Progressive Slots. Another attractive aspect about slots are the large payouts. At a blackjack table, when you bet $5 and you get a blackjack, you win $7.50, but the same $5 bet on slots can win you thousands. Many of the slots have a progressive payout, which means as the play.
In the not-too-distant past, slot-machine players were the second-class citizens of casino customers. Jackpots were small, payout percentages were horrendous, and slot players just weren't eligible for the kind of complimentary bonuses -- free rooms, shows, meals -- commonly given to table players. But in the last few decades the face of the casino industry has changed. Nowadays more than 70 percent of casino revenues comes from slot machines, and in many jurisdictions, that figure tops 80 percent.
About 80 percent of first-time visitors to casinos head for the slots. It's easy -- just drop coins into the slot and push the button or pull the handle. Newcomers can find the personal interaction with dealers or other players at the tables intimidating -- slot players avoid that. And besides, the biggest, most lifestyle-changing jackpots in the casino are offered on the slots.
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The following article will tell you everything you need to know about slots, from the basics to various strategies. We'll start at square one, with a primer on how playing slot machines works.
How to Play
The most popular slots are penny and nickel video games along with quarter and dollar reel-spinning games, though there are video games in 2-cent, 10-cent, quarter, and dollar denominations and reel spinners up to $100. Most reel spinners take up to two or three coins at a time while video slots can take 45, 90, and even 500 credits at a time.
Nearly all slot machines are fitted with currency acceptors -- slide a bill into the slot, and the equivalent amount of credits is displayed on a meter. On reel-spinning slots, push a button marked 'play one credit' until you've reached the number of coins you wish to play. Then hit the 'spin reels' button, or pull the handle on those few slots that still have handles, or hit a button marked 'play max credits,' which will play the maximum coins allowed on that machine.
On video slots, push one button for the number of paylines you want to activate, and a second button for the number of credits wagered per line. One common configuration has nine paylines on which you can bet 1 to 5 credits. Video slots are also available with 5, 15, 20, 25, even 50 paylines, accepting up to 25 coins per line.
Many reel-spinning machines have a single payout line painted across the center of the glass in front of the reels. Others have three payout lines, even five payout lines, each corresponding to a coin played. The symbols that stop on a payout line determine whether a player wins. A common set of symbols might be cherries, bars, double bars (two bars stacked atop one another), triple bars, and sevens.
A single cherry on the payout line, for example, might pay back two coins; the player might get 10 coins for three of any bars (a mixture of bars, double bars, and triple bars), 30 for three single bars, 60 for three double bars, 120 for three triple bars, and the jackpot for three sevens. However, many of the stops on each reel will be blanks, and a combination that includes blanks pays nothing. Likewise, a seven is not any bar, so a combination such as bar-seven-double bar pays nothing.
Video slots typically have representations of five reels spinning on a video screen. Paylines not only run straight across the reels but also run in V's, upside down V's, and zigs and zags across the screen. Nearly all have at least five paylines, and most have more -- up to 50 lines by the mid-2000s.
In addition, video slots usually feature bonus rounds and 'scatter pays.' Designated symbols trigger a scatter pay if two, three, or more of them appear on the screen, even if they're not on the same payline.
Similarly, special symbols will trigger a bonus event. The bonus may take the form of a number of free spins, or the player may be presented with a 'second screen' bonus. An example of a second screen bonus comes in the long-popular WMS Gaming Slot 'Jackpot Party.' If three Party noisemakers appear on the video reels, the reels are replaced on the screen with a grid of packages in gift wrapping. The player touches the screen to open a package and collects a bonus payout. He or she may keep touching packages for more bonuses until one package finally reveals a 'pooper,' which ends the round. The popularity of such bonus rounds is why video slots have become the fastest growing casino game of the last decade.
When you hit a winning combination, winnings will be added to the credit meter. If you wish to collect the coins showing on the meter, hit the button marked 'Cash Out,' and on most machines, a bar-coded ticket will be printed out that can be redeemed for cash. In a few older machines, coins still drop into a tray.
