What are casino slot machine odds

New casino sites to play real money

The lines are controlled by random number generators, and over time the five different symbols will come up equally often on each line. So the chance of hitting, say a cherry on one line is 1/5. The chance of hitting a cherry on the second line is also 1/5. Therefore the chance of hitting five cherries in a row is 1/5 x 1/5 x 1/5 x 1/5 x 1/5, or 1/3125, or 0.032%. Your odds of winning are better than this, as you can hit five bells, five whistles or five of any other set of symbols, so on this machine your odds of any set of five are actually 5 x 0.032%, or 0.16%. So once in every 625 spins of this hypothetical machine, you’ll hit your set of five identical symbols for the jackpot. You might also want to consider your likely loss over an hour of play at different denominations.

Winning at slots - what are my odds?

First of all you should know that slot machines, as with many casino games, are a type of game for which there is no “winning strategy” - technically speaking they are a negative equity game, or –EV game for short. Unlike a game such as poker (against real opponents, not vs. The house) where proper application of skill can make a game profitable in the long-term, most casino games are designed to make this impossible.

Why can’t I make a consistent return at slots?

Let’s look at why, in the case of slots, there’s no way to make money long-term. For simplicity let’s imagine a game where there is only one pay-out, the “jackpot”, paid out for matching five symbols, of course the same logic will apply to complex modern machines as well. In this hypothetical machine there are five symbols available on each line and you need to match five of the same to win the jackpot on a $1 machine.

Now if the jackpot payout was $625, the machine would be a break-even proposition, as on average you’d pay $1 624 times without winning anything, and then you’d hit once in every 625 spins for the $625 prize, breaking even overall. Of course pay-outs are set by the casinos at a slightly lower figure, usually between 90% and 98% of this frequency, so for example if this imaginary machine was set for 95% pay-outs, the jackpot would actually be $594.

Of course you can get lucky and hit jackpot on your second spin, walk away and keep the money, technically making a profit. But long-term there’s no way to beat the law of averages, and the house edge will be sustained over any short-term variance in results. Rarely, certain machines are reported as paying out just above 100% over a given month, but this is again just the variance inherent in randomness, and will not be sustained over larger samples.

There’s a very nice little piece of software providing virtual testing of this principle, to be found here at vegas click. It simulates the return over one wager, over ten, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand and a hundred thousand wagers, of a bet subject to a house edge, and shows the returns expected in each simulation. Try it out for yourself - it’s cheaper than going to vegas!

A slot machine house edge is known by casino managers as the “hold”, and hold percentages vary a great deal, and do tend to be smaller at more expensive slots, frequently found to be around 1- 3% at the five dollar slots. Of course, percentage of investment lost is not a real money figure, and you’ll still tend to lose more money in real terms at the more expensive machines, since you’re putting far more money through the machine each hour.

Why play if there’s a house edge?

Certainly you shouldn’t be playing in order to try to make sustainable returns. Of course many people enjoy the thrill of a gamble, even if they know or merely suspect that it’s a negative equity investment of their money. Of course, there’s always the chance you may get lucky, even astoundingly so, as some winners of multi-million dollar slots jackpots can certainly attest to. There’s also the enjoyment factor, and playing slots can be a cheap form of entertainment if you stick to a budget and if you actually do genuinely enjoy it!

What is the exact edge on a particular machine?

There’s an easy answer to this one – you frequently can’t find out. Certainly it’s against a casino’s interests to publish this information on the front of a machine, and I’m sure many gambling-happy players don’t even realise there is a real house edge, nor know the difference between a game of skill and one of pure luck. Monthly and annual reports are regularly published of the actual pay-outs for given machines, so do your research and you could get a good idea.

Certain states in the US require the pay-outs to be in a certain range (typically above 80%), and this can be discovered with a bit of trawling through your state’s gambling laws. For example in nevada, the gaming board states that the machines must have a RTP of 73% while in mississippi, it is 80%.

