A slot machine simply takes a dollar and gives 80-98 cents back (it's rare to find a slot machine with a payback of over 98%).
The classic slot machine design works on an elaborate configuration of gears and levers. The central element is a metal shaft, which supports the reels. This shaft is connected to a handle mechanism that gets things moving. A braking system brings the spinning reels to a stop, and sensors communicate the position of the reels to the payout system. How does the RNG software work on a slot machine The outcome of each spin is random. Your odds of hitting a jackpot do not increase based on the number of spins. Each time you press the spin button, the slot machine will generate a random sequence of numbers that determine the outcome of that spin.
But, of course, it does this in the long run.
Since playing slot machines seems insane on paper, what makes slot players spend so much money on these machines that are often referred to as one-armed bandits?
That'll be all the psychological factors.
Slot Machines and Psychology
A machine that just takes money and does nothing else would unlikely succeed, so the way slot machines have worked around that hurdle is offering a theoretical chance to win money, even if you lose money on the machine in the long run.
And that chance makes people play the machines. First of all, who wouldn't want to win a lot of money for basically doing nothing? That's appealing even if the odds were against you.
Additionally, people rarely realize just how much of a house edge slot machines have, and how much better it would be to play games like blackjack with optimal strategy. Secrets of the garden slot machine.
Usually, the bigger the jackpot, the more players are willing to play the machine. After all, what's $50 spent on a machine that may give you a life-changing sum of money? (Co-incidentally, progressive jackpot slots, the ones that have more than a million dollars in jackpot prizes, give you the worst winning odds.)
Our desire to win big-time allows slot machines to play another psychological trick on us: the near-miss situations, which happen because slot machine reels are weighted differently (more about that lower on this page). It encourages us to keep on playing since we 'came so close' to winning life-changing money.
At live casinos, the most popular slot machines are often placed in the places where most people can see them. This takes an advantage of a psychological tendency called Social Proof (or as I like to call it, 'monkey see, monkey do'). Some say that casinos even place the machines with the highest hit frequency to where everyone can see them - I find this believable, but I have no proof.
Seeing lots of others play and win is one heck of a psychological trick. The sound of winning that a slot machine makes is affiliated deep in our mind with something positive, as is the sound of coins clinging and clanging against the metal disposer of the machine (the sound of money!). It's easy to see why someone walking in to space like that would be hooked.
So I thought it would be important to understand how slot machines work from a psychological point-of-view first - since psychological factors are what make us play slot machines - and now that you understand the basics of slot machine psychology, let's move on to the technical aspects.
Respin is a very rare option, that can hardly be met in most slots. However, the respin is a very useful feature, which helps players to try spinning reels one more time, not adding a bet. Top free slots online no download. Second chances exist, just try the respin option.
Random Numbers and Paytables
When someone believes in a slot machine's hot and cold streaks, it's called Gambler's Fallacy, and for a good reason. 'Hot' streaks happen, 'cold' streaks happen in the sense that sometimes, when numbers are chosen randomly, they happen to be of similar sort for X times in a row.
It's like receiving pocket aces twice in a row at poker - it's unlikely (in fact, there's a X% chance it happens) but it does happen sometimes. Does that mean the deck of cards is 'hot'? Or when you flip a coin and you get heads five times in a row, is the coin 'hot'?
Of course not. When things happen at random, they do. They're unpredictable. Anything can happen, and at some point probably will happen.
But the point is, you have no way of knowing what the future holds for a slot machine. Every spin of the reels is an independent trial, which means the previous game has no influence on the next game. Everything starts over and the chances of winning are the same with each spin of the reels, regardless of whether someone's lost ten spins in a row or just hit a jackpot.
Why would anyone design slot machines that get 'hot' or 'cold' anyway? If they did, players could tell when to play and when not to play. It makes no sense. Casinos are much better off creating slot machines to which there are no 'winning systems' available.
So slot machines use a random number generator (from now on referred to as 'RNG') to, well, generate random numbers for each reel. These numbers are between one and a couple of billions (let's just say a lot of numbers).
And there's a symbol assigned to each number - for example, if the RNG would pick numbers between one and a billion, the game had ten symbols and each were as likely to come, there would be a 100 million numbers assigned to each of the symbols.
But lot machine symbols are never equally likely to come; the ones that pay the most are the hardest to get. Therefore different symbols have a different amount of numbers assigned to them. (The odds of winning the Megabucks jackpot are somewhere in the one out of 50,000,000.)