Etiquette
Many slot players pump money into two or more adjacent machines at a time, but if the casino is crowded and others are having difficulty finding places to play, limit yourself to one machine. As a practical matter, even in a light crowd, it's wise not to play more machines than you can watch over easily. Play too many and you could find yourself in the situation faced by the woman who was working up and down a row of six slots. She was dropping coins into machine number six while number one, on the aisle, was paying a jackpot. There was nothing she could do as a passerby scooped a handful of coins out of the first tray.
Sometimes players taking a break for the rest room will tip a chair against the machine, leave a coat on the chair, or leave some other sign that they'll be back. Take heed of these signs. A nasty confrontation could follow if you play a machine that has already been thus staked out.
Easy Win Slot Machines
Payouts
Payout percentages have risen since the casinos figured out it's more profitable to hold 5 percent of a dollar than 8 percent of a quarter or 10 percent of a nickel. In most of the country, slot players can figure on about a 93 percent payout percentage, though payouts in Nevada run higher. Las Vegas casinos usually offer the highest average payouts of all -- better than 95 percent. Keep in mind that these are long-term averages that will hold up over a sample of 100,000 to 300,000 pulls.
In the short term, anything can happen. It's not unusual to go 20 or 50 or more pulls without a single payout on a reel-spinning slot, though payouts are more frequent on video slots. Nor is it unusual for a machine to pay back 150 percent or more for several dozen pulls. But in the long run, the programmed percentages will hold up.
The change in slots has come in the computer age, with the development of the microprocessor. Earlier slot machines were mechanical, and if you knew the number of stops -- symbols or blank spaces that could stop on the payout line--on each reel, you could calculate the odds on hitting the top jackpot. If a machine had three reels, each with ten stops, and one symbol on each reel was for the jackpot, then three jackpot symbols would line up, on the average, once every 10310310 pulls, or 1,000 pulls.
On those machines, the big payoffs were $50 or $100--nothing like the big numbers slot players expect today. On systems that electronically link machines in several casinos, progressive jackpots reach millions of dollars.
The microprocessors driving today's machines are programmed with random-number generators that govern winning combinations. It no longer matters how many stops are on each reel. If we fitted that old three-reel, ten-stop machine with a microprocessor, we could put ten jackpot symbols on the first reel, ten on the second, and nine on the third, and still program the random-number generator so that three jackpot symbols lined up only once every 1,000 times, or 10,000 times. And on video slots, reel strips can be programmed to be as long as needed to make the odds of the game hit at a desired percentage. They are not constrained by a physical reel.
Each possible combination is assigned a number, or numbers. When the random-number generator receives a signal -- anything from a coin being dropped in to the handle being pulled -- it sets a number, and the reels stop on the corresponding combination.
Between signals, the random-number generator operates continuously, running through dozens of numbers per second. This has two practical effects for slot players. First, if you leave a machine, then see someone else hit a jackpot shortly thereafter, don't fret. To hit the same jackpot, you would have needed the same split-second timing as the winner. The odds are overwhelming that if you had stayed at the machine, you would not have hit the same combination.
Second, because the combinations are random, or as close to random as is possible to set the program, the odds of hitting any particular combination are the same on every pull. If a machine is programmed to pay out its top jackpot, on the average, once every 10,000 pulls, your chances of hitting it are one in 10,000 on any given pull. If you've been standing there for days and have played 10,000 times, the odds on the next pull will still be one in 10,000. Those odds are long-term averages. In the short term, the machine could go 100,000 pulls without letting loose of the big one, or it could pay it out twice in a row.
So, is there a way to ensure that you hit it big on a slot machine? Not really, but despite the overriding elements of chance, there are some strategies you can employ. We'll cover these in the next section.
