Slot Machine Strategies

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Mar 25, 2020 I've found more slot machines are winners with this strategy if I attend the casino on a Saturday morning (especially after a busy Friday night) or mid-afternoon on Sundays. That's because these are typically the most extended times when slot machines aren't played, and being idle for some time matters.

A lot of myths and superstitions, as well as outright fallacies, exist in the world of gambling. This is especially true when it comes to slot machines. Some of these false legends may have had their roots in a nugget of truth decades ago, but technology made them moot by the end of the last century.

The problem is that when these myths are accepted as fact, people try to create winning strategies around them. Unscrupulous people may even try to sell 'winning' strategies based on these falsehoods. So let's clear the wheat from the chaff and look at some of these strategies and why they won't work.

  • Five Slot Machine Tips. Finding the best slots to play is a combination of luck, patience, and a good knowledge of all the most effective casino slot machine secrets. In this part of my guide on how to pick a winning slot machine, we go through the five most essential slots tips every player should use.
  • Some of the top slots strategies are: Sticking to One Machine This is an extremely basic and simple strategy for the slot games, but it can be quite effective. It largely revolves around the principle of probability eventually turning in favor of the player.

Taking a Look at Modern Slot Machines

We live in a world run by computers. The gambling industry is no different. Anytime the industry can incorporate sound technology, it will.

Case in point, if you were to compare a slot machine from the 1970's to one today, you will notice that the machine in the 70's was mechanically based whereas today's machines are more digitally based (they are essentially computers). There were lots of moving parts in those old slots. Now, everything has digital images on the machine.

But that's only the surface. Today's machines have what's known as a Random Number Generator (RNG). This is probably the most important piece of technology in today's current slot machine. These RNGs are designed to make the game fair and uses advanced mathematical formulas and computer programming codes to insure there is no 'system' or algorithm that anyone (casinos or players) can use to beat the game. These formulas incorporate 256 different stops per reel. On a 3 reel slot alone, this allows for 16,777,216 final positions.

Another innovation is that of progressive slots where slot machines are networked with other casinos to create giant payouts–some upwards of US$10 million.

Slot Machine Strategies Penny Slots

I'd be remiss not to also mention that this technology allowed for the advent of online slots. Hundreds of online casinos with tens of thousands of games exist all over the internet. All use the same basic technology, including the RNG to make the games fair.

So now that we know a little about modern slot machines, let's take a look as some slot strategies that simply won't work.

1. The Machine Gets Cold after a Big Win

There's a common belief that when a jackpot is hit on a slot machine that you shouldn't play it for a while because the machine is 'reset'. This is pure nonsense. It would be illegal in most jurisdictions for a casino to have the slot machine set up that way as it would give an unfair advantage to the casino.

Also, as discussed above, the slot machine is equipped with a Random Number Generator. The key word here is random. While it's true that the likelihood of a slot machine hitting jackpots twice in a row or even twice in the same week is slim, the odds of it happening are roughly the same as any 2 machines in the same casino hitting the jackpot in the same week. Each 3 reel slot has 16,777,216 combinations it can land on, so you can play on a machine that has won, and it will not make a bit of difference.

People set in their ways and those who have their 'systems' will continue to perpetuate this myth.

And while we can sit and preach science, math, and logic to them, they will still choose to believe this and change machines.

2. The Machine Is Overdue Because It Hasn't Paid Out in a While

The same people that believe that they shouldn't play on a slot machine that has just won tend to also believe that a slot machine that has not won big in a while is overdue for a win. Players will try to actively seek out these slots in hopes of getting that big win and collect the jackpot.

The phone casino. The reality is that this is simply not true. Because all of the total combinations are random, some machines may go weeks or even months without hitting a big jackpot. Once again, it comes down to the RNG in the slot machine, not when the last big win was.

3. Don't Leave the Machine Because You'll Miss Your Overdue Win

You've been sitting at the same slot machine for hours. You hit minor wins here and there but you can feel the big one is just a few spins away. You're not alone.

The mindset that if you leave the machine, the next player will win your jackpot is a common one. After all, we've seen it play out on television a thousand times. But the truth is that the next player hitting a big win on a machine you have been playing for a while is unlikely. The length of time you sit and play at a slot machine doesn't matter and by playing for long periods of time, you are not 'priming' the slot machine for a win, because all the results are random.

