Slot machines don't become due for a win when they haven't paid out in a long while, and they also don't become hot and start paying out more. Every spin is like a single coin toss or a single roll of the dice—the outcome is independent of all the outcomes prior to it. The location of the slot machine in the casino matters. How slot machines work – and why you should think twice before playing them September 5, 2018 6.37am EDT Anthony Frederick Lucas, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Select slot machines with the highest payback percentages. This number indicates how frequently the machines pay out, and the higher the percentage the more likely your chances of winning. These amounts should be clearly displayed on the machines and will range anywhere from 80% to 98% - the higher the denomination of the machine (1¢ for. Traditional slot machines are coin-operated machines with three or more reels, which spin when a lever on the side of the machine is pulled. How Las Vegas Slot Machines Work Las Vegas slot machines which are considered modern slot machines are designed to look and feel like the old mechanical models, but they work on a completely different.
- How Slot Machines Work Random Number Generator
- How Slot Machines Work
- How Slot Machines Work Video
- How Slot Machines Work
- How Slot Machines Work Payout
If you're a total beginner and have never played slots before, or have played once or twice but are still confused by how it all works, this guide on how to play slot machines for beginners has been written just for you.
At Gambperspro.com, we're slot machine pros, and we know every element of the games to an expert level. We're going to explain exactly how slot machines work, what all the different slot symbols mean, the jackpot rules which determine payouts, and how to play slot machines from A to Z.
Even if you've never played slots before, you'll understand the A-Z by the time you've finished reading.
How to Play Slot Machines for Beginners
The first thing you need to understand about slot machines is the different elements of the game. These are:
Reels – Slot reels run horizontally across the game screen and are the ‘slots' in which symbols spin. Games can be 3-reel, 5-reel, or even 6-reel. Planet moolah slot game. If you look at the screenshot above, this game has five reels.
Rows – Each slot has a number of rows which run vertically. Most slots have three rows, but some have more. In the game screenshot above, you'll see three reels.
Paylines – Paylines are the patterns which can make winning combinations. For example, if a slot has 25 paylines and you play the game with all of them activated, you'll have 25 different ways to win. In the screenshot above, you'll see that this game has 25 paylines.
Symbols – The symbols are the icons which spin on the reels. Each symbol has a different value and how much you win for making combinations will be determined by the value of the symbols.
Once you understand the basics of slot machines, it's time to take a look at how to play casino slot machines step-by-step.
How to Play Slots for Beginners – A Step by Step Guide
For the sake of keeping things simple, we're going to pretend you're playing the game you see in the screenshot above. Fu dao le slot app. It's called Mega Fortune and is a great game for beginners since its simple and has several huge progressive jackpots.
Below is a step-by-step procedure showing how you how to play slot machines, specifically Mega Fortune in this example. It works basically the same way for all slot machines, although there may be some variations depending on the software developer.
So, to place a bet on Mega Fortune slot, you would:
Step 1
Make a deposit. Unless you're playing free slots or have a no deposit free spins bonus, you'll need to deposit funds before you can play. You can usually do this in the ‘account' or ‘banking' section of your casino.
Step 2
Determine the number of paylines you want to play. In this game, the number is fixed at 25, but you can view each payline by clicking the numbers at either side of the game screen. In some other games, you can determine how many lines you want to play per spin.
Step 3
Decide your coin value. In Mega Fortune, you can set your coin value between £0.01 and £0.50. Remember, you're betting one coin per payline, so if you were to set your coin value at £0.01, you would be betting £0.25 per spin.
Step 4
Set your bet level. This isn't a feature of all video slots, but it is for this one. You can increase your level from between one and four. The higher you go, the bigger your bet size. For example, if you bet with a coin value of £0.01 at level one your bet size would be £0.25. If you bet with the same coin value at level four, your bet size would be 4x greater or £1.
Step 5
Hit the spin button. This is where the fun begins. You'll see the symbols spinning on the reels, and if you land a winning combination, you'll receive a payout. The payout size depends on how many symbols you've landed, your bet size, and the value of the symbols.
Playing slot machines is as simple as that. It's not rocket science, and you'll master it in a few spins. If it all seems foreign to you, we suggest getting familiar with the process by playing some of our free slots until you feel comfortable.