A good rule of thumb is that higher cost games tend to have a smaller house hold percentage, but it’s likely to always be at least 1-3 %.

You might also want to consider your likely loss over an hour of play at different denominations.

Busting slot machine myths

As with many a casino game, myths and falsehoods abound, and there are many people who think they have a stone cold strategy for beating slots and other casino games. These people are usually either lying, or deluded. If they’re trying to sell you a system, it’s most likely the former. Unless you have some kind of technology which can control or damage a slot machine directly, you can’t beat the machine long-term.

Of course anything along those lines would be straight up cheating. There’s no wagering system which will allow you to beat the house edge in slots, although there are systems which will allow you to lose the minimum – with slots this essentially comes down to choosing machines found to have a smaller hold percentage, and playing maximum wagers at all times, to enable you to at least hit the full jackpot when your luck does come around.

Many people believe that machines run on hot and cold cycles. This is a myth, random number generators are programmed to function on individual spins, and there is no “machine memory” of previous spins, each one being an isolated event. The same principle applies to tossing a coin. Throwing ten heads in a row doesn’t increase the chance of hitting tails the next time. Each throw is an individual probabilistic event, 50/50 with a true coin.

One myth with a modicum of truth to it is that the casino can alter pay-outs and other factors remotely. While untrue in the vast majority of cases, server controlled machines are gaining in popularity amongst casinos, although many establishments have rules about how and when settings can be changed, usually this only occurs between bouts of play, and a message should generally appear on the screen during the process, stating that remote control is in progress. For a non-server controlled machine to be altered in any way would involve physically opening the machine up and amending the EPROM chip within.

Further advice for playing slots

Some games do feature a skill bonus round or skill component which can improve your odds. Of course these are also set up so as not to obliterate the house edge, so they aren’t going to be sufficient to give you a real long-term return, but the advice on how to play these rounds offered by the machines should usually be adhered to for maximum benefit.

Finally if you’re playing for fun (really the only reason to play slots), play slowly. You’ll save money.

How slot machines work

What are the odds?

In a modern slot machine, the odds of hitting a particular symbol or combination of symbols depends on how the virtual reel is set up. As we saw in the last section, each stop on the actual reel may correspond to more than one stop on the virtual reel. Simply put, the odds of hitting a particular image on the actual reel depend on how many virtual stops correspond to the actual stop.

In a typical weighted slot machine, the top jackpot stop (the one with the highest-paying jackpot image) for each reel corresponds to only one virtual stop. This means that the chance of hitting the jackpot image on one reel is 1 in 64. If all of the reels are set up the same way, the chances of hitting the jackpot image on all three reels is 1 in 64 3 , or 262,144. For machines with a bigger jackpot, the virtual reel may have many more stops. This decreases the odds of winning that jackpot considerably.

The losing blank stops above and below the jackpot image may correspond to more virtual stops than other images. Consequently, a player is most likely to hit the blank stops right next to the winning stop. This creates the impression that they "just missed" the jackpot, which encourages them to keep gambling, even though the proximity of the actual stops is inconsequential.

A machine's program is carefully designed and tested to achieve a certain payback percentage. The payback percentage is the percentage of the money that is put in that is eventually paid out to the player. With a payback percentage of 90, for example, the casino would take about 10 percent of all money put into the slot machine and give away the other 90 percent. With any payback percentage under a 100 (and they're all under 100), the casino wins over time.

In most gambling jurisdictions, the law requires that payback percentages be above a certain level (usually somewhere around 75 percent). The payback percentage in most casino machines is much higher than the minimum -- often in the 90- to 97-percent range. Casinos don't want their machines to be a lot tighter than their competitors' machines or the players will take their business elsewhere.

The odds for a particular slot machine are built into the program on the machine's computer chip. In most cases, the casino cannot change the odds on a machine without replacing this chip. Despite popular opinion, there is no way for the casino to instantly "tighten up" a machine.