But the point is, the RNG assigns numbers to each reel and those numbers correspond with symbols that have been assigned to them. The RNG is not influenced by previous results; it deals a new, random set of numbers with every spin, regardless of what's happened.
Interestingly, the moment you press Spin or pull the lever, your fate has already been sealed. Spinning reels stopping one by one is just theatrics; they make the game more exciting and enjoyable.
Now, the slot machine must also know which symbol combinations are winners and how much they pay. For this, slot machines use EPROM chips. They tell the slot machine winning combinations and define the paytable.
When a casino wants to change the payback of a machine, they change the EPROM chip (or the settings of the chip). Not long ago casinos had to physically change the chip which was quite a bit of work, but now many casinos can change the settings of the chip externally.
There are rules, though. In Nevada, for example, casinos aren't allowed to change the settings four minutes before and after someone has played; this eliminates the myth that casinos change the settings while you're playing.
So either someone physically changes the chip or there has to be a four minute time window before and after someone's played. (While the settings are being changed, the slot machine screen should have a message stating that some sort of 'configuration' is happening.)
That's pretty much it. There are a lot of psychologal tricks involved, but technically the RNG assigns random numbers to each reel and the EPROM chip determines the winning combinations and paytables, which together determine the payback (or 'return') of the machine. The less it pays back, the more you're going to lose on the machine in the long run.
More About the Subject:
- Vegas Click: Michael Bluejay's comprehensive explanation of how slot machines work. In my opinion, the best one out there.
- Wizard of Odds: Michael Shackleford's slot machine advice -- the site also features an extensive FAQ section for slots.
- Gambling Captain: If you're looking for a short but insightful read on the basics of slots (or other casino games), this is a good site to visit.
The easiest way to win, is to hit a Jackpot on your first pull and go home. If that doesn't happen for you, the below might help.
Obviously there is no sure fire way to beat a slot machine.If there was we would all be rich and casino would no longer exist. But by following this guide of what to lookfor, you will be surprised at just how far your bankroll will get you.
Avoid the latest and greatest bells and whistles themed slots. What is a theme slot? If it features brands you know and love, like the Wizard of Oz or Willy Wonka and such. That's a theme. Pretty much anything based on a big movie or TV show is a theme.
So why are they bad for you? Leasing and Royalty fees. Now I'm just going to pull some numbers straight out of my ass, just in case you are a slot director. These numbers will vary by casino and market, but the premise is true. Lets say an average machine is expected to 'earn' $50.00 an hour 24 hours a day. A standard slot machine that the casino owns can afford to keep 10% of what it takes in. If you gamble $2.50 per spin and can get 200 spins in on an hour (3-4 spins per minute roughly) that's $500.00 of coin-in thru the machine. The game pays back 90% to you (on average) and gives 10% to the casino (this ain't no soup kitchen).
Wizard of Oz Slot Machine Wizard of Oz is a slot game that was developed by WMS and is based on the classic and all time favorite movie The Wizard of Oz. The game contains 5 reels and 30 bet lines with the highest payout being $50,000. Show me free wizard of oz slot machine from vegas. Wizard of Oz Slots is the only FREE Vegas style casino slot machine game from The Emerald City! Play new slot games with Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion as they travel the Yellow Brick Road to see the Wizard of Oz. Relive the classic movie and win HUGE PAYOUTS with FREE SPINS and MEGA WILDS in all-new casino slot machines. Collect MILLIONS of FREE CREDITS every day and keep. Wizard Oz Slot in Vegas. When this game was first released, it blew people away with it's unique features. It really took slot machine gaming to a whole new level with so many new and unique features, including the sound effects. The makers of Wizard of Oz slots describe it as a ’sensory immersion gaming experience’.
So what does the casino have to keep to make a themed slot 'earn' the same $50 per hour? They usually have to lease the machine, so they either have to share the revenue, or pay a fee of $50-$100 per day for the right to borrow the machine. The Royalties need to be covered somewhere as well. Usually the guys making the machines have to pay upfront to gain the likeness of an actor or to borrow the theme from a movie/show. All of that extra money will need to be covered by you, the player, in the form of a shittier payback IE a higher hold/keep for the casino.
So instead of 90% payback, you might be looking at 85%. And that's money out of your pocket or less time on a machine.
Also, know the game. Read the rules! I’ve covered this before. I’vesat down at a machine and played on less than Max Bet only to hit the bonusgame symbol and find out you can only play it at Max. So read the rules andknow what you are playing. It should say right on the screen what it takes toactivate all the features. Sometimes you can only land that big progressivewith Max Bet. So read up!