4. All Slot Machines Are the Same

Some people believe that all slot machines are the same and take the same strategic approach with every machine. This is just not true. Slots can vary greatly based on the number of reels, bonuses offered and whether it is a progressive slot among other factors.

One of the big differences involves the expected payback on each machine. The expected payback in any game is the amount you can expect to win over time. Some machines only have an expected payback as low as 85%. Yet others can have paybacks as high as 98% or even more, although none will be over 100%.

Slot machine strategies and tips

What do the percentages mean?

Farm bingo game. Using the 98% payback as our guide, for every $100 you spend, you can expect to win back $98. You can also expect to lose $2.

Those who do know and have studied expected paybacks and have incorporated it into their strategies know that in order to get the maximum expected payback, every decision that is made in the game must be correct and they must make thousands of spins over a long period of time. If they play for shorter amounts of time, the expected payback percentage decreases.

5. Pushing Buttons Versus Pulling Levers or Vice Versa

Today's slot machines differ in many ways from those 30 or 40 years ago. Mechanical slot machines required a lever on the side to make the reels move. Today that is not the case. A simple push of a button can start the machine. Some machines still have these levers, mostly because of tradition and for aesthetic purposes, but also because hardcore gamblers can be a superstitious lot and prefer then levers to the buttons. These machines also have a button that can be pushed instead of using the lever. Both function exactly the same. Poker strategy chart.

There's a belief among gamblers that on machines with levers, you have a better chance of winning if you use the lever versus pushing the button. Those that have this as a strategy claim that the slot is 'rigged' to allow bigger and more frequent wins by using the lever. This is simply not true. Both the lever and play buttons on a slot machine function exactly the same.

To that same end, players also have the belief that using the Autoplay button on a slot machine pays less than spinning each turn, and that a rest period of anywhere between 10 and 30 seconds (depending on the person) should be used between each spin as to maximize payouts.

These too are mistaken beliefs. The fact is that anyone using a slot machine or even an online slot machine is working with sophisticated computer software capable of making millions of complex computations every second. The RNG will force the slot machine to act the same way no matter how fast or slow the games are played or which button or lever is used to play the game.

6. It's a Conspiracy, and Someone Knows Where the Good Slot Machines Are

One of the more common myths about brick and mortar casinos is that slot machines with higher payout are in hidden areas of the casino. Once again, this is not true. If you have incorporated this into your strategy, it might be a good idea to think again.

This belief seems to take into account a 'conspiracy' that casinos are trying to prevent big wins, and while it can probably be said that they don't want to see everyone walk away with huge jackpots all at once, winning is actually good publicity for a casino, after all, who wants to gamble if no one ever wins?

In that same 'conspiracy' vein, there's also a common myth that casino employees know all the secret 'loose slots' and can help you find the ones that win all the time. You simply need to tip them well.

Unfortunately, this is also not the case.

Employees would have no idea which slots are 'loose' because of the RNG. Plus while tips are great, giving information like that (if the information did exist) would be likely a violation of not only casino rules, but may even violate local laws. Besides, if they knew the winners, they would quit and play those slots themselves.

But those aren't the only conspiracy myths. Another myth involves the time of day. There's a wrongheaded belief that casinos can control the odds of winning on a slot machine, and they change them throughout the day. The thought is that they try to make it harder to win during peak times and then make it a bit easier during slower times.

Strategies

What do the percentages mean?

Farm bingo game. Using the 98% payback as our guide, for every $100 you spend, you can expect to win back $98. You can also expect to lose $2.

Those who do know and have studied expected paybacks and have incorporated it into their strategies know that in order to get the maximum expected payback, every decision that is made in the game must be correct and they must make thousands of spins over a long period of time. If they play for shorter amounts of time, the expected payback percentage decreases.

5. Pushing Buttons Versus Pulling Levers or Vice Versa

Today's slot machines differ in many ways from those 30 or 40 years ago. Mechanical slot machines required a lever on the side to make the reels move. Today that is not the case. A simple push of a button can start the machine. Some machines still have these levers, mostly because of tradition and for aesthetic purposes, but also because hardcore gamblers can be a superstitious lot and prefer then levers to the buttons. These machines also have a button that can be pushed instead of using the lever. Both function exactly the same. Poker strategy chart.

There's a belief among gamblers that on machines with levers, you have a better chance of winning if you use the lever versus pushing the button. Those that have this as a strategy claim that the slot is 'rigged' to allow bigger and more frequent wins by using the lever. This is simply not true. Both the lever and play buttons on a slot machine function exactly the same.