Machines don't loosen up on their own either. That is, they aren't more likely to pay the longer you play. Since the computer always pulls up new random numbers, you have exactly the same chance of hitting the jackpot every single time you pull the handle. The idea that a machine can be "ready to pay" is all in the player's head, at least in the standard system.

When you hit the slot machines in a casino, you'll have dozens of gaming options. Machines come with varying numbers of reels, for example, and many have multiple pay lines.

Most machines with multiple pay lines let players choose how many lines to play. For the minimum bet, only the single line running straight across the reels counts. If the player puts more money in, he or she can play the additional horizontal lines above and below the main pay line or the diagonal lines running across the reels.

For machines with multiple bet options, whether they have multiple pay lines or not, players will usually be eligible for the maximum jackpot only when they make the maximum bet. For this reason, gambling experts suggest that players always bet the maximum.

There are several different payout schemes in modern slot machines. A standard flat top or straight slot machine has a set payout amount that never changes. The jackpot payout in a progressive machine, on the other hand, steadily increases as players put more money into it, until somebody wins it all and the jackpot is reset to a starting value. In one common progressive setup, multiple machines are linked together in one computer system. The money put into each machine contributes to the central jackpot. In some giant progressive games, machines are linked up from different casinos all across a city or even a state.

Some slot-machine variations are simply aesthetic. Video slots operate the same way as regular machines, but they have a video image rather than actual rotating reels. When these games first came out, players were very distrustful of them; without the spinning reels, it seemed like the games were rigged. Even though the reels and handles in modern machines are completely irrelevant to the outcome of the game, manufacturers usually include them just to give players the illusion of control.

These are only a few of today's popular slot variations. Game manufacturers continue to develop new sorts of machines with interesting twists on the classic game. A lot of these variations are built around particular themes. There are now slot games based on television shows, poker, craps and horse racing, just to name a few.

To learn more about modern slot machines, including strategies to increase your chances of winning, check out the links below.

Can you guess who controls slot machine odds?

Introduction to controls slot machine odds

Who controls slot machine odds is a popular question from slots enthusiasts. It’s quite an interesting question, which I thought my audience would appreciate an answer to.

My most recent encounter with this general question was during the Q&A segment of another gambling podcast, episode #634 from five hundy by midnight. They had a question from david which was, “when a new themed penny slot debuts, what is the typical hold percentage? Does it vary by machine, casino, or both?”

Tim and michelle, co-hosts of the long-lasting five hundy by midnight, a gambling podcast that’s all about las vegas, answered the question well, if somewhat briefly.

I’m sure my own audience would like the answer too, so I’m providing a few more details as well as a more general answer with a bit of the why of it all.

This segment has the following sections:

Introduction

A bit of background on legal requirements

A bit of history on physically setting odds

Slot machine types based on how odds are set

Identifying who controls slot machine odds

Does it really matter who controls slot machine odds? Yes!!

Summary

Keep reading … or listen instead!

… or watch!

A bit of background on legal requirements

To answer this question, I’ll need to delve into a bit of recent history to explain how odds are set in older-style standalone slot machines using a random number generator (RNG). This way is how many people incorrectly believe the odds are currently set on ALL slot machines.

However, starting around 2008, a lot changed with setting slot machine odds. These changes are due to the emergence of new gaming technologies, not only in slot machines but also with the development of casino operating software. Both provide casinos with an increased operating efficiency and therefore low operating costs.

With so many more people visiting casinos in the last decade, and with their profit margins getting smaller every year, casino operators find they cannot afford to ignore the savings opportunities of new technologies.

The second driver for this change to how slot machines are controlled is due to ongoing developments in statutory regulations for gaming jurisdictions. In the U.S., these gaming jurisdictions are the states, territories, or federal district that legally allow gaming.

In essence, casino operators have to follow the gaming regulations for the jurisdiction wherein they are located. In part, these gaming jurisdictions often include laws which place an upper and lower limit on the pay back return for slot machines.

