• Posts Tagged ‘myths’

    Myths About Slot Machines

    Wednesday, September 15th, 2010

    In the world of slots there are many myths out there. Some people believe that they can sway Lady Luck if they go through a certain ritual. Some people believe that they can tell when a machine is going to payout. Others believe that they know when huge jackpots are coming. These are all impossible. Many players believe that the payback percentage is lowered when the crowds are bigger, and the demand for the machines are in greater demand. To change a machines programming takes time. When that is being done a machine has to be opened, and the computer chip inside replaced. It may sound easy to do, but it isn’t as easy as it sounds. So when you are at a casino online or on land, pick one for any reason other than it is hot, cold or due to put out a jackpot because those reasons are simply just myths created by players, supported by players, and encouraged and nurtured by players. There has been no truth proven to hot, cold or due to hit machines. No one is telling you not to play how you want to play or to give up your beliefs about how a slot machine works all we are telling you is to take into consideration how a slot machine really works, and to just have fun when you are playing. When you play for fun losing won’t matter as much and winning will be all the more fun. You won’t have any pressure to play well, but rather can just sit back and play.

    That is the main lesson with slots games. They are there for fun- nothing else. While games like poker and blackjack all have strategies, slots don’t. They are games solely based on luck and there is nothing you can do to inflence where the reels land. They are completely directed by the RNG, or random number generator inside. This is the mechanism that works solely on its own. Don’t worry about myths or superstitions with slots games. They are games of fun and nothing more so sit down, spin the reels and have fun. That is what the games are for!

    Squashing the Myths of Slots

    Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

    When it comes to reading slot machines, there are hundreds of “experts” out there who believe they have the key. Anyone who has been looking into the games for any amount of time inevitably has come in contact with people who claim to have tips and tricks. Most are nonsense and don’t offer any value at all to the player. Remember that if these tips were truly strategies, then why isn’t every slots player walking away a winner? The reason is because most “wisdom” is a myth. No one can predict when a machine is going to pay out or when it is going to take your money. Every machine has a random number generator, or RNG and that is the only thing that dictates how a slot machine’s reels land. Here are some common myths that still run rampant in today’s gambling world.

    • Loosing machines are segregated to one area of the casino. Exactly what sense would this make? The only distinction is that looser machines may be put in different areas, but they aren’t sure fire losing machines.
    • The numbers of symbols on a reel dictate the amount of wins. This isn’t entirely true. What is true is that there are probabilities you can calculate to see how your chances of a winning combination change as you add reels. Of course these are pretty complex, but if you have a free weekend, take a chance and see how the numbers play out.
    • Slots can be remotely tightened or loosened. Slot machines have computer chips that can be changed, but the changes are regulated by third-party. That means that the chances of a casino changing the odds and risking fines and other actions just aren’t that great. Plus, the negative publicity any act like that would bring would definitely bring a casino to its knees. No one in today’s competitive market wants to take that risk and lose consistent paying customers to another casino.
    • Winning machines have something “special” and trained players can spot them. Again—if this were the case, people would win more as they continued playing. A slot machine is run by the RNG and that’s it. The law of randomness is the only thing that influences the reels.
    • If a machine hasn’t paid out in a while, it will soon. Recall the RNG? And how it is the sole influence? Same here. A machine that hasn’t paid out in a while could pay out on the next play, or could hold out for a lot longer. That’s the beauty of working on a totally random system.
    • Hot coins will increase a player’s chance of winning. Anyone who understands how a slot machine operates, will know that a hot coin (meaning hot from a real flame) is not going to warm up the gears and get them to “loosen” up. This myth was likely started by an optimistic and creative gambler who had one too many free drinks sitting at the slot machines.
    • You always have better winning odds on the weekends. Although casinos may change their betting stakes to accommodate certain types of players at certain times of the day, the payouts of slot machines still operate on a random basis as dictated by the RNG.

    Three Slot Machine Myths To Ignore

    Monday, October 19th, 2009

    Slot machines are wildly popular among gamblers both online and in-house.  The games have been around for about a century now and have grown in style and capabilities considerably. While the original slot games were primitive, newer games have had the benefit of strides in the industry of gaming and advances in technology.

    Despite their cutting-edge capabilities, some slots players have developed myths regarding the game. They hold onto antiquated theories that have no proof or merit. Here are some of the most common misconceptions about online slot games.

    • If a slot pays out, it won’t pay out for a long time. This is not true. The slot machine operates randomly. This means that the probability of a slot machine hitting a jackpot on the first spin is as same as the probability of it hitting on the 892nd spin or the 61,297th spin. It is the Random Number Generator inside the machine that dictates how the reels fall. If you see a slot machine hit the jackpot, don’t be afraid to take a chance at it. You could be the next big winner.
    • Each spin is pre-programmed prior to play. Again, remember that slot machines work by the law of the Random Number Generator. This is the only thing that reel spins are dependent on.  The RNG is constantly changing so the payout of the next spin is changing too.  When the player spins the reels, the RNG kicks into gear and picks where the reels land. Whatever symbol is displayed is completely inconsequential.
    • Using the lever on a slot machine gives a different outcome than using the SPIN button. This is also not true. The lever pull and the SPIN button both trigger the same thing to happen—the reels spin and land.  There is no alternative programming for each but rather only one law.

    These three myths of online and in-house slots play have caused many debates to go sour over the years.  The reality of every slot game argument however, is that they are run by the RNG. There is no pattern or discernable blueprint to follow to increase your chances of a win.  Don’t fret however. The fun of the slot machine is that is it random and the unknown is what makes it exciting. You could just get a simple line of symbols or you could be the next big winner.

