chances of winning.
- Clicking on the spin or pulling the lever rapidly will not affect the outcome of the slot. They are all the same.
- Each spin is independent, so the game will never be 'due to hit'.
- When someone wins a great payout on a slot machine that you left does not mean that you missed that payout. There is a big chance that you wouldn't have hit the same payout because you would not have pulled the lever at the same fraction of a second that the player did.
Pro's Perspective: Slot Strategies and Tips
With John Grochowski
Modern slot machines are multimedia technological marvels complete with animation, sound effects, and sometimes even video clips from movies and television shows.
While three-reel slots still exist, the majority in both live casinos and online casinos have five reels, and sometimes have six, seven, or more. Instead of one payline, modern video and online slots usually have 20, 30, 40, or more pay lines. Some don't even use pay lines at all, making any combination of the same symbols connecting from left to right a potential winner, even if they're not on a line as such.
During regular play, you may win a trip to a bonus event during which you have a chance to win money without making any additional wagers. Here are a few of the most common bonus types.
Free spins
Probability Of Winning Slot Machine Jackpot
You could win a specified number of free reel spins. Many free spin bonuses are played on the same reels as the main game and it's possible to win any of the usually available prizes. Sometimes, the main reels fade from the screen and are replaced by bonus reels with different symbols and different winning potential.
For example, in the last few years, games have been introduced in which the lowest-paying symbols are removed from the bonus reels. It's still possible to win nothing on a bonus spin, but the frequency of big winnings are increased.
Wheelspins
The original wheel spin game, Wheel of Gold, was introduced in the mid-1990s and it led to the ever-popular Wheel of Fortune slots. Since then most slot manufacturers have incorporated wheel spins.
In a wheel spin bonus, you see a wheel divided into prize segments. On some, all prizes are credit amounts, but some wheels offer credit multipliers, progressive jackpots, and trips to other bonus events. You start the wheel spinning, then hope it lands on a big-paying space.
Pick'em events
The reels are replaced by a different scene. Some have included aliens in hiding spaces, dancing gift-wrapped boxes, dishes on a Chinese menu, fishermen on a pond, and much more.
You touch the screen to choose an icon, and the item then reveals a credit reward for you to collect. On some pick'em events, you make just one choice. On others, you keep picking until you choose a bonus-stopper symbol.
Personal preference
All these bonus events are designed to make the games interactive and fun to play. How much they contribute to the overall payback differs from game to game and manufacturer to manufacturer, but as much as 40 percent of the overall return may come from bonuses.
Free spin games tend to be more volatile with the potential for bigger wins offset by the possibility of spins that bring no credits. Pick' ems are used in what the slot industry calls 'entertainment' games in which it's larger goal is to add fun and extend your play rather than to offer big wins.
Ultimately, which is best for you comes down to personal preference. Do you like pick'em entertainment or do you want to keep those reels spinning?
Slot machines are the most popular gambling game in the casino. The casinos must love this because slot machines also provide the worst odds to the players. This post looks at how slot machines work.
I go into a lot of detail about how slot machines work, but I focus mostly on the nuts and bolts behind the game. Why are the odds of winning at slot machines so low? How did they become so popular? Why are these games more addictive than any other gambling game?
You'll find the answers to all those questions and more in the post below.
1. What Is a Slot Machine?
A slot machine is a gambling game with spinning reels. Most slot machine games have 3 spinning reels or 5 spinning reels. Each reel has multiple symbols on it.
The spinning reels stop at random, and if matching symbols line up across a pay line, the gambler wins prize money. Early slot machines had a single payline across the center of the reels. Newer slot machines have multiple pay lines of different shapes.
Slot machines come in various denominations. When you put your money into the machine, the game converts that money into credits. For example, if you're playing a $1 slot machine and insert $100 into the machine, you get 100 credits. Payouts are handled in terms of credits.
These are deceptively simple games that provide the potential for larger prizes than most other gambling games on the casino floor. Gamblers pay for that large prize potential, though.
2. Spinning Reels and Random Number Generators
Understanding how slot machines work requires an understanding of some basic math.
But first, let's talk about how the results are determined.
Early slot machines were mechanical. They used springs to spin the reels, which were huge metal hoops inside the machine. They stopped at random. The odds of getting any specific symbol on a stop on such a machine were the same regardless of which symbol it was.