To not lose their gaming license, or to otherwise get in trouble with gaming control authorities, casino operators must remain in compliance with these legal gaming requirements.

Note that commercial casinos have to be comply to gaming regulations as set by the U.S. State, territory, or federal district they are located in. Native american tribal casinos also have to comply with their own set of gaming requirements, which are usually not based on state law.

Rather, these are defined by negotiation between a federally-recognized tribe and the state within which they are located by carefully crafting a state-tribal compact ultimately approved by the U.S. Department of the interior.

So, within this overall context, who controls slot machine odds? At a high level, gaming regulators determine the legal limits, if any, for payout returns on slot machines. This is accomplished via state law or negotiated compacts, and usually not changed for a decade, if that often.

Casinos operators are, often but not always, required to provide weekly or monthly reports on actual payout returns to show their gaming authority they are compliant. Sometimes, depending on each gaming jurisdiction, these statistical reports are then provided to the public by the state gaming commission.

Going further, these regular reports can break down these actual payout returns by casino, table games, slot machines, gaming machines, by the denomination of slot machines within a specific casino, or even if the machine has a progressive jackpot. What is done is very specific to the gaming jurisdiction where the casino is located.

Given all these variability of what is or is not done within a U.S. Gaming jurisdiction, I’ve created an online series of posts for my audience of slots enthusiasts. It’s meant to help them navigate this dynamic environment of state-specific gaming regulations.

For more information on your specific state, territory, or federal district of interest, see slot machine casino gambling, state-by-state: A weekly blog.

So, at its high level, slot machines are controlled by gaming regulators by the placement of legal requirements for payout return percentages. Sometimes, however, these state-specific gaming regulators do not set limits on payout returns. Put another way, they have deliberately chosen to not set legal limits.

When this happens, somewhat obviously, casino operators do not have a legal requirement for setting payout returns. However, to remain open and not close due to lack of customers, they still have to be careful to not set their payout returns too low.

It’s worth noting that most gaming regulations set a low limit on payout returns to which casino operators deliberately stay well above. To do so is just good business.

A bit of history on physically setting odds

The random number generator (RNG) was developed for slot machines by bally technologies in 1984. About a decade later, most slot machines had this RNG, which allowed for easily adjustable odds of winning.

Beforehand, the odds of winning were set in an entirely mechanical manner. This worked well for decades, until the technical development of slot machines began to cause difficulties. Basically, as credits to bet and number of pay lines increased, the physical mechanisms for determining odds began to reach certain physical limits.

Slot enthusiasts loved having a choice of how many credits to bet, as well as playing a slot machine with more than one pay line. Increased credits and pay lines also led to much higher jackpots.

All of these developments led to odds of winning being needed for many more possible outcomes, which mechanical devices for determining the odds of winning began to not be able to handle. In fact, these mechanical devices began to fall behind and actually became less and less random in nature.

As an aside, the topic of randomness is actually quite interesting. True randomness is very difficult, if not literally impossible, to generate. Often, when randomness is needed in either an mechanical or electronic device, various methods are used which are “random enough.”

Technically speaking, there is no such thing as an existing perfectly random number generator. At best, there are only pseudo random number generators, one variant of which was patented by bally technologies in 1984.

Moving away from our brief sortie into the philosophy of randomness, the invention of the RNG solved for slot machine manufacturers this limitation of mechanical devices for determining randomness in slot machines. But, it created another problem: with adjustable odds of winning via electronic rngs, casinos would need to have a large workforce to do that adjusting.

And so, that is what casinos did. They built and trained a workforce of slot mechanics to adjust the odds of winning on their new slot machines to meet their desired performance metrics.

However, the size of that workforce would increase tremendously depending on how often those odds of winning were adjusted. For older style slot machines, this is at least 7 days and may be as much as 2 weeks, as I’ve expressed in professor slots episode #21: winning at slots on older casinos-kentucky slots 2018.

