How Slot Machines Work
Behind the fancy graphics and the carefully selected sounds, all slots are basically the same. A factory makes the slot machines with the symbols you see and the computer chip that directs them. That chip, the heart of the machine, is called the Random Number Generator. It runs a mathematical program that determines over thousands of spins how much will be paid out in winnings.
The random number generators are set at the factory. The common belief that the casino can change the payouts depending on the time of day is a myth. They have other methods to help you lose. Casinos are in business to make money. In the end, they will pay out less than they take in. If you play long enough and are an average player, you will likely lose money.
It’s All About Mathematics
Are there any sure-fire methods for beating the slot machines? There are methods to improve your chances, but nobody can guarantee you’ll become a consistent winner.
Slots are ruled by mathematics. Every spin is random. If a machine seems “hot” or “cold,” it’s just chance. Chance may make a coin flip produce heads or tails many times in a row, but over thousands of flips, the coin will land an equal time on each. If you remember that every spin is random, you are less likely to wager compulsively and lose your money.
On electronic machines, the spinning reels are for visual effect only. The Random Number Generator determines the outcome the instant the spin button is pushed. When you watch people try to influence the outcome by rubbing the screen, you know they cannot make a difference. Hocus pocus doesn’t work on random numbers.
Casinos Try to Keep You Playing
If you have been to a casino, you know there are no clocks and no windows. But there are places to eat. Casinos don’t want you to know how long you’ve been playing or to leave the building for supper. It’s not by accident that higher limit slot machines are placed near the valet parking entrance. How close to one another machines are placed, what and how much sound they make, what seats are used in front of each have all been extensively researched. Many casinos have pictures of big winners displayed, but never of losers.
Increasing Your Chances
However, not all machines in a casino are created equal. You can tilt the odds more in your favor. Slot In every casino there are a few really “loose” slots. They enable the casino to advertise loose slots and happy winners can create excitement among the other players. Casinos want winners to be seen by other players, so they place the loosest machines where they can attract the most attention. Choose a machine that is visible in all directions. The end of a row of slots near an entrance, lounge, change booth, or coffee shop is a more likely place for you to find a loose machine than the middle of a row in the back corner of the casino.