But over the last three or four decades, slot machines have become more complicated. The spinning reels are just for show. In fact, on most slot machine games, you don't even really have spinning reels. You're just watching an animation of what looks like spinning reels.
These machines use a different method of determining results. They're run by a computer program called a random number generator (RNG). This computer program cycles through numbers at a rate of thousands of numbers per second. When you pull the lever (or press the spin button), the computer stops at whatever number it's thinking about at that moment.
That number determines the combination of symbols you see on the screen and the amount of your prize money.
You'll see some so-called slot machine experts claim that you can predict what's going to happen next on a slot machine because a random number generator, by nature, runs in cycles. That might be true if the cycles were slower. But when a random number generator is running through thousands of numbers per second, cycles no longer matter.
These random number generators also allow slot machine manufacturers to attach different probabilities to different symbols. By doing so, they can afford to offer much larger payouts.
To understand why that's so, you need to understand some facts about pay tables and payback percentages.
3. Pay Tables, Payback Percentages, and the House Edge
The pay table on a slot machine is a list of the potential prizes and which combinations of symbols trigger those prizes.
Here's a simple example of a slot machine pay table:
The payback percentage is a theoretical amount that the casino expects to pay back to the player on every bet. It's expressed as a percentage, and it's a long-term mathematical expectation.
Here's an example:
A slot machine game is said to have a payback percentage of 94%. This means the casino expects to pay out an average of 94 cents every time you wager a dollar.
In the short run, this is practically impossible. In fact, if that's how it worked in the short term, no one would every play slot machines at all.
But in the long run, if you average all the wins and all the losses and look at the average loss per dollar wagered, this game will come close to its theoretical return.
Most players spin the reels 600 times per hour or more. If you're betting $3 per spin, that's $1800 per hour in action. After a single hour, you might be up a few hundred dollars or down a few hundred dollars.
But over thousands of hours, you'll usually see results that come close to the expectation. The casino works in the long run automatically, because they're running hundreds of games 24/7.
The casino doesn't mind if you walk away a winner now and then. They know you'll eventually lose all your money back if you keep playing.
Here's how the math works:
Suppose each symbol as a 1/10 chance of showing up. To get 3 of them on the same payline, you have a 1/10 X 1/10 X 1/10 = 1/1000 chance of hitting that combination.
In the pay table above, the expected value of each of those combinations can be calculated by multiplying the payoff by the probability of winning.
Add all those expected values together, and you have the payback percentage for the machine.
Here's what that looks like:
Modern slot machines rarely have the same probability for each symbol, though. With computers and random number generators, slot machine designers can adjust the probability for each symbol. Obviously, this makes larger jackpots possible.
Here's an example:
Suppose you set the probability of getting the game logo on our example game to 1/20 instead of 1/10.
The probability of getting that jackpot is now 1/20 X 1/20 X 1/20 = 1/8000.
You could offer a jackpot of 2880 coins and have the same 94% payback percentage for the game. (I multiplied the 360 jackpot by 8 since that's how much less likely it is to hit that jackpot.)
This accomplishes a couple of things for the casinos and the game manufacturers:
- It allows them to offer larger jackpots.
- It allows them to obscure the actual payback percentage for the game.
Point #2 is important.
Slot machines are the only games in the casino where a mathematician can't calculate the house edge for the game. They just don't have enough data to work the math problem.
You must know both the probability of winning and the payout when you win to make this calculation.
4. How Progressive Jackpots Work
You've probably seen slot machine games with huge jackpots that seem to constantly be growing. These are progressive jackpot games, and they work slightly differently than a standard slot machine game.
The first way they're different is because of their constantly growing jackpot. Standard slot machine games have a flat amount for their top prize. These are called flat top machines.
But a progressive slot machine takes a tiny percentage of each of your bets and adds it to the jackpot. This has the effect of reducing the payback percentage for the machine while also growing it.
You lose the amount that's being added to the jackpot.
But you also gain a higher expected value based on the possibility of winning that jackpot.
If you think this couldn't possibly be an equitable trade, you'd be right.
Let's assume that the game takes a penny from each dollar you wager and adds it to the jackpot. That costs you 1%.
But the odds of hitting that jackpot are at least 1 in 1000. It would take 2 hours of playing before the increase in the jackpot amounted to a higher payback percentage for the machine.