Most recently, since 2012 or so, relatively newer casinos have been able to reduce this costly workforce thanks to new casino operating systems. These systems not only help casinos manage large promotional events with less overall issues, but also allow them to remotely adjust the odds of winning on slot machines connected to the casino’s central computer system.

Of course, this connection to the casino’s central computer system is currently limited to a wired connection due to potential security concerns as well as WIFI bandwidth limits. As a result, using a central computer in this manner is only possible if all the slot machines are physically “wired up.”

Doing so requires sufficient building infrastructure, such as clearance beneath floors and behind walls, to allow for these many, many cable connections. This is only practically possible in all new casinos being built as well as older casinos being heavily renovated. That is to say, renovated to have far more than simply new carpeting and wallpaper.

With wired connections from slot machines to a central computer, the reduced cost of a smaller workforce of slot mechanics, much faster adjustment of casino performance metrics to daily or even hourly updates, and more satisfied customers due to efficiently run events, the question remains. Who controls slot machine odds?

To get closer to the answer to this question, we’ll next have to discuss how the legal limits of payout returns are set on actual slot machines. Why? Because slot machines can be categorized by how their odds are set. And, how those odds are physically set will tell us who really controls them.

Slot machine types based on how odds are set

Slot machines can be divided up into methods by which their odds of winning are set. These slot machine types include:

Standalone

Casino-specific progressives

Multi-casino progressives

State-wide progressives

Remotely controlled onsite by casino

Remotely controlled offsite by gaming regulators

Standalone slot machines are those which are most often found in older casinos, but are technically slot machines including within their cabinets the ability to set and provide odds of winning with a random number generator. A workforce of slot mechanics adjust the odds of winning periodically as directed by the casino operator.

In general, there is a limited number of settings available for these older slot machines. Youtube videos are available from individuals who have personally purchased an older style, standalone slot machine showing exactly how these odds are set.

For those videos I have viewed, there were six possible settings which could be entered after opening up the slot machine door. These settings were based on codes from a booklet provided by the slot machine manufacturer.

Keep in mind that videos such as these are the general source of knowledge most people have about the internal workings of slot machines. Employees of slot machine manufacturers and casinos with access to these payout settings simply aren’t sharing this information due to non-disclosure agreements and other legal restrictions.

Besides which, accessing the control for changing the odds of a slot machine is quite problematic. The slot machine is alarmed, so any tampering without official access (employee card key, entry code, physical key) are required to even open a slot machine door. Not to mention, the casino surveillance system sees all.

Discussing the three types of progressive slot machines mentioned will be the dedicated topic for another time. I’d discuss how the ownership of these progressive slot machines matters with regards to how the odds of winning are set. Briefly, the amount of the progressive jackpot is primarily based on how many slot machines are included.

For instance, these can be a carousel of slot machines in a certain area of a casino, it can be a larger number of slot machines located throughout a casino, or a large group of progressive slot machines located at multiple casinos.

These large group could actually be of two types: multiple properties of the same casino operator, or multiple casino operators, within a single gaming jurisdiction, i.E., state.

Already discussed are slot machines remotely controlled onsite at a casino through the use of a central computer operating system. Only new or heavily renovated casinos have the facility infrastructure to handle the sheer number of cables necessary.

If they are controlled onsite, these slot machines have their odds of winning adjusted daily or hourly by remote access. How often these adjustments are made is, rather unfortunately at this time, a matter of debate.

I’m currently trying to track down state legal requirements of which I’d heard rumors. The rumor I heard was that a slot machine must be idle for at least 15 minutes without a players card being inserted before the casino is allowed, if desired, to remotely adjust its odds of winning. Further, the rumor stated that this practice was typical and originally based on nevada gaming regulations.

However, this rumor doesn’t pass the so-called smell test. At this time, I’ve currently reviewed state gaming regulations for over 38 U.S. States, territories, or a federal district. I’ve yet to find any substantiation for this rumor. Alternatively, it may well be an accepted business practice built-in to the advanced casino operating systems.

