HOW TO WIN AT SLOT MACHINES Aussie

HOW TO WIN AT SLOT MACHINES Aussie

Slots are games with math-based winning probabilities, just like all other casino games. However, only some players understand what these probabilities are and how they can increase their chances of winning.

Here are some basics on how to win at slot machines:

The results of slot machines are random, depending on how the machines are programmed by humans.

The odds of winning the game are more to the casino's advantage.

Except in a few cases, slot machines are not strategy games.

I want to lay out how the odds work and what that means for you in terms of the slot machines with the best odds.

HOW THE CASINO GETS AN ADVANTAGE IN SLOT MACHINES

Through casino games, casinos generate revenue by paying out less, which means that the odds of winning are less than the actual stakes. For table games, this can be relatively simple. In real roulette with a double zero with numbers 1 to 36 plus 0 and 00, the actual probability of winning a number is 37:1, but the bank only pays out single number winners at a ratio of 35:1.

HOW MANY POSSIBLE OUTCOMES ARE THERE?

Slot machines work similarly to the roulette example, except there are many more possibilities with slot machines. There are thousands, sometimes millions of reel combinations. Game designers also have leeway in assigning the winning amount for each winning combination. The number of winning combinations and the payouts per winner together determine the odds of the game winning.

The high number of possibilities makes the math behind slot machines much more complicated than table games.

In older slot machines with three reels and 10 symbols per reel, there were 1,000 possible combinations (10 x 10 x 10).

When empty reels between rows were used as stops, the number of combinations increased to 20 x 20 x 20, or 8,000.

With larger reels of 20 symbols each and 29 empty reels, you get 40 x 40 x 40 or 64,000 combinations.

With the introduction of virtual reels, programmers were able to design the machine so that the reels behaved as if they had any number of stops. With 100 stops on each of the three reels, 1 million combinations are created. The three-reel Megabucks slot, which broke the world record for jackpots of more than $39 million, has 50 million combinations. Most modern video slot machines have five video reels, which can be as large as the game safe online casino maker wants them to be. With 100 symbols on each of the five reels, there are 10 billion combinations.

A SIMPLIFIED SLOT MACHINE

By paying out less than the actual odds possible, the casino gains an advantage. Let's choose the simplest example possible, a game of the type used in the early years after Charles Fey developed the three-reel slot machines. A hypothetical three-reel slot machine with a 7, two bars, three cherries and four watermelons per reel would have over 1,000 possible combinations and pay out 83.2% of players at that percentage.

IN OUR EXAMPLE:

Each of the three reels has 10 symbols. Each reel has a 7 - the top jackpot symbol.

Each reel also has two bars, three cherries and four watermelons.

There are 1,000 possible reel combinations - 10 symbols x 10 symbols x 10 symbols.

Only one combination - or 1 x 1 x 1 - contains three 7s.

Eight combinations include three bars, 27 are three cherries, and 64 are four watermelons.

900 of the 1,000 combinations mix different symbols.

If the game were played with actual odds, the payouts would be set so that each 1,000 coins wagered would generate a payout of 1,000 coins. One way to do this would be to set up payouts of 170 coins for three 7s, 30 coins for three bars, 10 for three cherries, and 5 for three watermelons. However, the casino must have an edge, otherwise it couldn't pay its bills and offer the game. So instead it pays out 160 for three 7s, 25 for three bars, 8 for three cherries and 4 for three watermelons. Multiplied by the winning frequency, this gives a total payout of 832 coins. By paying out less than the actual odds of the game, the machine pays out 83.2%, slightly less than today's 1 cent games.

TODAY'S SLOT MACHINES

Modern slot machines or online gaming machines work the same way in principle, except that the math is much more complex for various reasons:

Random number generators work with much larger number sets and allow exponentially more possibilities.

Clearly more than four roller symbols are used.

Most modern slot machines have more paylines than the one line in the example machine described above.

Game programmers need to consider the effects of bonus events.

EXAMPLES AND EXPLANATIONS FOR SLOT MACHINES

The classic WMS Gaming video slot Super Jackpot Party has eight reel symbols that form winning combinations, plus the Noisemaker and Party Guy symbols that start a bonus event. All symbols must be assigned sets of any numbers as well as payout values for combinations of three, four or five of the same symbols. This makes calculations much more complex than in our example above.

The number of paylines also complicates the math. Even if there is only one jackpot symbol for each reel, a 30-row game means 30 chances to line up those symbols in a winning combination, instead of just one. It works like this for every possible combination - programmers have to consider each combination 30 times.

Almost all modern slot machines have bonus games where the regular game is paused and you can spin the bonus wheel, get a "pick 'em" event, free games or other extras without any further bets. Payouts from bonus games must be included in the calculation of the total payouts of the game.

ON THE FACE OF IT

We can't see the random numbers generated, and yet it's those numbers that really determine whether we win. There is actually a list of things we can and cannot see that are important to our chance of winning.

We can't see the winning probabilities of the game.

We don't know if one machine pays out more than another.

We can see the paytable of the machine, which gives us an indication of its volatility.

We can see what bonuses are being offered, that is also a volatility indicator.

Casinos do not show percentage payouts from individual games and a player has no way of calculating the odds as all random number details are deemed proprietary and not published. Even on different machines with the same game, we have no way of knowing if the payouts are identical. Game manufacturers provide casino operators with multiple versions of the same game and each version has its own percentage payout. Two machines can look identical but offer different percentage payouts.

However, a machine with a large jackpot pays out less on smaller wins than a game with a smaller top prize. So games with large jackpots are usually more volatile. However, it may be that large jackpots are so rare that the game still pays out smaller payouts in the regular percentage range, but this approach is a start.

Games with free spins as bonuses are also more volatile than games with pick 'em bonuses. Volatility is relevant when deciding what you want to get out of a game. Are you a player who wants to maximize your chances and win big, or are you willing to accept that quick and painful losses are part of the game? Then you want a game with high volatility.

Would you rather play a game with frequent small wins but few jackpots and maximize your play time? Then a low volatility game is right for you. However, whether you choose a game with a high, medium or low volatility, you can be sure that the casino has gained an advantage by paying out less than the actual odds of your game winning.

Casinos have an advantage with slot machines because winners get paid less than the actual odds.

The odds of slot machines are mathematically complex due to the number of possible outcomes and the varying payouts to winners.

You can't tell the odds of a slot machine by looking at the machine. Two identical looking games can offer different probabilities of winning.

Taking a closer look at the machine can give you clues about its volatility, which can help with your selection.