Slot Machine Myths Debunked

An experts help in understanding slots

Do you play slot machines, and have you heard about ways to improve your luck?

There are a lot of myths surrounding these funny little machines and what they can do and what they cannot do.

Should I play using the handle or the button? Is it better to use my player tracking card or not?

During my time working as a slot technician, people used to ask me the strangest questions. Why is there such a mystery about a box with spinning reels?

Slot machines make money, and we know that before playing them.

For some people, that is not enough. They want more information, like where the ‘loose’ slots are in the casino or when is the best time to play. I used to find these questions funny, but after a few years, they got old.

If you want to know the technical way a slot works and the laws that go with it, take a look at an article I wrote last week.

Otherwise, follow along for the most common myths surrounding slot machines.

The Door “Thing”

“Are the looser slots by the door?”

The myth is that casinos placed loose machines by the doors so people outside of the casino can hear people winning and decide to come in to try and win themselves.

I have never seen this in real life, and the only place I have seen it referenced is in the movie “Casino.” (Scorsese, M. (1995, November 22). Casino. Universal Pictures)

The casinos I worked at used to place machines with low jackpots in the center of the casino, where they would be hitting all night. When the jackpot amount is low, they generally hit more often.

The excitement was natural, and people got into a frenzy playing them. The top award was only $625, so they hit pretty often.

Making a Slot Machine “Looser” or “Tighter”

If you were to ask a slot technician what the number one question they get asked, it would most likely be, “When/Why do you tighten the machines up so people can’t win?”

Slot machines make money, and they do it well. So why would we need to make them any tighter?

Slots have a return to player percentage, which we cannot alter. There is no “Switch” that we can use to adjust paybacks behind the counter.

“… if they do not pay, you will not play.” (Quote by author)

Changing from one program to another takes a lot of time and may involve a slot technician, management, and some level of security.

Depending on the jurisdiction, it may involve somebody from the local government. For Example, the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) would need to be present if you modified a game in Nevada.

Even then, you would have to have a good reason for doing it. You can’t just say, “I want to tighten the game up to make more money.”

The truth is that most slot machines pay way above the legal limit. If they do not pay, you will not play.

Would I Have Won if I Had Played a Little Longer?

“If I had carried on playing, would I have hit that jackpot?”

People ask this when they move from a machine, and somebody else wins on it later.

These ideas are huge misconceptions, machines have a random number generator that is continuously changing. So even waiting a fraction of a second will affect what outcome you will get. Waiting for somebody to lose a lot and then jumping on their machine to try and win makes no difference.

Handle, Spin Button, and Game Screen Button

“I like to alternate between the spin button and the handle.”

Ok, if that is what you like to do, go ahead. The machines do not care. Most use the same wiring for the handle and button, so the game would not know anyhow. Using buttons on the game screen similarly has no effect.

The Door “Thing’s” Opposite

“Do you hide the hot machines in the back, so people can’t find them?”

Nope, that would serve no purpose. We want to show winners, not hide them away.

Player Tracking Card

“Are you more likely to win or lose when using a player tracking card?”

Neither. The machine does not know about the tracking card. The card is to reward the player for playing. Players earn “comps” with them—for Example, free meals or hotel rooms.

Teasers

“I heard that when you first play a machine, it will give you a little money to tease you into playing more?”

No, this is not true. I have heard it on YouTube by so-called experts, but it is incorrect.

Slot machines are random and do not use any data from previous games.

Higher Denominations

“Higher denominations have a higher payback?”

Normally, yes. Casinos tend to reward players who play higher denominations by assigning a higher “return to player” paytable to higher denominations. Of course, it is up to the casino to configure them that way, so it might not be the same everywhere, but it’s almost a given that they will do this.

Weekend or Weekdays

“I heard that slots pay more on weekends. Is this true?”

Weekends tend to have more play, so more jackpots are won, so you could say it is true.

It’s also true that they pay less on weekends for the same reason!

Different Machines

“If a machine is not paying out, it’s best to move to another”

That is a personal preference, but there is no difference at all in moving from one machine to another. Slots are random. The one you left might pay out next. You never know because it’s random.

Bartenders

Bartenders like to tell patrons which machines have paid out or which ones other people have played but did not win on.

They do not know which will pay next, but if you win on a machine they suggested, they expect a tip.

Hot Coins

Luckily most casinos no longer use coins or tokens. From my perspective, they are heavy and take ages to count.

Some people used to think rubbing the coins to make them warmer would help the slot payout. I’ll leave this one to you, the readers, to figure out.

Winning Systems

“What type of winning systems would you recommend?”

None, there are none.

Games have no idea about the person playing them.

Slots game do not know what bills you inserted or in which order.

Betting up and down in a specific order does nothing.

It does not matter if a machine has paid a lot of money out or has not paid for a long time. Each spin is random.

If anybody says otherwise, ignore them.

Slot machines are random and do not know past plays or future plays.

Books, movies, webpages, blogs, and YouTube have people promising slot secrets and winning tips. But, of course, these people want your likes or your cash.

How Can You Improve Your Experience?

There isn’t much, but there are some things I do.

• Use the highest denomination you are comfortable using since the payback is typically higher.
• Pick a suitable game for you — look at the on-screen paytables, play a game with a minor jackpot where you might win something, or play the big jackpot games and hope you get a big win.
• If you are new to slots, play games with less than $1200 jackpots. Jackpots over $1200 are taxable.
• Poker — I play poker, where jackpots are only 4000 credits, so they hit regularly.
• Always play max bet. Paytables typically award players who play max bet. And most top jackpots cannot be achieved without doing this.
• Please don’t get fooled by penny slots when they have hundreds of lines and multiple bets per line. For Example, you might only play a single spin with the $20 you just inserted.
• Plan on how much money you can afford to lose and expect to lose it. That way you can have fun. If you make money, keep it.

Have fun playing slots. You don’t need to worry about superstitions or doing the wrong thing.

Slots are easy to play and can be fun.

If you want to ask me anything about slot machines or casinos in general, feel free to write a comment, and I will answer it.