And most progressive jackpots are far larger than this and have much lower odds of winning. Some of these games have jackpots over $10 million. The probability of winning such a jackpot resembles the probability of winning the lottery.
In other words, you're more likely to be struck by lightning.
Literally.
My advice is to skip progressive slots games unless you enjoy dreaming about that life-changing jackpot. Even if you ignore my advice and play progressives anyway, try to limit the amount of time you spend on them. They will cause you to lose money at an absurd rate.
You'll see 3 kinds of progressive slot machine games, by the way:
The first kind is a standalone progressive. Only the bets made on that machine increase the size of its jackpot.
The second kind is a local area network. Only bets made in the networked machines in that casino increase the size of the jackpot. If the jackpot is won on any of those machines, the jackpot on all those machines resets to its starting number.
The third kind is a wide area progressive. These games are networked through multiple casinos. Megabucks is the most famous example of this kind of game. The top prize for this game starts at $10 million and grows until it's hit. Some players have won over $50 million on Megabucks.
5. Bonus Games and Fancy Slot Machine Features
Modern slot machines have lots of fancy features besides progressive jackpots. I explain a few of these features below:
Bonus games are games that offer bonus prizes and are activated by certain combinations of symbols. The most famous example of a bonus game on a slot machine is the Wheel of Fortune spin on Wheel of Fortune slots.
Wild symbols work just like wild cards in a poker game. They stand in for a symbol you might need to make a winning combination.
Scatter symbols are symbols which can appear anywhere on the screen and trigger payouts, even when they're not on the pay line.
Here's the thing to remember about all these fancy features:
The game pays for them by reducing the payback percentage for the player.
If you want to maximize your odds of winning, your best bet is to find the most boring slot machine in the casino—the one with the fewest features.
6. The Skinner Box and Randomized Rewards
After the reels stop spinning, players will be rewarded if they have a winning combination on the game's win line. Players can find out the combinations that would make them eligible for a win at the game's paytable. This paytable can be found at the top of the reels, or these days on the game screen itself. It will show the different combos and their rewards.
There are also slot machines that resemble video slots that can be found online. (Some can even be found with the same features online.) These video slots usually have a touch screen that players will use in order to control the game like in video poker.
For Online Slots:
Players who want to enjoy this game at an online casino will have to follow another gaming procedure. For online slots, players will first choose the game, then they will choose their wagers. Skybet casino promo code. Choosing the wagers, whether a classical or a multi-line video slot, includes 3 options:
- Choose the number of lines that players want to activate by placing their stakes on.
- Choose the coin value that players want to use to place wagers and get rewards.
- Choose the number of coins they wish to place on every activated line. All of this creates the wager. The total amount of their bet will be seen under the Bet Cell.
After placing the wager, players will be able to start the game by clicking on Spin. It is usually found under the reels in the game's control panel in between or next to the wagering options that were mentioned above. The symbols will spin and, after they stop spinning, players will be paid according to the paytable, their bet, and the winning combination. The paytable can also be viewed at the top or as players click on 'View Pays' or Paytable that is found somewhere on the game's screen.
Slots Rules
The rules differ from one slot machine to another. Each slot machine will have its own set of rules printed on the game itself or, in the case of online slots, players can view them by clicking on 'Game Rules.'
Max Bet Only Triggered Bonuses:
Some bonuses and jackpots will not be triggered or activated unless players have placed the maximum wager.
Wild Symbols:
Wild symbols differ from one game to another and can substitute for any other symbol the slot machine has. These wild symbols will not replace other bonus or scatter symbols.
Triggering the Jackpot:
The jackpot is triggered when players get a certain combination of symbols on any of the winning lines of the game. It can be found at the paytable.
Scatter Symbols:
Scatter symbols are special symbols that reward players generously in the form of scatter payouts. They can also trigger free spins. Free spins mean players will get a number of spins on the slot for game free. They are usually triggered when players get three scatters on the reels or three of the bonus symbols on the payline.
Apart from these rules, there are also some rules of etiquette that players should follow when playing at a land-based casino or a venue that is offering these slots.
Players can play on two slot machines side by side provided that the gambling venue or the casino is not crowded. If it is crowded and there are players waiting to be seated, the attendant will ask players who are playing on two slots to end one of the sessions.
Some players prefer to keep rapidly clicking on the buttons thinking that it gives them better luck. This is usually frowned upon because it causes the buttons to wear out quickly and causes a lot of disturbance to other players in the casino or the gambling venue.