This may not be surprising, but in case you didn’t know, slot machines are everywhere, and they don’t plan on going anywhere, anytime soon at least. From hotels, bars, restaurants, cruise ships, online sites, to even the airport in Las Vegas, you can’t hide from them. And there’s a good reason why they’re everywhere, and that’s simply because so many people love playing them. People play slot machines more than any other game on the casino floors as well as the casinos online.
The magic started back in the good old days of Brooklyn, New York in 1891 when Sitmann and Pitt came out with the first gambling machine. Now this isn’t your typical slot machine most people are familiar with, but more of a poker machine, which had five drums holding 50 cards faced down. On the machine was a lever you needed to pull after dropping a nickel inside. Then the drums would spin the cards in order to try and land a strong poker hand. These machines didn’t have any automatic payouts, but people would be rewarded, say a drink or something if they were playing at the bar.
Now that you’re familiar with some of the history behind these magnificent machines, let’s get you familiar with 5 slot machine strategies that will make you win big. Although these strategies cannot guarantee any wins, they can still improve your gameplay online and at the casino floors.
Slot Machine Tricks: play on slots in crowded places
One slot machine trick that could help you the next time you go to the casino or online is to try finding slots that are located in a noticeable area where a lot of people are walking by or hanging out. The theory behind this is that the payout frequencies are higher on these machines as the casinos want the people nearby to witness others winning on these machines with the goal to get them to spin on the as well. The same goes with the slots that are located at the end of the rows, as more people pass by these machines when walking around the casino floor.
How To Win At Slots
How to Win at Slots: choose the ones with the smallest jackpots
Just to make it clear, there’s no hidden secret out there that will be able to show and guarantee you how to win at slots. There are ways that could help increase your payout percentages, for example, it might be a good idea to try machines that offer the smallest jackpot, rather than the highest. Typically, the larger the jackpot is, the harder it is to win, whereas playing a slot with a smaller jackpot could be the opposite. Another thing people say is that your chances for a payout are higher on the basic slots that have only a single payout line. On the other hand, some may say that it’s better to go with slots that offer more features, such as bonuses, wilds and free spins.
Win Big at Slot Machines: focus on progressive jackpot
Want to win big at slot machines? Try machines with the highest bets as these machines have a higher payback percentage. Next time you’re at the casino floor or online, look out for slot machines that are linked to a progressive jackpot since the rewards on them can be huge. But keep in mind, the chances for a payout on these machines are typically lower. These machines are great if your goal is to win a substantial amount and wouldn’t recommend for those who just want to have a higher chance of winning the smaller payouts. If you’re spinning for these progressive jackpots, just don’t get upset if you don’t win, as the chances of winning are like the lottery.
Set a Limit to Your Wins or Loses
A great strategy to keep in mind the next time you’re gaming with slot machines online or at the casino is to set a limit to your wins or losses. Be smart and make a budget so that you can make wise decisions on whether you should lower your bet or quit spinning the reels once you’ve reached your limit. Setting these limits could help you save a lot of money and also spread out your gaming, especially if you plan on playing a while. You don’t want to spend it all in one sitting and you don’t want to be that guy who won a lot and ended up losing it all because he didn’t know when to stop.
Take Advantage of the Benefits
Another great strategy, is to find a reputable casino that offers their players rewards (or “comps”) and take advantage of the benefits they have to offer. You can find reward programs from casinos both online and of course at the land based casinos. These are benefits you can gain from simply playing. Whether you win or lose, you can continue racking up points and use them towards some of the perks the casino you’re at has to offer, such as room upgrades, shows, cash back, meals and more. In fact, if you play our free video slots here at Caesars Casino online and you’re from the U.S. or Canada, you can link or create a new Total Rewards account so you can earn TR credits anytime without having to be at the casino.
How To Play Slot Machines And Win
As mentioned earlier, there are no slot machine tricks that will guarantee you’ll win, however these strategies can help improve your gaming and make wise decisions the next time you visit a casino or game online. In the end, it’s all about the luck of the spin and most importantly to have fun. So whether you win or lose, make sure you leave the reels with a smile on your face.