Slot Machine Lines Explained
Paylines often confuse beginner slots players the most, and no How to Play Slot Machines for Beginners guide would be complete without explaining them further.
Basically, paylines are patterns, and if you match symbols across them, you win payouts. On most slots, payline one will be straight across the middle row, as in the screenshot below.
However, paylines aren't always so simple. They can go in all sorts of directions. Just take a look at payline 10 on Mega Fortune in the screenshot below.
Paylines can go in many directions, but don't worry about them too much. All video slots will calculate your wins for you automatically. You don't have to look out for these patterns at all. If you land symbols on an active payline, the game will let you know. It will also calculate and display exactly how much you have won.
Understanding Slot Machine Symbols
The basic mechanics and structure of a slot machine is one thing, the paylines are another, and the different symbols are yet another thing you'll need to understand.
Most slots have the following symbols, although again, it can vary from game to game.
Common Symbols – These are the common slot machine symbols which make up winning combinations. They don't hold any special function, and landing combinations of them pays out wins in accordance with the paytable.
High-Value Symbols – These are common symbols, but they pay the most. If you look at the screenshot above, the white limo is the highest value common symbol. Keep in mind that this might not be the highest value symbol once special symbols are considered, as is the case in Mega Fortune.
Scatter Symbols – Scatter symbols can trigger bonus rounds and also often pay when you land three or more of them on the reels.
Wild Symbols – Wild symbols can substitute for other symbols. For example, if you had four matching symbols on reels one, two, four, and five, and a wild landed in the middle, you'd have a five symbol combination. Wild symbols can sometimes stick, move, or expand on the reels.
Bonus Symbols – These are special symbols which trigger bonus rounds when the land is certain patterns or combinations. For example, in this game the bonus symbol is a wheel, which leads to a special bonus round.
Understanding Slot Machine Bonus Rounds
Modern video slots are a far cry from the simple fruit machines you might find in pubs and bars across the world. Alice and the mad tea party slot machine. Even in world-class casinos in Las Vegas and elsewhere, few slots have bonus rounds which can match online slots.
Bonus rounds can confuse some new players, so we thought we'd describe them here so that this How to Play Slot Machines for Beginners piece is complete.
First, you should note that you can always find out what bonus rounds and special features a game has by viewing the paytable.
As the above screenshot shows, you can see which slot machine bonus games the game has built into it. You can also see how to trigger each one. One of the best things to do when you're learning how to play slot machines is to study game paytables.
Some of the best slot machine bonus rounds are:
How Slot Machines Work Random Number Generator
Free Spins – You'll get a predetermined number of free spins. Sometimes you'll be given a multiplier which boosts your wins, for example by 3x or more.
Bonus Wheels – The name explains it all, really. A wheel will spin, and you'll win cash prizes, free spins, and access to other special rounds and features.
Picking Rounds – You'll see a number of items on the screen and will need to pick some of them to win cash payouts. Sometimes progressive jackpots are built into picking rounds.
Secrets to Winning on Slot Machines
If we knew how to win jackpots on slot machines every time, we'd be too busy sunning ourselves in the Bahamas to write this guide for you.
However, while we can't tell you how to win every time, we can show you a few slot machine tricks which will help you win more often. This is knowledge we've gained over decades, so take it in and make sure you understand it before choosing which game to play.
- Manage your bankroll effectively. This is probably the number one trick to winning slots more often. Don't get carried away and don't chase losses. Decide how much you're willing to lose beforehand, and only increase the size of your bets when you're playing with ‘house money.'
- Check how volatile the game is. Some games go for long dry spells and then pay big wins, or lots of big wins, suddenly. These are high volatility slots. Some pay smaller amounts more frequently. These are low volatility slots. Your strategy on how to play slot machines should be determined in part by the game's volatility.
- Investigate the bonus rounds. If one free spins round has a 2x multiplier while another has an 8x multiplier, it makes sense to play the one with the bigger potential. Take your time to look at the paytables and see what's in store.
- Understand that you can't cheat. There are lots of articles online titled ‘How to cheat at slots' and other variants of this. They're all BS. Save yourself the time and money wasted with these systems. Random number generators determine game outcomes. There are no patterns, and slot cheat codes don't work. Period.
- Pick high RTP slots. Each slot is programmed to pay a certain percentage of all bets back to players. You're better off playing a slot with a 98% RTP than one which pays 92%.
