Theories on How Slots Work

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Not only are Slot Machines so much fun but they can also surprise you with excitement and anticipation and generously hand over a large win all in one sitting. While some say there are very few skills to online slots, it is a matter of click, click and click yet again, while many others will say that as long as you understand slots and how their payout tables work you can actually clock the slot!

Hot and cold cycles

Regular slot players have actually experienced this so while there is little to go on as documented proof they believe that a machine is either hot, as in it's paying out, or it is cold where it is just accumulating some cash to make a payout a little later. The idea of course it to only play it if it is hot, giving real meaning to the term 'hot slots'! Finding out which cycle it is in is another matter altogether though.

There are two really great strategies here. The first is to give it a shot in guest play mode. Simply put, the software and payouts are exactly the same in guest play and real play. So if it is paying out in guest play then it will payout in real money mode as well. The trick though is to test on 5 spins of the reel. Out of 5 spins you need a win on at least 2 of them. Guest play mode can lead to a very inaccurate representation since you have an abundance of credits to play with and the ability to simply go and get more.

Perhaps the more accurate of the two strategies would be to play five spins in real play. Only continue playing if you get paid out for at least 2 out of the 5 spins. Fiddle with the settings so that during these test spins that you have at least one coin on every line and each coin must be at their lowest value. If the slot pays then slowly increase the coin size or value of the coin. 5 non-paying spins is a sign that the slot is moving into a cold cycle and time to move onto the next machine.

Jackpot thermometer

The theory behind this is that as jackpot does not pay out often so it is worthwhile to know when the jackpot was last paid. Many of the software providers have a built-in jackpot thermometer, the hotter it gets the sooner it is about to pop. This is usually specific to the game and based on the average time between jackpot payouts.

Progressive jackpots are different. You can tell that it has paid out recently when it is small. The bigger the jackpot gets the sooner it will payout. Jackpots do eventually have to payout; the largest jackpot was just over $8 million! But it eventually paid!

Practice makes perfect

This theory revolves around the fact that there is a skill to playing slots. Players hone in on slots with special features, like those with a bonus round or nudge and hold options. The first step here is to have a really good look at the paytables and figure out what the symbols mean and where the paylines are. Then step number two is to try them out in guest play. As mentioned before, the game is the same in both guest and real play.

Random number generator

Much as the theories above are based on the law of averages and so is the random number generator. The random number generator is filled with all the different combinations. There are more of some and less of others, which is why the jackpot combination is so rare! Slots players who believe in this understand that the more you spin the better your chances of hitting on that jackpot combination. So set the game onto autoplay and walk away checking in every once in a while to play a bonus game.

Each of these theories has their merits and it is for the player to test which works the best for them. Good luck and great spinning!!