To that same end, players also have the belief that using the Autoplay button on a slot machine pays less than spinning each turn, and that a rest period of anywhere between 10 and 30 seconds (depending on the person) should be used between each spin as to maximize payouts.

These too are mistaken beliefs. The fact is that anyone using a slot machine or even an online slot machine is working with sophisticated computer software capable of making millions of complex computations every second. The RNG will force the slot machine to act the same way no matter how fast or slow the games are played or which button or lever is used to play the game.

6. It's a Conspiracy, and Someone Knows Where the Good Slot Machines Are

One of the more common myths about brick and mortar casinos is that slot machines with higher payout are in hidden areas of the casino. Once again, this is not true. If you have incorporated this into your strategy, it might be a good idea to think again.

This belief seems to take into account a 'conspiracy' that casinos are trying to prevent big wins, and while it can probably be said that they don't want to see everyone walk away with huge jackpots all at once, winning is actually good publicity for a casino, after all, who wants to gamble if no one ever wins?

In that same 'conspiracy' vein, there's also a common myth that casino employees know all the secret 'loose slots' and can help you find the ones that win all the time. You simply need to tip them well.

Unfortunately, this is also not the case.

Employees would have no idea which slots are 'loose' because of the RNG. Plus while tips are great, giving information like that (if the information did exist) would be likely a violation of not only casino rules, but may even violate local laws. Besides, if they knew the winners, they would quit and play those slots themselves.

But those aren't the only conspiracy myths. Another myth involves the time of day. There's a wrongheaded belief that casinos can control the odds of winning on a slot machine, and they change them throughout the day. The thought is that they try to make it harder to win during peak times and then make it a bit easier during slower times.

This, once again, is just simply not true. The casinos have no way to affect the odds of winning on a slot machine. Odds of winning are determined by such things as the number of reels, number of pay lines, bonuses, and whether it's a progressive machine. All of these are set by the manufacturer.

Even if casinos had the ability to do this, it would be highly illegal, as casinos are expected to keep their games fair at all times. That means that no matter what time of day or what day of the week, month or year a person plays that game, their chances of winning need to be the same on the same machine.

7. Bonuses Games and Progressive Slots

Many slot machines today have bonus games. These can be similar to the regular game where the reels spin for extra money or can involve a more intricate interaction that is reflective of a video game. Because extra money is involved, many think that slot machines with bonuses hurt their chances of winning big.

This is also false.

Any slot machine that is manufactured whether it has a bonus or not, contains the same Random Number Generator software. The RNG software is ignorant of whether the slot machine has a bonus or not (although the RNG can be incorporated into the bonus game itself). So winning the big jackpot on the regular play of a slot machine or any amount for that matter, has no bearing on the presence of a bonus game.

When we talk bonuses we must include progressive slots. Progressive slots involve a jackpot that increases each time the game is played but the jackpot is not won. When the progressive jackpot is won, the jackpot for the next play is reset to a predetermined value and resumes increasing under the same rules.

Slot Machine Strategies To Win

In most cases these jackpots involve a series of linked slot machines. These can be linked in the same casino or with slots in other casinos. The more machines connected, the larger the jackpots can become.

One of the big myths regarding progressive slots is that only 'high rollers' win. Because of this, most players who don't consider themselves high rollers tend to avoid these type of slots as part of their strategy.

But there's no way for a slot machine to tell if a player is a high roller or not. That status has no bearing on the ability to win the jackpot.

Conclusion

Slot Machine Strategies That Actually Work

Gambling and superstition go hand in hand. Blowing on dice, lucky numbers, knocking on wood, and stacking chips in a certain way are all examples of casino superstitions that everyone has heard of. Over time, these superstitions are followed so closely that people start to believe them as fact. Once they become fact, people them incorporate them into strategies.

Strategies For Playing Slots

Red rose casino. Much like a superstition, people creating these strategies may truly believe they work, when in fact, if they do work, it is usually due to luck.

The best bet when creating a strategy is to look at the math and the science behind the slot machines. Understand the machines that are being played on. Study the manufacturer's information such as payback percentages and how the bonuses work.

Slot Machine Strategies

Still, any gambling venture involves a certain degree of luck. Luck in and of itself is a form of superstition. As such, you may choose to still use some of these myths as part of your strategy, despite the fact that they probably won't work.

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