How to Play Slot Machines for Dummies – Common Questions
Q. How are slot machines programmed?
Random number generators control slots payouts. These are advanced mathematical programs which spit out billions of numbers per second. Some of these numbers will instruct the slot to pay. Just hope you're playing when a winning number is generated.
Q. Are slot machines rigged?
There are some dishonest casinos which run rigged slot machines. However, the vast majority of them are legit and fair. Stick with our approved casinos to avoid getting cheated. The games at them are powered by world-class slots software companies like Playtech and Microgaming.
What is a progressive jackpot?
Progressive jackpots can pay out multi-millions. Every bet made on a progressive jackpot slot at every casino which offers it contributes to the progressive jackpot. This network effect leads to massive jackpots, some of which can be truly life-changing. You can win them randomly, or for landing a specific combo of symbols, or in special bonus rounds. when you're learning how to play slot machines, these jackpots can be tempting, but you should be aware that these games almost always have a higher RTP than regular slots.
Q. What are free spins bonuses?
Set your bet level. This isn't a feature of all video slots, but it is for this one. You can increase your level from between one and four. The higher you go, the bigger your bet size. For example, if you bet with a coin value of £0.01 at level one your bet size would be £0.25. If you bet with the same coin value at level four, your bet size would be 4x greater or £1.
Step 5
Hit the spin button. This is where the fun begins. You'll see the symbols spinning on the reels, and if you land a winning combination, you'll receive a payout. The payout size depends on how many symbols you've landed, your bet size, and the value of the symbols.
Playing slot machines is as simple as that. It's not rocket science, and you'll master it in a few spins. If it all seems foreign to you, we suggest getting familiar with the process by playing some of our free slots until you feel comfortable.
Slot Machine Lines Explained
Paylines often confuse beginner slots players the most, and no How to Play Slot Machines for Beginners guide would be complete without explaining them further.
Basically, paylines are patterns, and if you match symbols across them, you win payouts. On most slots, payline one will be straight across the middle row, as in the screenshot below.
However, paylines aren't always so simple. They can go in all sorts of directions. Just take a look at payline 10 on Mega Fortune in the screenshot below.
Paylines can go in many directions, but don't worry about them too much. All video slots will calculate your wins for you automatically. You don't have to look out for these patterns at all. If you land symbols on an active payline, the game will let you know. It will also calculate and display exactly how much you have won.
Understanding Slot Machine Symbols
The basic mechanics and structure of a slot machine is one thing, the paylines are another, and the different symbols are yet another thing you'll need to understand.
Most slots have the following symbols, although again, it can vary from game to game.
Common Symbols – These are the common slot machine symbols which make up winning combinations. They don't hold any special function, and landing combinations of them pays out wins in accordance with the paytable.
High-Value Symbols – These are common symbols, but they pay the most. If you look at the screenshot above, the white limo is the highest value common symbol. Keep in mind that this might not be the highest value symbol once special symbols are considered, as is the case in Mega Fortune.
Scatter Symbols – Scatter symbols can trigger bonus rounds and also often pay when you land three or more of them on the reels.
Wild Symbols – Wild symbols can substitute for other symbols. For example, if you had four matching symbols on reels one, two, four, and five, and a wild landed in the middle, you'd have a five symbol combination. Wild symbols can sometimes stick, move, or expand on the reels.
Bonus Symbols – These are special symbols which trigger bonus rounds when the land is certain patterns or combinations. For example, in this game the bonus symbol is a wheel, which leads to a special bonus round.
Understanding Slot Machine Bonus Rounds
Modern video slots are a far cry from the simple fruit machines you might find in pubs and bars across the world. Alice and the mad tea party slot machine. Even in world-class casinos in Las Vegas and elsewhere, few slots have bonus rounds which can match online slots.
Bonus rounds can confuse some new players, so we thought we'd describe them here so that this How to Play Slot Machines for Beginners piece is complete.
First, you should note that you can always find out what bonus rounds and special features a game has by viewing the paytable.
As the above screenshot shows, you can see which slot machine bonus games the game has built into it. You can also see how to trigger each one. One of the best things to do when you're learning how to play slot machines is to study game paytables.
Some of the best slot machine bonus rounds are:
How Slot Machines Work Random Number Generator
Free Spins – You'll get a predetermined number of free spins. Sometimes you'll be given a multiplier which boosts your wins, for example by 3x or more.