Why do I feel strongly that slots players are protected from having their odds of winnings reduced while playing? It’s simple – the state control board controls the odds of winning on slot machines, and everything I’ve seen, read, and studied tells me they work for you.

I just can’t imagine state gaming commissions would allow something this untoward, this nefarious even, to occur. They have careful casino operating system approval processes in place to prevent it, they watch casino operations like hawks (often from within the casino), and any casino that decides not to be fully compliant is in for a world of hurt if/when caught.

Finally, there are slot machines having their odds controlled off-site by state gaming regulators. These are most or all video lottery terminals style slot machines.

Video lottery terminals are, as their name implies, instant lottery machines. That means they are controlled by the state lottery, which is set up to remotely handle many, many such terminals at any given moment.

Identifying who controls slot machine odds

Who controls slot machine odds at a casino you are considering whether or not to visit? Who controls slot machine odds on the slot machine you’re sitting at?

As I’ve discussed before, both on my webpage assessing casinos as well as professor slots podcast episode #3: assessing casinos, alaska slots 2017, deciding which local casino you want to spend your time at is an important decision for determining your baseline success at slots.

So, you’ll likely want to know who controls slot machine odds when you’re choosing between, for instance, an older, pre-2012 casino with standalone slot machines or a racino with many new video slot machines.

The top level choice is really about your own gambling goals, as also discussed on my webpage identifying gambling goals or, alternatively, within professor slots podcast episode #5: identifying gambling goals, arizona slots 2017.

But, whether your gambling goal is entertainment, earning maximum comps, or take-home money, having better odds of winning on a slot machine will help accomplish that goal. So, ignoring other important considerations such as drive time, the spread of the buffet, players club, and etc., the type of slot machine is definitely a consideration.

Casinos with standalone slot machines where the actual machine in front of you has its own dedicated random number generator is relatively easily determined. Ask someone, how old is the casino?

Or, if you don’t want to ask someone or look it up online, just take a look at the slot machine in front of you. Specifically, look at the player card interface area. What does its display look like? Is it a touchscreen display?

Or an LED display like those seen outside of a bank showing the time and temperature for a passerby to see? If it’s a touchscreen, the slot machine is most likely not standalone. If it’s an LED, it most likely is a standalone slot machine.

Determining whether or not a progressive slot machine is connected to a single carousel, across several carousels within a casino, across several casinos owned by a single casino operator, or across several casino operator properties will be, as previously mentioned, the topic of an upcoming post.

Next up are non-video slot machines with touchscreens at the players card interface. These are all slot machines centrally controlled by a computer onsite at the casino. You can confirm this by learning the date of the casino’s original opening or when it was last heavily renovated.

Keep in mind that a very few casinos have both, assuming they have expanded their original structure not by renovating it, but by building a new casino facility right next to it.

This is the case with foxwoods resort, which is itself an older style casino. However, they recently build fox tower right next to it, which is a newer style casino.

Finally, there are video slot machines. It can be difficult, if not impossible, to tell the difference between a video slot machine and a video lottery terminal. A video slot machine is controlled onsite by the central computer at the casino. A video lottery terminal is controlled offsite by the state lottery.

The only sure way to tell the difference between these two slot machine types is to take a look at what the state gaming commission says they are at that casino.

For instance, in ohio, there are currently 4 commercial casino resorts and 7 pari-mutual racinos. The 4 casinos have traditional reel and video slot machines all controlled by a central computer located onsite.

However, ohio’s seven racinos have a mix of traditional reel and video lottery terminals slot machines. The traditional reel slot machines are controlled onsite with a central computer while all of the video lottery terminals, which externally look exactly like video slot machines, are controlled offsite by the state lottery’s central computer systems.

Does it really matter who controls slot machine odds? Yes!!