Just repeating myself here, the higher the denomination thebetter the payouts. But not everyone can afford to play $100.00 a spin. Fearnot faithful readers, I’ll show you how I win (sometimes) and at the very leasthow I don’t lose quickly.
Fortunes are won every day on a slot machine. But thoselucky few are such a small minority of slot players the average gamer can onlydream of hitting the big one. The best I have ever done was winning a$10,365.00 progressive on a $3.00 Max Bet. But I did it. Sure it was dumb luck,unlike Video Poker these machines have no player advantage. Pretty much hit thespin button and cross your fingers. But you can use your head and find theright game.
At the very least, these tips will give you more play time ona game, cutting down your losses by slowing the hemorrhaging of cash is a winunto itself. But also picking the right slot can actually mean a winning day atthe casino.
Avoid all of those huge progressive machines! Orat least play them sparingly. Most machines in a certain denomination pay back about the same. On pennies,figure 88% as a rough average. So that game with a max Jackpot of $1,000.00 ismuch more beatable than the one with a $1,000,000.00 Jackpot. It’s simple math.
While both of these types have the same 88%payback, the one with the lower Jackpot will payout much more in the shortterm. Meanwhile that huge 1 Million Jackpot keeps building up since the machineis taking away money that could have been put back into the game (to equal that88% payback number) and it is now holding it for one lucky Jackpot winner. THEIR Million Dollar victory spreads out to equal the average.
So find yourself a game with a low Top Award and play away. Thisis what I do. Sure I chase the dream every now and then, but aiming for a low Top Award isplaying smart. And even if you don’t win any money, all that extra game time youwill be getting, as your smaller wins keep recycling themselves, will end upbeing more players club points on your card.
Sure you lost your $50.00 in an hour, but you put a ton of play through your card (coin-in) and you nowhave some slot club credits that you will build up for a room or at least some food. So that’sstill a win!
Now pennies are the worst bet in a casino. But they are noweverywhere. Why? Game time. You can get plenty of play on one of these machines,and they will help you move up through those slot clubs even faster. Thesemachines are notorious with “wins” that are actually losses. You spent $1.25 onthat spin and you just “won” $1.00.
Sure, you actually lost a quarter, but youare now recycling your money. I know a ton of people with higher level players’club cards that are actually low rollers in real life. But they play penniesand get plenty of coin-in so they are rewarded as much players that bet bigger, but do so for a sorter amount of time. Thesystem works!
The below example is the perfect machine to play. You willget plenty of game time on this type of machine, and in the short term, you stand adecent chance of cashing out a winner.
So what exactly are you looking at?
The top hit is only $67.50 per line hit. Now this is when you areplaying at the .25 a spin level. That’s 1times the bet. That quarter will cover all 27 lines and whatever you win itpays back 1 times the symbol. So getting the 7’s will pay you $67.50 per line. Play .50a spin and you are now doubling whatever wins you get. So $135.00 is the top line hit now. Play .75 per and you are now looking at $202.50. With a top hit thatlow, and the same 88% payback as other machines, you stand a much better chanceof actually hitting the highest award on the game. No “hold back” to feed amassive progressive.
27 Ways to win! With 27 ways to win, and only 3 reels, chancesare you will hit something each spin. Not always will it actually be a profit,but the more money you can recycle, the better your chance of being on themachine long enough to win a higher amount. More ways to win equals a bettershot at a Jackpot.
Multiple bet choices. Depending on your level of play youcan chose your risk on these games. Play $0.25 (1 times) $0.50 (2 times) $0.75(3 times) $1.25 (5 times) & the Max Bet of $2.50 (10 times). The more youare willing to risk, the higher the game will actually pay you when you hitsomething great. There is nothing wrong with low rolling on this type of game.Since that same .25 bet will win you all of the features as the 2.50 bet. Justfor less money. You want better odds? This type of game offers that. Since we all know that (usually) the higher the denomination the better the payback. You can switch this from pennies to 2 pennies. Some of these games will let you jump to nickles dimes or quarters as well.
Bonus Game. This game does have a bonus game, so it willkeep you engaged the longer your slot session gets. But even in the Bonus Gamethe awards are not life changing. That means it comes up quite frequently. Sameprinciple, the games with huge payouts in the bonus game on lower bets have tohave a way to justify those higher amounts. They do so by paying you less inthe base game or making the bonus very hard to get. So a slot like this meansyou can win just as much money in the Bonus game as you do in the base game! No hold-over dough!