     

    Don’t be a ‘Myth Slot’ Player

    Saturday, October 17th, 2009

    There are many myths in terms of slots play. One lady recently wrote into a gambling website advice column for a suggestion. The lady was an avid slot machine gambler and was looking to maximize her own odds at winning. She insisted that the way to do so was to bet big…quickly. Her theory was that if you bet big, you are opening up the door for odds to sway in your favor early on. She never approached a slots game without her trusty $100 and rarely had that $100 last long.

    Part of her mentality though was that betting the $100 was exciting. It made her feel like she was in Las Vegas as a high-roller. She was able to start wagering a good amount of money and mentally she could picture that “big return” coming her way within a few spins of the reels. Though she played her $100 the reality was that it only lasted a few times and then her bankroll was done and she was done playing.

    She is a classic myth gambler. The myth gambler is some one who truly believes that their ideas about gambling are true, despite no logical or experimental proof to back them up. In actuality, slot machines do not operate intelligently. They can’t “tell” when a player begins with a $100 wager or a $0.50 wager. There is a random number generator, or RNG, that decides each reel spin and dictates where it lands. That’s the only “truth” in slots play. Well—that and the payout probability. Depending on what game she is playing, there will be a posted payout probability. It normally it is anywhere between the 95-98% range. The problem with her theory is that the 95-98% range is how often statistically the machine pays out over a long period of time…not just the time it takes to wager $100.

    In the end her biggest payoff may be the excitement she’s built up for herself regarding her $100 bet. She said herself that it makes her “giddy” to take that one bill and bet it all. That may be the issue right there. If she’s satisfied by throwing down her $100 bet, losing it, and then going home, then maybe that is the system that works best for her. But her theory of increasing her chances as a result of it are complete nonsense.

    Myths About Slot Machines

    Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

    Slot machines are simple. It’s amazing how they have lasted throughout the past century with a very basic mechanism. Though they began in the late 1800s, they have remained a favorite amongst the gaming public. The simple machines have grown to complex online games and many websites feature them, along with huge payouts. 

    Despite their popularity, there are still some misconceptions about slot machines. One major one is that today’s electronic model of the machine is operated by a digital processor, that may or may not be unfair to the player. This is false. The machine is actually run by a random number generator.  Whenever a player hits the button on their screen or pulls the lever if they are in a land-based casino, the number is produced by a timer at a specific time. If you managed to push the button or pull the lever one millisecond sooner or later, your outcome would be entirely different. As a result of the random number generator, there is now way to predict the outcome of a slots game.

    Another popular myth is that slot machines are programmed to hit a jackpot after a certain number of uses. For example, an electronic game will pay out every 517th spin of the online reels.  This is not true. If that were the case, players all over could potentially beat the system by showcasing their patience. The reality of slots games is that they are fix odds games. That means that no matter how much you bet or for how long, your chances of winning are the same. Remember that with slot machines you’re dealing with the law of probability. And laws are called “laws” for a reason—they don’t change.

    Some people have crazy beliefs about slots machines. Have you heard the one where people claim that if you “heat up” coins, they trigger wins? Or the one where if you use the right size of foreign money, you can trigger a payout? Both are completely false. The machine does verify coinage, but that’s about it. Heat doesn’t matter and as long as the coin is the right size, its country of origin doesn’t matter at all.

    If you’re an online slots or land-based slots player, remember that it’s completely a game of chance. There is no magic formula; if there was don’t you think some one in over a century would have found it? Just leave the theories and superstitions at home and have fun playing the amazing amounts of slot machines out there.

    Some Myths of Online Slots

    Monday, October 5th, 2009

    If you’re a fan of online slots, there are some myths out there that it’s best to rid yourself of. Slots are great pastimes and great ways to win some extra cash if you get lucky, but they also can be tricky. Here are some myths to be aware of.

    1)      Your favorite slots game has a higher than average payout. This isn’t true. The reality in slots is that they are based on luck and just because you’re lucky once, doesn’t mean it’s your “lucky game.” It’s all based on a random law of spinning reels that land with various symbols. Just because you may have a “lucky” slots game, doesn’t mean you should avoid playing other games to see how they are.

    2)      Slots have up times and down times. This too isn’t true. Again, slots are based on laws of probability. When you spin, your reels stop at random places that are independent from previous spins. If you try doing some serious research on outcomes, you may be surprised to find out that there is no rhyme or reason to the slots. They are random fun. There is no “up” and “down” time to get through.

    3)      If you play long enough, you can increase your chances of winning. Slots have a random number generator that produce hundreds of numbers in any given timeframe. The odds of pressing a button at just the right time, is highly unlikely… regardless of how long you’ve been playing at the game.  Sure, it can be a game of numbers and if you stay long enough you may get a payout. But before you categorize it as a “win” ask yourself how much money you put into the game in total to get to that “win.”

    4)      Mechanical slots are better than electronic ones. Each one uses different mechanisms sure, but both are based on random spins. The reality is that numbers rule in slots and historically electronic slots have paid off better. Part of the reason for this is that online casinos can afford to create deeper discounts, better bonuses and better promotions that benefit players.

    In the end, there are a lot of myths floating around regarding slots. The reality is that they are based on random spins—always have been and always will be. You can’t find a rhythm to randomness. All you can do is spin the reels and hope for the best.