Slots Myths

Facts and Fiction – The myths surrounding slots

Like folklore, these legends perpetuate. Are they true and false?

Facts or fiction about online slots?

Over the years, the number of myths about playing slots games has grown. Feeding peoples imagination, these myths grow until, in many minds at least, the become fact. Let’s see what is really true:

Warm tokens mean the machine is about to pay out!

This is false and comes from the belief that, if they have been in the machine long enough to get warm, that the machine is obviously due to pay out. The truth is that payouts are determined by a computer program which only takes the randomness of the result into account.

It gets better – Now the player warms the coins to bluff the machine!

Belief in the preceeding myth has led some players to warm their coins. So much so that they actually get burned! Did it make a difference? You bet! The players left far earlier to go to the doctor for burn treatment! Did they win more? No way, as we said, the results are computer generated and random. They do not take outside influences like these into account!

Don’t leave your machine – The next player will win the jackpot that was due to you

Nope! The results are random. You can indeed walk away and the other guy wins but you would have won it only if all the circumstances were the same. Indeed, you would have had to hit play at the exact same instant for the result to have been repeated.

Using bonus money online or club cards at a land based casino will negatively affect your payout

Nope! The machine could care less whether you put in hard cash or the casino bonus credits. The payout is generated by a program that is stand alone from these outside influences.

The casino pitboss can determine who wins and can push a button to let their friends win.

Nope! The software resides in the machine and is preset. A look at the paytable will help determine your odds and in certain jurisdictions, casinos have to put the payout percentage on the machine. (online casinos often have audited payout schedules to help as well) This tells us what to expect from the machine which will deliver a random set of results that add up to the predicted payout percentage. No outside influence will help you here! This belief also spills over into the table games such as Poker, Blackjack, Roulette and Craps. You only need to read the various stories of the successful Poker players to know that they have played hard and done their homework – read the story of Greg Raymer.

A machine that has been “cold” is due to get “hot” OR a hot machine is all “paid out”

Nope! Doesn’t work that way! The program is random and you can have a long sequence of wins or losses or simply have an up and down experience. Even with progressive jackpots this is true. The pitboss of Silver Sands informed me that they had the same jackpot won 3 times in one night after a few months of it not paying!

You must play small denominations and prime the machine until it begins to pay (You warm it up)

Sheesh! I am glad I am not you. The results are totally random and I want to see the look on your face when you hit the jackpot (worse still, a progressive) and you only have one coin in the machine! You should always play maximum coins. Rather choose a lower denomination machine than playing less than maximum coinage! After all, you want to capitalise on your luck when you hit the jackpot!

Finally, there is a belief that slots machines enjoy the worst odds in the house.

Slots certainly don’t have the payout percentages of games like blackjack where the house has a miniscule advantage but the whole scheme is based on a risk and reward basis. Slots simply make it possible to win a lot with a little and in a very quick time whereas games like blackjack take much longer. Also, games like keno have far worse odds than slots. A typical slots payout percentage would be in the region of 96% to 97% or so. That means that the house has a small 3% advantage.