I’ve actually done very well on this game from Atlantic Cityto Indiana to Las Vegas. Slow and steady wins the race. And even when I don’t geta chance to actually cash out a winner, I know I sat and played on that game longenough to reap the rewards of the slot clubs. And that is how you win. You lost$100.00 on this machine, but got $1,000 in play off of it. That should beenough for a casino to send you a free room on your next visit. You took yourchance at winning some money, had some fun playing in a casino and earnedyourself a free room. So what did you really lose?
If you are a high roller that can afford to play High Limit Slots, which are historically the best paying in a casino, you can skip the next bit. But if you are medium to low roller like me, read on!
Play higher denominations. Everyone hears thestories about someone walking into the High Limit room and hitting for$25,000.00. It happens all the time. The only difference is, they had theBankroll to bet $50.00 a spin. But you can fluke into a winning. Try a coupleof spins and if you crap out, high tail it on out of there.
Don’t chase on oneof these machines, they will chew you up fast! And in realty you are onlygetting about 10% better odds versus their penny counter parts. Sure 10% isgreat. That means $10.00 less in losses per $100.00 gambled. But your risk ofruin is much higher. Win big or go home early.
Casino online debit card. Play For Real Money at Online Visa CasinosCredit cards are one of the most trusted ways to make purchases online. They are quick and easy to use, plus they provide the security on which you can rely. Then, play your favorite casino games online.
So if you are up a little, try a $1.00 machine. Play a$20.00 through and see what happens. If the game doesn’t have a bonus round, oranother reason to have to play Max Bet, play 1 credit. You still get the samehigher payback percentage, but you are only risking 1 credit.
So what I like to do is find a higher denomination with multi-linesthat ensure I at least win my money back every few spins. Just like in pennies,the more lines the better your odds of recycling some money through.
What am I looking at?
5 lines and 1 credit per line. You arestill risking $5.00 a spin but you will at least get a push every few spins (mixed bars).And at the $5.00 level you should be racking up club points in no time.
Bonus Game. It doeshave a bonus game and it can actually pay well. To keep the houseadvantage, this is either a champ of a bonus or a chump of a bonus. You get 10free games and each line hit is worth double what it normally would pay.Sometimes your $5.00 bet will land you $500.00 in the bonus game. Other timesyou will get a slap in the face and $20.00. I’ve been on both sides of this inthe past. You can also re-trigger for more games while you are in the bonus. Andsince these symbols pop up pretty frequently it’s a very doable bonus.
Jackpot. With a top award of $10,000 on Max bet there is no massive progressive to feed, so you have a good chance of taking this one down. If your odds are 1 in 50MIL to hit the big one playing Megabucks. Your odds here might be 1 in 50,000 or better. In other words, much more likely.
In game multipliers. This is where the value comes in. Youhave the decent slow and steady payback of the base game. The good, if notunspectacular Bonus game. But also that “any time” chance of getting a decentmultiplier on every spin. You might spend hours on a penny machine hoping tohit $300.00 on a great screen. But on this type of game it will pop up quite frequently.Should you chose to stick and move and cash out that big hit when it shows up,or play this won money back through the machine and hope for an even biggerone. That’s on you. I’m a coward and I stick and move all the time. I hategiving back my short term wins. Emp jammer slot machine schematics.
And most importantly, the actual base game symbols are whattrigger the Bonus Game. It might not seem like much, but by actually taking outthe Bonus Symbols from the reels, there are now more paying symbols that youcan actually hit on.
There is nothing worse than having to get 3 bonus symbolsto pop up on a game like this to trigger the Bonus round, only to have thosesame symbols actually block you from winning combinations in the base game whenyou don’t get all 3 on a line. So symbols that say 'Free Games' are only good for the bonustrigger, while this game they are normal pay symbols that do double duty. Sothey never block you from a line hit! I cant tell you how many times I have played a 5 line Top Dollar game and gotten Double Diamond Double Diamond Bonus symbol. That will win you a big fat nothing. In this game the same set up will win your a line hit X 4. No more frustrations.
If you are a drinker, you can often find the above game inmany high limit rooms. That means the drinks are fast and strong. I’ve spent 30minutes on a quarter game on the normal casino floor waiting for my free drinkto show up. And that free drink costs me $100.00 in slot losses. Playing thistype of game in here, means a better chance at actually scoring free drinks! You'll get much more attention and faster service when you play in the grown-ups area.