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Players who want to watch another player spinning the reels should leave one chair between them and the players unless they plan to play on the slot machine right next to that person. If they do not do that, an attendant will approach them and ask them to move away.
It is ok to celebrate when you get a big win or hit the jackpot, provided that you do not celebrate for too long. Also, when you get a big win, it is customary in certain parts of the world to tip the attendant who is getting the payout for you. It's common etiquette.
Lastly, if you spot a slot machine that has a leaning chair on it, it is advised to leave that slot machine alone. It signals someone is still playing at the slot machine and he had to go to the bathroom or get something to drink and will be back shortly, it is courteous to leave it for a maximum of 10 minutes before you move the chair and take a seat.
Slots Odds
Probability Of Jackpot Slot Machines
Slots are usually programmed to payout 82 to 98 percent of what was wagered in the form of winnings. This percentage is known as RPT (Return to Player) or the Theoretical Payout Percentage. The minimum RTP for every slot machine depends on the regulations and laws of the state or country. In Nevada, for example, the minimum percentage is 75 percent, in New Jersey it is 83 percent and in Mississippi, it's 80 percent.
The winning combinations and patterns on a slot machine, the amount it pays, and the frequency of these payouts are carefully calculated and selected so they pay a specific fraction of money to the casino or the house while giving back the rest to the players. For example, a spin on a slot machine costs one dollar and it has an RTP percentage of 95. It can be calculated that over the long term, for example after one million spins, the game is going to give back $950,000 to players from the 1,000,000 dollars they have put into the slot. The house or the operator will keep the remaining $50,000.
The RTP is not the only important statistic in slots as the percentage of every payout on the game's paytable is also important. For example, in any slot machine that has 12 different rewards in the paytable, the probability of every reward equaling 0 percent except the jackpot can be quite deceptive. If the jackpot win is 4000 times the wager, then it would happen 1 time every 4000 spins and would make the game have an RTP of 100 percent, despite being a very dull game.
The table of the probabilities for any slot machine is called the Paytable & Reel Strips sheer, also known as PARS. PARS helps players understand the psychology of the slot machine. For instance, if the game has 13 payouts that range from 1:10 up to 2400:1 it will show that the 1:1 payout would happen once every 8 spins, the 5:1 would happen once every 33 spins while the 2:1 payout will happen once every 600 spins. The PARS sheet is usually confidential and developers and manufacturers never post them; however, it is possible to find the PARS sheet of any of your favorite games posted online. Despite this, they are not of any real value to players as slot machines usually have 8 to 12 different programs that have varying payouts.
Slot machines are also known for the 'Taste.' The Taste refers to a small amount of money the game pays every few spins to those who are seated at a slot machine to keep them engaged in the game. The logic is simple: if players keep losing their bets without winning any back, they will eventually grow bored and leave the game. The taste is usually the 1:1 or the 2:1 payout.
Slots Strategy
Slot machines are games of luck, so there are no strategies or techniques to implement. On the other hand, there are some tips and suggestions that may be quite useful for any player who is looking forward to spinning the slots:
Stick With Slots With a Low Jackpot:
If you are a land-based casino player, you will notice that the slot machines that offer millions in jackpots are not that popular because the chances of hitting the jackpot are very slim. This is why you should stick to slot machines that have a jackpot in the $1,000 range since you have a better chance of triggering it. These smaller jackpot slots are known for paying out better rewards and more frequently, too.
Know When You Should Move On:
Like any other casino game, you might find yourself on a losing streak. When that happens you should just move on or stop playing or perhaps go to another slot to change your luck.
Quit While You Are Ahead:
If you have been on a winning streak or have just hit a jackpot, it is a good idea to cash in your winnings and leave. The more you play the bigger the chance you might lose what you won (or at least a big chunk of it). Like any casino game, you should quit while ahead.
Work According to a Betting Pattern:
You should always follow a wagering pattern that will help you earn rewards. For example, always start with the minimum wager possible and, if you lose, up it up a notch and keep increasing the bet after each spin. When you win, do the opposite. The + / – betting pattern is not guaranteed as there are no guaranteed betting patterns for slots because it is 100 percent random, but this can help increase your odds.