Bonus Wheels – The name explains it all, really. A wheel will spin, and you'll win cash prizes, free spins, and access to other special rounds and features.
Picking Rounds – You'll see a number of items on the screen and will need to pick some of them to win cash payouts. Sometimes progressive jackpots are built into picking rounds.
Secrets to Winning on Slot Machines
If we knew how to win jackpots on slot machines every time, we'd be too busy sunning ourselves in the Bahamas to write this guide for you.
However, while we can't tell you how to win every time, we can show you a few slot machine tricks which will help you win more often. This is knowledge we've gained over decades, so take it in and make sure you understand it before choosing which game to play.
- Manage your bankroll effectively. This is probably the number one trick to winning slots more often. Don't get carried away and don't chase losses. Decide how much you're willing to lose beforehand, and only increase the size of your bets when you're playing with ‘house money.'
- Check how volatile the game is. Some games go for long dry spells and then pay big wins, or lots of big wins, suddenly. These are high volatility slots. Some pay smaller amounts more frequently. These are low volatility slots. Your strategy on how to play slot machines should be determined in part by the game's volatility.
- Investigate the bonus rounds. If one free spins round has a 2x multiplier while another has an 8x multiplier, it makes sense to play the one with the bigger potential. Take your time to look at the paytables and see what's in store.
- Understand that you can't cheat. There are lots of articles online titled ‘How to cheat at slots' and other variants of this. They're all BS. Save yourself the time and money wasted with these systems. Random number generators determine game outcomes. There are no patterns, and slot cheat codes don't work. Period.
- Pick high RTP slots. Each slot is programmed to pay a certain percentage of all bets back to players. You're better off playing a slot with a 98% RTP than one which pays 92%.
How to Play Slot Machines for Dummies – Common Questions
Q. How are slot machines programmed?
Random number generators control slots payouts. These are advanced mathematical programs which spit out billions of numbers per second. Some of these numbers will instruct the slot to pay. Just hope you're playing when a winning number is generated.
Q. Are slot machines rigged?
There are some dishonest casinos which run rigged slot machines. However, the vast majority of them are legit and fair. Stick with our approved casinos to avoid getting cheated. The games at them are powered by world-class slots software companies like Playtech and Microgaming.
What is a progressive jackpot?
Progressive jackpots can pay out multi-millions. Every bet made on a progressive jackpot slot at every casino which offers it contributes to the progressive jackpot. This network effect leads to massive jackpots, some of which can be truly life-changing. You can win them randomly, or for landing a specific combo of symbols, or in special bonus rounds. when you're learning how to play slot machines, these jackpots can be tempting, but you should be aware that these games almost always have a higher RTP than regular slots.
Q. What are free spins bonuses?
Some casinos choose to give new players free spins on slots for making a deposit. For example, you might get 10 free spins for making a £10 deposit.
Free spins bonuses are not the same as the free spins bonus rounds built into games. Special symbols trigger these features within the game. They offer a number of free spins at no additional cost.
That about wraps up our How to Play Slot Machines for Beginners guide. If you've enjoyed it and are ready to try some free slots for yourself, check out our free slot games page now. After a few spins on those, you'll fully understand all of the concepts you've learned about here.
How Slot Machines Work
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How Slot Machines Work Video
The gaming industry is big business in the US, contributing an estimated $240 billion to the economy each year while generating $38 billion in tax revenues and supporting 17 million jobs.
What people may not realize is that slot machines, video poker machines, and other electronic gaming devices make up the bulk of all that economic activity. At casinos in Iowa and South Dakota, for example, such devices have contributed up to 89 percent of annual gaming revenue.
Spinning-reel slots, in particular, are profit juggernauts for most casinos, outperforming table games like blackjack, video poker machines, and other forms of gambling.
What about slot machines makes them such reliable money makers? In part, it has something to do with casinos' ability to hide their true price from even the savviest of gamblers.
The Price of a Slot
An important economic theory holds that when the price of something goes up, demand for it tends to fall.
But that depends on price transparency, which exists for most of the day-to-day purchases we make. That is, other than visits to the doctor's office and possibly the auto mechanic, we know the price of most products and services before we decide to pay for them.