With this improved understanding of how casinos work, let’s consider these two facts. First, that there are types of slot machines, specifically those that are standalone or remotely controlled by casino operator or state. Second, that there are the several ways slot machines can have their odds of winning set on an ongoing basis, depending on their specific type.

So yes, actually, it does matter who controls slot machine odds. Why? Because this is where patterns of winning are found. When slot machines are set up to be as random as possible, and that assigned level of randomness is unchanged over days and weeks, then long-term statistical principles rule.

Meaning, on average over the long haul, people will always loss money playing slots. Put another way, profits are only possible in the short term.. This specifically applies to all slot machines controlled by the state, such as video lottery terminals.

However, when the odds are changed hourly or set over 100% for promotional purposes, then there are better times to play a slot machine – and all that slot enthusiasts need do is figure out when that better time is in order to win more and, potentially, make some level of profit. That’s what I did: I made a profit at slots by looking for and finding winning patterns, when I won 90 taxable jackpots in 9 months.

Only casino operators change their odds hourly or deliberately adjust them for promotional purposes. The state has no need or desire to do so, getting their money no matter what, while the casino is a business, with stockholders and a board of directors, obligated to try to succeed financially.

The casino puts in the time and energy to hit their financial performance metrics. The casinos hire the best general manager who themselves hire the best possible team.

Put another way, the casino has a business need to adjust the odds of winning on their slot machines to eke out a living while the state only needs to be patient. Businesses are not patient – they try things in their ongoing quest for success.

And, really, that struggle is what has changed since around 2012 with the technology behind the winning odds of slot machines. Casinos are always trying new things. And, when they have control over setting the odds on slot machines, they adjust them to try to succeed.

Before 2012, this amounted to increasing the odds of winning to be over 100% on a single slot machine near a busy area in their casino, as a promotional tool with its own limited budget.

With the new casino operating technologies, casinos have been given a finer control over setting those odds. This has allowed them to try new things, which they very much like to do. These new things are to adjust the odds on slot machines more often than ever before.

In financial terms, they’re trying to tune their financial performance metrics on a daily or even hourly basis, something that was never before possible.

I’ve never worked for a casino, so have never been pitched a new casino operating system by a slot machine manufacturer’s sales team. But, it’s obvious that this “tuning” is part of the pitch being made to casino operators. Without having seen it, how can I believe this? Simple. I’ve won a lot at slots through pattern recognition.

What’s happened is that, and it matters not at all how it came about, casinos have obviously bought into the idea of finely tuning their financial performance metrics.

In the case of slot machines, which is the only game as casino offers that I’m interested in, they’ve broken the long-term constant randomness of the odds of winning on a slot machine. Therefore, as all statisticians know, patterns emerge.

So, again, yes it does matter who controls slot machine odds, because those controlled by the casino have had their randomness broken. It matters because slots enthusiasts can look for emerging patterns on these casino-controlled machines, then use them to win more.

In the future, I’ll talk more about the winning patterns I’ve found using this understanding. In the meantime, I hope I’ve made it clear how and why they exist.

Summary of can you guess who controls slot machine odds?

In summary, who controls slot machine odds is answered by understanding they are controlled by the machine, the casino staff, both, possibly the state if the machine is a video lottery terminal, and by slot machine manufacturers themselves in the case of most progressive slot machines.

This control over the odds of winning was historically a mechanical device supplanted by an electronic random number generator invented in 1984, afterwards allowing slots machines to be developed having more credits, denominations, and pay lines as well as higher jackpots.

There’s currently older-style casinos with standalone slot machines and newer-style casinos built to have the facility infrastructure necessary for physically wiring up their slot machines to be remotely controlled by a computer server.

I’ve discussed how to tell the difference, as well as explained how slot machines can be remotely controlled by the casino or, in the case of video lottery terminals, by computers established for this purpose by the state lottery agency.