Placing the Maximum Wager:
Although this contradicts the last tip, it is another way of playing. The aim is to place the highest wager so you can earn high rewards. This is essential in online video slots as some bonuses cannot be triggered if players do not place the max bet.
There are also some misconceptions we have to clarify:
- Playing the game faster will not increase the chances of winning.
- Clicking on the spin or pulling the lever rapidly will not affect the outcome of the slot. They are all the same.
- Each spin is independent, so the game will never be 'due to hit'.
- When someone wins a great payout on a slot machine that you left does not mean that you missed that payout. There is a big chance that you wouldn't have hit the same payout because you would not have pulled the lever at the same fraction of a second that the player did.
Pro's Perspective: Slot Strategies and Tips
With John Grochowski
Modern slot machines are multimedia technological marvels complete with animation, sound effects, and sometimes even video clips from movies and television shows.
While three-reel slots still exist, the majority in both live casinos and online casinos have five reels, and sometimes have six, seven, or more. Instead of one payline, modern video and online slots usually have 20, 30, 40, or more pay lines. Some don't even use pay lines at all, making any combination of the same symbols connecting from left to right a potential winner, even if they're not on a line as such.
During regular play, you may win a trip to a bonus event during which you have a chance to win money without making any additional wagers. Here are a few of the most common bonus types.
Free spins
Probability Of Winning Slot Machine Jackpot
You could win a specified number of free reel spins. Many free spin bonuses are played on the same reels as the main game and it's possible to win any of the usually available prizes. Sometimes, the main reels fade from the screen and are replaced by bonus reels with different symbols and different winning potential.
For example, in the last few years, games have been introduced in which the lowest-paying symbols are removed from the bonus reels. It's still possible to win nothing on a bonus spin, but the frequency of big winnings are increased.
Wheelspins
The original wheel spin game, Wheel of Gold, was introduced in the mid-1990s and it led to the ever-popular Wheel of Fortune slots. Since then most slot manufacturers have incorporated wheel spins.
In a wheel spin bonus, you see a wheel divided into prize segments. On some, all prizes are credit amounts, but some wheels offer credit multipliers, progressive jackpots, and trips to other bonus events. You start the wheel spinning, then hope it lands on a big-paying space.
Pick'em events
The reels are replaced by a different scene. Some have included aliens in hiding spaces, dancing gift-wrapped boxes, dishes on a Chinese menu, fishermen on a pond, and much more.
You touch the screen to choose an icon, and the item then reveals a credit reward for you to collect. On some pick'em events, you make just one choice. On others, you keep picking until you choose a bonus-stopper symbol.
Personal preference
All these bonus events are designed to make the games interactive and fun to play. How much they contribute to the overall payback differs from game to game and manufacturer to manufacturer, but as much as 40 percent of the overall return may come from bonuses.
Free spin games tend to be more volatile with the potential for bigger wins offset by the possibility of spins that bring no credits. Pick' ems are used in what the slot industry calls 'entertainment' games in which it's larger goal is to add fun and extend your play rather than to offer big wins.
Ultimately, which is best for you comes down to personal preference. Do you like pick'em entertainment or do you want to keep those reels spinning?
Slot machines are the most popular gambling game in the casino. The casinos must love this because slot machines also provide the worst odds to the players. This post looks at how slot machines work.
I go into a lot of detail about how slot machines work, but I focus mostly on the nuts and bolts behind the game. Why are the odds of winning at slot machines so low? How did they become so popular? Why are these games more addictive than any other gambling game?
You'll find the answers to all those questions and more in the post below.
1. What Is a Slot Machine?
A slot machine is a gambling game with spinning reels. Most slot machine games have 3 spinning reels or 5 spinning reels. Each reel has multiple symbols on it.
The spinning reels stop at random, and if matching symbols line up across a pay line, the gambler wins prize money. Early slot machines had a single payline across the center of the reels. Newer slot machines have multiple pay lines of different shapes.
Slot machines come in various denominations. When you put your money into the machine, the game converts that money into credits. For example, if you're playing a $1 slot machine and insert $100 into the machine, you get 100 credits. Payouts are handled in terms of credits.
These are deceptively simple games that provide the potential for larger prizes than most other gambling games on the casino floor. Gamblers pay for that large prize potential, though.
2. Spinning Reels and Random Number Generators
Understanding how slot machines work requires an understanding of some basic math.
But first, let's talk about how the results are determined.
