The phrase ”slots strategy” makes some players’ eyes light up at the potential riches. For others, it makes about as much sense as ”skydiving without a skydiving strategy”. This polarising issue has been debated at length among gamblers. Some argue that using different strategies can give a player a long-term advantage, while others dismiss the notion as nonsense.
Regardless of which side of the fence you’re on, we hope this article can shed more light on the subject. We’ll explore several slots strategies, explain how modern games work, and debunk some of the most popular myths.
How slot machines work
Before you can even think about applying a strategy, it helps to know how a slot machine works. In this section, we’ll give you a basic understanding of the inner workings of the game. In all modern slot machines, the main element is a random number generator. To be perfectly correct, the random number generator is actually a function, while the chip installed in each slot is known as an EPROM (or ”erasable programmable read-only memory”). For simplicity, however, most people refer to an EPROM as a random number generator, which we will do in the remainder of this article.
What is a random number generator?
An RNG continuously dials numbers, and the result can range from tiny to tens of billions. This function happens regardless of whether a machine is being played, which means that every uncontrolled slot machine on the casino floor will produce several numbers every millisecond.
It should also be noted that the numbers generated are not determined in any way by the size of the potential jackpot, the amount of credits deposited or the use of a playing card. Whatever the circumstances, the computer spits out its numbers in an unbiased manner.
Once a number is generated, it is distributed using a formula programmed into the heart of the slot machine. The resulting number corresponds to the ”roll” of the machine.
What is a stop?
As the name implies, a stop is a record stop. This can be a cherry symbol, an empty space or the face of a popular movie character in a licensed game.
Older slots had a smaller number of stops, often around 10 per reel. This has changed considerably in recent decades, and now anything from 25 to 50 stops are common. The reason for this is that old-school starting points had fixed images on the reels, while video slot machines can produce virtual icons as needed.
When a game is created at the factory, some symbols are programmed to appear more often than others. This process is called ”weighing” and is the main reason why production does not cost large sums of money every two rounds. For example, suppose you need three ”jackpot” symbols to get a good payday, but each of these icons appears (on average) only every 100 spins. While the odds of getting one are not high, the odds of getting all three would be one in a million.
How do slot machines work?
The actual game of slots happens differently than most players think. Because the game produces continuous numbers, you simply select the latest randomly generated number by clicking the spin button. When you’re done, the scrolls will spin and eventually stop to display icons corresponding to those numbers. The actual result of the spin is generated when the customer presses the button when the randomly generated number is selected. These numbers correspond to different stops on the scrolls, and some icons will be pressed to appear more often than others.