Pretty much any game can make or break you. If you hit bigon any machine, don’t think it's “loose” and expect it to be a cash cow. Takethe money and run! You beat the house! It’s not hard to win money in Vegas. It’shard to keep the money you won!
So how do I normally score in Las Vegas? I play the above typesof games. If I’m losing on dollars I’ll switch to the same version on quarters.Sometimes I win money, other times I lose. But by limiting my play mostly togames that I stand a solid chance of winning on, I always ensure that I get themost out of my bankroll and play through as much money as I can afford to maximizemy comps. And those comps can quickly offset your loses.
Sure, I might have lost $1,500.00 on these greedy machines over 3 nights.But I also played through $15,000.00 of coin. And that type of play got me my roomfree, my meals free and got me into a couple of attractions like Shark Reef orthe art museum at Bellagio for free! So instead of spending my money to pay for my vacation, I gambled my way into getting it covered.
Here is an easy breakdown of a Thurs-Sun Vegas stay for a non-gambler, based on a 4 day 3 night trip (average).
Room at a decent joint $150 X 3 + Resort Fee X 3 plus taxes X 3 = $550.00
Parking (if you drive) $20.00 a day ($10 each resort for 4 hours X 2 resorts) x 4 = $80.00
Food $55.00 per day (1 buffet or decent meal + 2 quick service meals) x 4 = $220.00
Shows and attractions $75.00 per day X 4 = $300.00
Boozy Drinks $40.00 per day x 4 = $160.00
Spas, shopping, club hopping ETC (time fillers) $50.00 per day x 4 = $200
Totals: $1,510.00. No bounce back comps or chance to offset this money.
How A Slot Machine Works
Here is an easy breakdown of a Thurs-Sun Vegas stay for a gambler (that plays right), based on a 4 day 3 night trip (average). Note: It might take a few trips to earn a better club card.
Casino Slot Machines How Do They Work
Room at a decent joint $0 X 3 + Resort Fee waived plus taxes on $0.00 = $0.00
Parking (if you drive) Waived with the better players club card you earned by gambling = $0.00
Food per day (1 buffet or decent meal + 2 quick service meals) comped with the resort credit you might have had with your comped stay or by using the points you earned on your card while gambling = $0.00
Shows and attractions free by being a player. If you earned Platinum with MGM, the Bellagio art center is free, so is Shark Reef & Siegfried & Roy's habitat. If you are staying with Total Rewards, and earned Diamond, you have some free show tickets or a trip on the High Roller at no charge = $0.00
Boozy Drinks $0.00 You know to order your drinks for free while playing = $0.00
Spas, shopping, club hopping ETC (time fillers) $0.00 per day. You are gambling, not doing this stuff to fill time = $0.00
Projected Gambling losses $1,500.00
Totals: $1,500.00. Not only is that 10 bucks cheaper for your trip, you'll probably score a room upgrade with your better players club card, skip the lines at most places you want to eat. Enjoy free valet or maybe even some free grub in the players club lounges around town.
Slot Machines How Do They Work
But most importantly, you might actually win AND get all of that free stuff. You had the balls to risk your money to cover your vacation and it paid off. You took the casinos money and took advantage of this hospitality. Win win. The non-gamblers took zero risks so they would never end up with a free vacation.
The above is obviously in a vacuum. Hey Grid, I don't park my car so take 80 bucks off my total. And weekend rates where I stay are just $110 per + fees/taxes. OK that's $200.00 off for you. But the gambler got $200 in free play with their stay. Right back to even.
And when I’m up I’ll take a stab on some higher risk vsreward type games just to see. But since I have the discipline to not sit onthese machines too long, sometimes I actually make money. I haven’t paid for aroom in years; I always stay for free at some of the finer properties in town(Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Mirage etc) almost everything I eat comesfrom the comp money I earn and with cheap flights, Las Vacations actually savesme money versus vacationing elsewhere.
I go to Las Vegas 2-3times year. Even when I lose my bankroll, it’s stillcheaper than a vacation to Disney World! Zero chance the Mouse will comp you anything. So that money is lost the minute you book. In Vegas, when I come home with all the moneyI started with, or even some extra AND everything I did on the trip was stillcomped, that’s a double win. So play smart, narrow their edge over you and onlyplay the higher risk games when you are up and you will be pleasantly surprisedjust how much more you get out of your stay.