Some Myths About Slot Machines

Slot machines have many false beliefs associated with them. This is mostly due to ignorance of how they work. Let's take a break from hours of mindless slot play and look at some widespread myths about slots.

Slot Machine Myths

Myth: Slot machines are rigged or fixed.

No, they aren't. Casinos do not fix their slot machines. Why would they bother? The odds built into the slots already favor the house! In truth, the chances of someone winning are so small and insignificant that casinos just can't lose. It would cost them more to fix the machines than to just let a few players win.

If slots are rigged at all, it is done by a few daring programmers who want to make money off the machines themselves. They program he slots they were hired to make to pay out huge sums of money if played in a certain way. Needless to say, they put you under the jail for that if they catch you.

Myth: Slot jackpot payouts can be predicted.

No, they can't. The results are completely random. Probably the closest you can get to "cornering" a jackpot in a casino is to get a team of slot junkies like yourself to play the networked jackpot machines until the jackpot hits. But you'd need a big bankroll for that, not to mention nerves of steel to be willing to risk going to jail if you're caught!

We do not recommend trapping jackpot machines in this way. Please be fair to other players and consider that your reputation and safety are more important than money.

Myth: Slots pay out big on busy nights.

Well, casinos are always busy. Do the slots always pay out? There may be some truth to this since the busier a casino is, then the more people who play at the slots. So the long term payout percentage is reached sooner. But even if you do have the money, tenacity and insanity to play that long, it still won't guarantee a jackpot hit.

Trust us, if there were a way to predict when a jackpot would hit, we wouldn't be here writing this!

Myth: Casino staff can give you hints as to which slots are lucky.

This is nonsense! Nothing is sillier than to ask a cocktail waitress where the "lucky" slots are. Think about it: If the waitress knew which slots were generous, why would she be serving you drinks instead of playing at the machine?

Myth: Slot machines can be beaten by strategy.

There is no slot machine strategy that is guaranteed to make you win. Slot results are random, random, random! And that fact makes them immune to strategy.

For example, you can try to "test" three slot machines for generosity by playing a few spins at each one. The first machine may return you 5 coins, the second 0 coins (break even) and the third may cost you 3 coins. So the first is the most generous, it seems. But how do you KNOW for sure that the next time you go back to that machine, the results will be the same? And how do you know the other slots won't be "luckier" next time someone else plays them? You cannot know.

Even the numerous betting systems do not work with slots due to their random nature. Slots are fun to play and some games such as video poker can be won with strategy. But by and large, slots are random. Play them for fun but don't expect to win big.