Slots may be even worse than the doctor's office, in that most of us will never know the true price of our wagers. Which means the law of supply and demand breaks down.
Casino operators usually think of price in terms of what is known as the average or expected house advantage on each bet placed by players. Basically, it's the long-term edge that is built into the game. For an individual player, his or her limited interaction with the game will result in a 'price' that looks a lot different.
For example, consider a game with a 10-percent house advantage — which is fairly typical. This means that over the long run, the game will return 10 percent of all wagers it accepts to the casino that owns it. So if it accepts $1 million in wagers over 2 million spins, it would be expected to pay out $900,000, resulting in a casino gain of $100,000. Thus, from the management's perspective, the 'price' it charges is the 10 percent it expects to collect from gamblers over time.
Individual players, however, will likely define price as the cost of the spin. For example, if a player bets $1, spins the reels, and receives no payout, that'll be the price — not 10 cents.
So who is correct? Both, in a way. While the game has certainly collected $1 from the player, management knows that eventually 90 cents of that will be dispensed to other players.
A player could never know this, however, given he will only be playing for an hour or two, during which he may hope a large payout will make up for his many losses and then some. And at this rate of play, it could take years of playing a single slot machine for the casino's long-term advantage to become evident.
Short-Term vs. Long-Term
This difference in price perspective is rooted in the gap between the short-term view of the players and the long-term view of management. This is one of the lessons I've learned in my more than three decades in the gambling industry analyzing the performance of casino games and as a researcher studying them.
Let's consider George, who just got his paycheck and heads to the casino with $80 to spend over an hour on a Tuesday night. There are basically three outcomes: He loses everything, hits a considerable jackpot and wins big, or makes or loses a little but manages to walk away before the odds turn decidedly against him.
Of course, the first outcome is far more common than the other two — it has to be for the casino to maintain its house advantage. The funds to pay big jackpots come from frequent losers (who get wiped out). Without all these losers, there can be no big winners — which is why so many people play in the first place.
Specifically, the sum of all the individual losses is used to fund the big jackpots. Therefore, to provide enticing jackpots, many players must lose all of their Tuesday night bankroll.
What is less obvious to many is that the long-term experience rarely occurs at the player level. That is, players rarely lose their $80 in a uniform manner (that is, a rate of 10 percent per spin). If this were the typical slot experience, it would be predictably disappointing. But it would make it very easy for a player to identify the price he's paying.
Raising the Price
Ultimately, the casino is selling excitement, which is comprised of hope and variance. Even though a slot may have a modest house advantage from management's perspective, such as four percent, it can and often does win all of George's Tuesday night bankroll in short order.
This is primarily due to the variance in the slot machine's pay table — which lists all the winning symbol combinations and the number of credits awarded for each one. While the pay table is visible to the player, the probability of producing each winning symbol combination remains hidden. Of course, these probabilities are a critical determinant of the house advantage — that is, the long-term price of the wager.
This rare ability to hide the price of a good or service offers an opportunity for casino management to raise the price without notifying the players — if they can get away with it.
Casino managers are under tremendous pressure to maximize their all-important slot revenue, but they do not want to kill the golden goose by raising the 'price' too much. If players are able to detect these concealed price increases simply by playing the games, then they may choose to play at another casino.
This terrifies casino operators, as it is difficult and expensive to recover from perceptions of a high-priced slot product.
Getting Away With It
Consequently, many operators resist increasing the house advantages of their slot machines, believing that players can detect these price shocks.
How Slot Machines Work
Our new research, however, has found that increases in the casino advantage have produced significant gains in revenue with no signs of detection even by savvy players. In multiple comparisons of two otherwise identical reel games, the high-priced games produced significantly greater revenue for the casino. These findings were confirmed in a second study.
Further analysis revealed no evidence of play migration from the high-priced games, despite the fact their low-priced counterparts were located a mere three feet away.
Importantly, these results occurred in spite of the egregious economic disincentive to play the high-priced games. That is, the visible pay tables were identical on both the high- and low-priced games, within each of the two-game pairings. The only difference was the concealed probabilities of each payout.
Armed with this knowledge, management may be more willing to increase prices. And for price-sensitive gamblers, reel slot machines may become something to avoid.
How Slot Machines Work Payout
This article was originally published on The Conversation by Anthony Frederick Lucas. Read the original article here.
