We won’t lie: slot machines are complicated. At least, they can definitely appear to be that way. If you think about it, the slot machine in front of you is the fruit of decades of innovation, coupled with countless hours of work by a team of game developers.
Shrugging in indifference and walking away from a particular slot machine not only means that the industry of slot machines has failed you miserably, but you’ve also missed out on a phenomenal experience.
Take a few minutes to stick around as we’ll explain how the slot machine game came to fruition, how gambling slot machines work, and what you need to know to operate slot machines effectively.
The technology behind modern slot machines
The parent of the modern slot machine is what was called ‘The Liberty Bell‘ — a very rudimentary slot game that was created in 1894 by Charles Fey.
This slot machine emulated the look and function of a vending machine since the symbols — lemons, cherries, plums and grapes — represented the different chewing gum flavours. Dropping coins in a small shute would grant the player a spin of the reels.
If we fast-forward more than a century, we’ll get to the modern machines of the contemporary age, developed solely through computer technology.
Computerised slot machines
Casinos today feature newer slot machines, which function almost solely by means of digital technology. Although we are talking about computer-controlled machines, in essence, modern video slots operate thanks to the Random Number Generator.
What exactly is a Random Number Generator? It would certainly be good to know that Random Number Generators are the basis of all legitimate slot games. In fact, this is exactly how casinos distinguish between legit games and illegitimate ones.
The Random Number Generator is a program that continuously cycles through millions of random numbers, making the outcome of the spinning reels completely unpredictable.
Two most important features – Chance and Randomness
The most important thing to keep in mind when it comes to video slots is that they are purely based on luck. There is no legitimate way to make online slots deliver a win, and any websites claiming to offer that should be disregarded.
Esteemed gambling establishments make sure that the element of luck, and its inherent randomness, is the very foundation of all of their slot machines.
With that said, players should definitely know how wins are delivered and what they must keep in mind to avoid slot machines that aren’t worth playing.
Payout systems
How a slot machine pays depends on a number of factors, and it’s important to have a good understanding of them prior to taking a game for a spin.
Firstly, slots pay when certain combinations of symbols land on a payline once the reels stop. To have a better idea of how a particular slot pays, check out the pay table. Pay tables detail the value of the symbols as well as how they must be aligned on the reels.
Most machines have five reels, although the more traditional ones only offer three reels. This makes it noticeably harder to land wins on a payline.
Odds of winning
Your odds of landing a winning combination vary between slot machines. While it may be easy to win on some slots, other slot machines might pose more of a challenge. This is known as ‘slot volatility’ or ‘variance’.
Slot volatility can range from low to high, where a low-volatility slot will pay regularly, whereas high-volatility games pay less frequently.
Nevertheless, the bottom line is that slot machines may not always seem to abide by their allocated volatility, yet a high enough number of spins will always bring the true volatility out.
House advantage
In the context of online slots, the house advantage is often referred to as the Return to Player (RTP). The RTP refers to the average payback percentage that the slot is expected to deliver over time.
The higher the RTP, the more money the slot is programmed to pay you over time. We’d recommend going after slots whose RTP ranges over 96%, whereas anything below that would fall into the ‘unfavourable’ category.
In any case, keep in mind that no casino would offer any games if they don’t net them any money. Understand that the RTP is a way how a casino earns a profit, which is the primary goal of any casino.
Short-term and long-term
Slot machines — be they coin slots, penny slots or even video lottery games — are bound to be a losing game, both in the short run and long run.
Although winning a large payout can momentarily draw your attention away from that fact, do be mindful of their potential harm on your bankroll.
Losing money at slot games is one of the most normal things that can happen, so it’s important to avoid losing your cool when that happens.
The key is to stop playing games when your gaming budget dries up. Sticking to the minimum bet can help you extend your bankroll for as long as possible, but the endgame will always remain the same.
Try to be wary not to fall into the grim reality behind the flashy Las Vegas, but if you ever need help curtailing your spending, feel free to ring up the National Gaming Helpline.
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