Early slot machines were mechanical. They used springs to spin the reels, which were huge metal hoops inside the machine. They stopped at random. The odds of getting any specific symbol on a stop on such a machine were the same regardless of which symbol it was.
But over the last three or four decades, slot machines have become more complicated. The spinning reels are just for show. In fact, on most slot machine games, you don't even really have spinning reels. You're just watching an animation of what looks like spinning reels.
These machines use a different method of determining results. They're run by a computer program called a random number generator (RNG). This computer program cycles through numbers at a rate of thousands of numbers per second. When you pull the lever (or press the spin button), the computer stops at whatever number it's thinking about at that moment.
That number determines the combination of symbols you see on the screen and the amount of your prize money.
You'll see some so-called slot machine experts claim that you can predict what's going to happen next on a slot machine because a random number generator, by nature, runs in cycles. That might be true if the cycles were slower. But when a random number generator is running through thousands of numbers per second, cycles no longer matter.
These random number generators also allow slot machine manufacturers to attach different probabilities to different symbols. By doing so, they can afford to offer much larger payouts.
To understand why that's so, you need to understand some facts about pay tables and payback percentages.
3. Pay Tables, Payback Percentages, and the House Edge
The pay table on a slot machine is a list of the potential prizes and which combinations of symbols trigger those prizes.
Here's a simple example of a slot machine pay table:
The payback percentage is a theoretical amount that the casino expects to pay back to the player on every bet. It's expressed as a percentage, and it's a long-term mathematical expectation.
Here's an example:
A slot machine game is said to have a payback percentage of 94%. This means the casino expects to pay out an average of 94 cents every time you wager a dollar.
In the short run, this is practically impossible. In fact, if that's how it worked in the short term, no one would every play slot machines at all.
But in the long run, if you average all the wins and all the losses and look at the average loss per dollar wagered, this game will come close to its theoretical return.
Most players spin the reels 600 times per hour or more. If you're betting $3 per spin, that's $1800 per hour in action. After a single hour, you might be up a few hundred dollars or down a few hundred dollars.
But over thousands of hours, you'll usually see results that come close to the expectation. The casino works in the long run automatically, because they're running hundreds of games 24/7.
The casino doesn't mind if you walk away a winner now and then. They know you'll eventually lose all your money back if you keep playing.
Here's how the math works:
Suppose each symbol as a 1/10 chance of showing up. To get 3 of them on the same payline, you have a 1/10 X 1/10 X 1/10 = 1/1000 chance of hitting that combination.
In the pay table above, the expected value of each of those combinations can be calculated by multiplying the payoff by the probability of winning.
Add all those expected values together, and you have the payback percentage for the machine.
Here's what that looks like:
Modern slot machines rarely have the same probability for each symbol, though. With computers and random number generators, slot machine designers can adjust the probability for each symbol. Obviously, this makes larger jackpots possible.
Here's an example:
Suppose you set the probability of getting the game logo on our example game to 1/20 instead of 1/10.
The probability of getting that jackpot is now 1/20 X 1/20 X 1/20 = 1/8000.
You could offer a jackpot of 2880 coins and have the same 94% payback percentage for the game. (I multiplied the 360 jackpot by 8 since that's how much less likely it is to hit that jackpot.)
This accomplishes a couple of things for the casinos and the game manufacturers:
- It allows them to offer larger jackpots.
- It allows them to obscure the actual payback percentage for the game.
Point #2 is important.
Slot machines are the only games in the casino where a mathematician can't calculate the house edge for the game. They just don't have enough data to work the math problem.
You must know both the probability of winning and the payout when you win to make this calculation.
4. How Progressive Jackpots Work
You've probably seen slot machine games with huge jackpots that seem to constantly be growing. These are progressive jackpot games, and they work slightly differently than a standard slot machine game.
The first way they're different is because of their constantly growing jackpot. Standard slot machine games have a flat amount for their top prize. These are called flat top machines.
But a progressive slot machine takes a tiny percentage of each of your bets and adds it to the jackpot. This has the effect of reducing the payback percentage for the machine while also growing it.
You lose the amount that's being added to the jackpot.
But you also gain a higher expected value based on the possibility of winning that jackpot.
If you think this couldn't possibly be an equitable trade, you'd be right.
Let's assume that the game takes a penny from each dollar you wager and adds it to the jackpot. That costs you 1%.
