Slot machines are a very popular source of gambling entertainment both in person and in online casinos because they don’t require any skill to play. Slots are based purely on luck since the results of every spin are randomly generated. They are also the games that seem to generate a number of myths. Why is that? It might be because people don’t understand how slots work or because people attach superstitions to them based on past experience or something they heard. Either way, we are going to attempt to dispel the myths by letting you know if they are TRUE or FALSE.
- SLOTS HAVE HOT & COLD STREAKS
Slots are not programmed to have “hot streaks” or “cold streaks”. Slots can appear to go on a hot streak and pay out consistently for a period of time and they can also go on a cold streak where they barely pay out at all. However, this is not the result of programming. Each spin of a slot machine is completely random and “streaks” are simply the result of a short-term deviation. In the long run the results will always equate to the expected payout rate. - A SLOT WON’T PAY OUT AGAIN IF IT JUST PAID OUT Since each spin is random, the chances of winning a jackpot on each individual spin are not connected to previous spins. As a result, there is no reason why a slot machine couldn’t pay out another big win within minutes of paying a jackpot.
- IF A SLOT HASN’T PAID OUT FOR A WHILE, IT WILL PAY OUT SOON The chances of winning on each individual spin is always the same. A slot machine will eventually pay out but you can’t know when that will happen because of the randomness of each spin.
- YOU CAN’T IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING ON A SLOT
That being said, you can technically improve your chances of winning by carefully choosing which slots to play. Not all slot machines pay out at the same rate. Some have a payout rate as low as 85% while others have a payout rate as high at 98%. You always have a chance of winning regardless of the payout rate (because of the randomness of each spin) but the higher the payout rate, the higher your overall return is likely to be in the long run. And here’s a few additional tips to improve your chances of winning: a) Slots with a fixed jackpot almost always offer a better chance of winning than a slot with a progressive jackpot. b) Slots with higher denominations almost always offer better odds. c) Slots with lots of bonuses and extras usually pay out less than more straightforward slots. This is because bonuses take more time than a simple spin of the reels which means that players spend less money per hour so the casino compensates for this by setting the payout percentage lower. - USING YOUR PLAYER’S CARD OR LOYALTY CARD REDUCES YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING Player’s cards are designed to reward loyal players, not punish them. Using a player’s card has absolutely no effect on your chances of winning. Besides, when you don’t use your player’s card, you don’t earn credits which means you miss out on some amazing benefits.
- USING FREEPLAY REDUCES YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING Loyal gamblers are often rewarded with free slot play, and despite what some people think, the slot machine isn’t aware that you are using freeplay. Since each individual spin is random you have the same chance to win when using freeplay as you do when using money you’ve inserted into the machine. Freeplay simply gives you extra money to play with; money that gives you additional chances to win.
- PULLING THE HANDLE IMPROVES YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING Since each spin is completely random, the odds of winning are exactly the same regardless of how you spin the reels (i.e. using the Play/Spin Button or pulling the handle).
- SLOTS WITH HIGHER PAYOUT RATES ARE HIDDEN Casinos don’t deliberately hide their highest paying machines. In fact, the opposite is more likely true. Casinos put the slots with higher payout rates in busy or high traffic areas so that if players see others winning, they might want to play more themselves.
- SLOTS PAY MORE AT DIFFERENT TIMES OF THE DAY OR WEEK The payout rate of slot machines does not change based on the time of day or day of the week. Your chances of winning on any given slot are exactly the same regardless of the time or day.
- YOU MUST MAX BET TO WIN A JACKPOT & There are slot machines, such as most Quick Hits, where you have to be max betting in order to win a jackpot. However, there are others, such as Dragon Link, where you can bet the minimum and still win the Major or Grand jackpot. Before you start playing a slot, make sure you read the game instructions to know what bet is required to win a jackpot. Betting more generally means you can win more but it also means you can lose more too.
- THE SLOT VOLUME MUST BE LOUD TO WIN The chances of winning on each individual spin is completely random and has nothing to do with the machine’s volume.
- SLAPPING THE BUTTONS OR SCREEN DURING A BONUS IMPROVES YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING Have you ever seen someone furiously slapping the Play Button or the screen during a bonus with the hopes that this will increase the size of their bonus? (We’ve seen this, especially when people are playing Dragon Link, and it looks absolutely ridiculous.) Each individual spin, even spins during a bonus, are completely random so slapping the Play Button or the screen will not improve your chances of winning more money.
- CASINO EMPLOYEES KNOW THE LOOSE SLOTS Casino employees don’t have any better idea than you do about where the slots with the best odds of winning are located. So, play the slots you enjoy or try one that you’ve never played before.
- YOUR BETTING PATTERN INFLUENCES A SLOT’S PAYOUT Your betting pattern has no effect on a slot’s payout, and no method of betting can change how a slot pays. As a result, you should choose the betting strategy that you prefer.
- OLDER SLOTS PAY MORE OFTEN Older slots had better payout percentages than the new slots so they might pay out more often, but remember playing an older slot still doesn’t guarantee a win.
- DOWNTOWN CASINOS PAY OUT BETTER THAN STRIP CASINOS Downtown casinos tend to payout 1% better or so on average than casinos on the Strip.
- FREE SPIN OR WHEEL BONUSES ARE PRE-DETERMINED Most slot machine free spin bonuses are random so when you get to choose the number of spins, such as on Dancing Drums, you are not going to win more money regardless of what you pick. As for wheel bonuses, such as on Wheel of Fortune, where it lands is determined when you press the Start/Play Button. Generally speaking if a bonus shows you the spots you didn’t pick afterward, then it was not pre-determined. If it doesn’t show you, it was pre-determined. Remember that it’s all about timing so stopping the reels during a bonus affects the outcome of the bonus.
- AISLE OR END OF TOW SLOTS PAY MORE OFTEN Slot machines located on an aisle or at the end of a row of slots do pay more often but that is only because they are played more often. Having said that, no matter where slots are located in the casino, they have the same payout percentages.
- STOPPING THE REELS MID-SPIN IMPROVES YOUR CHANCE FOR A BONUS OR LINE HIT Each spin on a slot machine is completely random and the moment you press the Play/Spin Button the outcome has already been decided. Stopping the reels only speeds up the inevitable.
- MORE LINES ON A SLOT IMPROVES YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING You will win more often playing a slot with more lines, but you will also win less money. For example, on Dragon Link if you bet $5 on a $1 denomination and match three 9’s, you will win $5. On the same slot if you bet $5 on a 1 cent denomination and match three 9’s, you will only win $0.50. A higher the denomination and less lines actually means your payout percentage is higher.