The Science of Slot Machines: How They Work and Win

It’s a well-known fact that slot, video poker, and all other gambling machines work in favour of the house. So, even though you may think that slots are a simple way to gamble, as you only put your money and watch the reels spin, there’s a lot more going on. 

This is our main topic today. With the increasing popularity of slot machines and slot games, people have forgotten how easily they can lose their money. So, in this article, we’ll go over the aspects that drive this industry towards success. We’ll discover how slot machines actually work!

Slot Machines At a Glance: How Do They Actually Work?

A slot machine, fruit machine, or pokie is a gambling machine that brings the game of chance to gambling enthusiasts. They offer flashy video games in casinos, but instead of screens, they put all of the action on reels that spin with symbols on them. The symbols can be basically anything that the developer decided them to be, starting from fruits to cartoon characters to historical figures. 

The math behind these machines is very easy for you to understand. The more reels and symbols on the reels a slot machine has, the bigger the chances of winning. This is because there are way more possible combinations when they stop spinning. Imagine it like this. If you shuffle 5 images on one side and 25 on the other side, it’s more probable that you’ll have more matches in the second deck of pictures. 

However, there’s a twist. Slot machines are powered by a high-speed computer program that constantly generates random numbers. These computer programs or algorithms are known as random number generators (RNGs). 

They already have mapped numbers and outcomes, and they’re constantly spinning. So, as soon as you hit the spin button, the RNGs lock in on a specific combination. This is because the predetermined numbers select the symbols that will land on the particular reels. Therefore, we can say that this is like a secret code for a winning combination, which you can’t guess. 

More precisely, the whole random number generator system picks the combinations entirely random and independent on each spin, and you can’t predict the symbols that will land on your spin. It’s all up to your luck and the chance. 

Due to this, online casinos need to figure out how to keep you engaged. As a result, game developers have launched various slot games and even different slot machines. Some of the machines allow you to choose how much money you want to bet on each spin, while some let you select how many pay lines you want to play the specific game with. 

On top of this, the different slot types come with numerous captivating features. Here are some of the most common features that developers have started implementing to keep you hooked:

• Autoplay
• Wild symbols
• Bonus free spins
• Scatters
• Increasing multipliers
• Sticky wilds
• Random wilds
• Shifting wilds
• Spreading wilds
• Expanding wilds
• Symbol transformations
• Synced reels
• Progressive jackpots
• Fixed and variable pay lines

Aside from these features, there are way more. But these are the most effective and preferred ones. Due to this, you need to be informed of the different types of slot machines and slot games that you can play. Most of them have a chart with the winning odds, how much each spin costs, and the meaning of the symbols. 

Payouts and Winning Odds

The types of slots and slot machines are not the only things that can differ. Slot machines also come with different winning favours. Still, the amount of money you win depends on a few things. 

First of all, the reward can be limited by the slot machine itself. Some machines are penny pinchers, which means they often give out small portions of prizes. The other factors that affect your wins are the high-roller machines. These allow you to bet more so that you can get an opportunity to win the big and flashy jackpots.

However, the winning odds are also different. Usually, those slot machines that give smaller wins have much higher winning odds, for example, once in 12 spins. On the other hand, if you’re playing to win the jackpot, you can spin the reels forever, as they can occur after 500,000 spins. 

House Favour

While you can estimate the payout frequency and the winning odds approximately, you can never be entirely sure. But there is also another catch. No matter what machine you choose, the odds are always in favour of the casino. This means that you’re more likely to lose money than to win anything. So, even though slot machines can be entertaining, the house always comes out on the top.

Of course, this is not the same in all casinos, as slot games and machines can be tinkered with to make your journey harder or easier. Still, the casino usually has an edge of 8%. For instance, if you bet $100, you can expect to win back only $92. Due to this, slots aren’t the best way to get your money back, which is why you should never chase wins. 

RTP of Slot Machines vs RTP of Other Games

Above, we mentioned that slot machines are often in favour of the casino, regardless of whether it is brick-and-mortar or an online platform. So, if you’re looking for games with a higher return to player, slots might not be the best choice. Before moving on to the comparison, keep in mind that the slot’s RTP depends on the casino and the game developer as well. 

Now, let’s see the RTP of various casino games:

• A land-based slot machine – 85-93%
• Online slot – 91-99%
• Video Poker (Optimal Play) – 95-99.9%
• Roulette – 94.74-97.3%
• Blackjack (Basic Strategy) – 99.4-99.6%
• Craps (Pass Line Bet) – 96.58-98.56%

As you can see, online slots are slightly more favourable than land-based ones. Still, they keep most of your cash for the house.

Chance and Randomness

When betting on slot machines, it all comes down to chance and randomness. So, it’s best to forget about the ideas about lucky streaks or timing the spin. As we already mentioned, modern slots run on RNGs, which pick random numbers in less than a second. These numbers then decide which symbols land on which reel. 

So, you can’t predict how much to bet for a particular prize or how much you will win or lose. The outcome is totally unpredictable, as each spin is independent of the others and entirely random. Due to this, we can also say that slots are games of chance.

Because there are millions of possible outcomes on each spin, some prizes occur very rarely. That said, you should keep in mind that there is no such thing as a secret strategy or way to predict the next move of the slot machine. 

Final Thoughts

Slot machines are trendy among gamblers. In the past, they were popular in brick-and-mortar casinos, and now they are overwhelming the Internet, as they are a huge part of online casinos. What makes them even more attractive is that they come with different themes, features, and payouts. 

Still, slots are games of pure luck and chance. The machines run on random number generators, which means you can’t predict the outcome. Ultimately, they are even in favour of the casinos, leaving you often with more losses than wins. All of this describes how slot machines work and win in the most straightforward way possible!