But the odds of hitting that jackpot are at least 1 in 1000. It would take 2 hours of playing before the increase in the jackpot amounted to a higher payback percentage for the machine.
And most progressive jackpots are far larger than this and have much lower odds of winning. Some of these games have jackpots over $10 million. The probability of winning such a jackpot resembles the probability of winning the lottery.
In other words, you're more likely to be struck by lightning.
Literally.
My advice is to skip progressive slots games unless you enjoy dreaming about that life-changing jackpot. Even if you ignore my advice and play progressives anyway, try to limit the amount of time you spend on them. They will cause you to lose money at an absurd rate.
You'll see 3 kinds of progressive slot machine games, by the way:
The first kind is a standalone progressive. Only the bets made on that machine increase the size of its jackpot.
The second kind is a local area network. Only bets made in the networked machines in that casino increase the size of the jackpot. If the jackpot is won on any of those machines, the jackpot on all those machines resets to its starting number.
The third kind is a wide area progressive. These games are networked through multiple casinos. Megabucks is the most famous example of this kind of game. The top prize for this game starts at $10 million and grows until it's hit. Some players have won over $50 million on Megabucks.
5. Bonus Games and Fancy Slot Machine Features
Modern slot machines have lots of fancy features besides progressive jackpots. I explain a few of these features below:
Bonus games are games that offer bonus prizes and are activated by certain combinations of symbols. The most famous example of a bonus game on a slot machine is the Wheel of Fortune spin on Wheel of Fortune slots.
Wild symbols work just like wild cards in a poker game. They stand in for a symbol you might need to make a winning combination.
Scatter symbols are symbols which can appear anywhere on the screen and trigger payouts, even when they're not on the pay line.
Here's the thing to remember about all these fancy features:
The game pays for them by reducing the payback percentage for the player.
If you want to maximize your odds of winning, your best bet is to find the most boring slot machine in the casino—the one with the fewest features.
6. The Skinner Box and Randomized Rewards
Slot machines are probably the most addictive form of gambling in any casino. This is by design.
The behavioral scientist BF Skinner did an experiment with rats and cheese. He created a box with a lever on it. If the rats pulled the lever, they got cheese. Naturally, the rats were motivated to pull the lever.
Skinner went on to create a new box which only provided cheese some of the time when the rats pulled the lever. He discovered that when he added the random possibility of a reward, the rats were MORE motivated to pull the lever than they were when they had a 100% chance of getting a reward.
That's exactly how slot machines work.
Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and—if you play long enough—you'll always be a net loser in the long run.
But the brain triggers endorphins every time you win—even if the amount you win is less than the amount you bet.
And slot machines don't return your original bet with your winnings like table games do. That's why we say a blackjack bet pays off at 3 to 2 instead of saying it pays off at 3 for 2.
If you bet $1 on a slot machine game and win 95 cents, you've lost 5 cents on that bet.
But your brain doesn't recognize the net loss.
It triggers the same endorphins as a win of $2 would.
For people with impulse control problems, playing slots is a bad idea.
7. How Online Slot Machines Work
Online slot machines work essentially the same as slot machines in a casino. Since all casino slot machines are now powered by random number generator software, the slots in online casinos are almost identical to the slots in a traditional casino.
The big difference is that online casinos have much lower overhead. As a result, most online casinos offer higher payback percentages than their land-based cousins. This isn't 100% true across the board—some online casinos have lousy payback percentages.
But if I had to choose between playing an online slot machine game at an online casino or playing a traditional slot machine at the Las Vegas airport, I'd go with the online game almost every time.
You'll also find many unique slots games at online casinos that aren't available in traditional casinos. Some of these games are fun and cute. Others are evocative of games you're used to in Vegas.
Either way, the math and technology behind online slot machines are basically the same as in Las Vegas.
Conclusion
How slot machines work isn't a big mystery. They've been around for over 100 years, and the technology has changed.
But they're still the same game our grandmothers played. Like all gambling games in the casino, they have an unassailable mathematical edge.
The difference is that you win bigger jackpots on a slot machine than you can on any other game. The best you can do at the blackjack table is 3 to 2. At a roulette table, the biggest prize is 35 to 1.
It's easy to find slots where you can win 100 for 1 or 1000 for 1 or more.
If you like playing for big jackpots, slot machines are the game to play.