The Chances of Winning Slots

While you may believe that unless you are playing a hand of poker that you are playing against the house, this is not completely true. You are always playing other players because it is designed for the house to always win. When you win at a slot, you win because another player lost. While some players can be lucky and hit the jackpot within the first couple of spins, another will lose their life savings.

Every machine has their own payout cycles that gets established over time and use. These cycles will eventually show that the machine is loose or tight. A loose machine pays out big and it pays out fast. It has been said that some of the loosest machines are in Vegas but perhaps frequent payouts are just a result of the staggering amount of cash that gets pumped into them day and night.

Online casinos are known to have higher payout ratios for the simple reason that they have less overheads, they spend less on extravagance and opulence and the same kind of cash comes in. A payout ratio of 95% means that the casino's total profit margin is 5% of the incoming bets. If a casino can operate on such a small profit margin it has the opportunity to attract players for a better experience and bigger payouts.

This payout percentage is across the board, across all players, across all games, across all slot machines. So while there are tight machines, there are loose ones too. Your chances of winning across the board are usually advertised by the casino as their payout rate. For example a payout rate of 95% can be equated to every $100 that gets wagered $95 gets paid out in wins.

To increase your chances of winning at the slot machines you need to find the loose slots and stick to playing those. You need to outwit the other players by thinking just like them but choosing games that are opposite in nature. The casino is going to make their money, they have proven it by the fact that they are still in existence. So to try and win against the casino is futile, your competition is other players.

In your quest for a high paying slot look to the paytable first for the tell tale signs. The gap between the lowest possible bet and the maximum bet should not be able to fit an entire car dealership and the gas station across the road in it. Your maximum bet should be high but not unreasonably so. You want to risk big only because you want to win big. Compare your bet to the value of the highest payout and let it be convincing.

Give the slot 30 test spins at the top bet. Of those 30 spins make sure that you had a few small wins and at least one or two pays that you would be happy with. Even if your balance is lower this kind of slot is one that holds out for decent rewards during regular play without having to wait for the bonus rounds.

Bonus rounds are fun but not always profitable. The best kind of bonus round is free spins. Be careful of a game that offers less spins at a higher multiplier. We have already discussed that the longer you play the more the payouts even out, therefore the more spins the better your chances of getting a few good wins at a lower multiplier. You are ideally looking for free spins that re-triggers while in free spin mode.

The overall chances of winning at slots are predetermined by random number generators and limited high value symbols, but your chances compared to another player's chances are different. Focus on your competition and hit the big time.