Finally, I’ve discussed if any of this matters to slots enthusiasts looking for an advantage. It does matter. In essence, any slot machines with odds of winning directly controlled by a casino have patterns of winning because casinos keep adjusting those odds to meet their financial performance metrics.

These patterns make it possible for savvy slots enthusiasts to improve their own gambling performance.

Slot machine odds

Learn about the odds and probabilities of slot machines, including how slots payouts work at land casinos and also at online casinos.

Article highlights:

Basic three-reel slots are a common type of slot machine found at modern casinos, although multi-payline video slots are also very popular amongst players.

Introduction

Attempting to pinpoint the odds for slot machines is a daunting task. With such a variety of machines and games available, the odds can vary a great deal. Generally slots odds are expressed in the form of a payback percentage. The closer to 100%, the better for players. Some machines even pay back at percentages greater than 100%, giving the lucky players who find them a positive expectation for winning. These 'loose slots' are frequently mixed into the sea of machines on a casino gaming floor. For a while, casino operators placed the highest paying machines in high traffic areas like entrances, bars, and near lines for buffets or shows - basically any place a crowd of people was likely to be. The strategy behind the prominent placement of higher paying machines was that since they produced winners more frequently, they would also generate more interest from passers-by, making other players more likely to play at average or low paying machines.

It didn't take long for slots players to figure out this simple strategy, so casino managers shuffled things up a bit. Reverse methods were employed, putting low-paying machines in high traffic areas, and vice versa. These days, there really is no standard procedure for distributing the different pay level machines on a casino floor. Machines are mostly placed at random or in a secret arrangement that only the casino management and staff are privy to. The machines, themselves, still offer a mix of payout percentages with some high and the majority being low to average.

One popular guideline that is easy to follow is to try multiple machines until you find one that pays. Start with a nominal amount of money - such as 20 credits for a .25 or .50 credit machine - and see how it pays. If you are getting more back than you put in, you may have found a hot slot - or one set for higher payouts. Keep playing until it proves itself otherwise, and then try another machine. If the slot you picked is paying out next to nothing from the start, that could either be a cold machine or one set for lower payouts, which also means it's time to move on. There are many strategies slots players utilise, but a few rules of thumb will hold true regardless of where you play.

Average slots payout at land based casinos

When playing slots games at land casinos, you will likely have machines that offer .01, .05, .25, 1, 5, and 100 credit betting denominations. How do you know which ones offer the best return rates? The highest denomination ones of course. Casinos generate more revenue by getting a large monetary turnover. Operators know that less overall money will go in and out of a .05 credit slot machine during the course of a day than will in a 1 credit machine. Because more money turns over in the higher-denomination machines, casinos can afford to offer higher return rates for players. Your bankroll may not be able to support playing a five-credit machine for several hours a day, but with a 98.4% payout, it offers significantly better odds than a .25 credit slot. To take it a step further, although you would have to be a high roller, the one hundred credit slots usually offer a near-100% return rate. Even though the machines don't see nearly as much action as the .25 and 1 credit slots, so much is at stake on a single spin that allows the casino to offer a near even money return.

So how much bankroll do you need to play different denominations of slot machines? Based on a three-coin maximum bet averaging ten spins per minute, and matched against the according payout rates, to play for an hour you would need:

26.75 credits to play the .25 credit slots

74 credits to play the 1 credit slots

145 credits to play the 5 credit slots

Keep in mind that these bankroll figures are only estimates, based on the average payout across all slots. While playing, your actual return may vary a good bit from these numbers. To be conservative, you might try doubling the amounts listed above to ensure one hour's worth of play, if the length of your session is a concern. Lots of players have won giant jackpots with small bankrolls. In 2001, an arizona businessman on holiday at harrah's las vegas won the multi-million dollar megabucks jackpot after investing only 22 dollars. The simplicity of the games, and the high win potential is a big part of what fuels the popularity of slot machines.

Average slots payout at online casinos

God of wealth is an example of a video slot machine, which usually features five reels, anywhere from five to more than 200 paylines, various symbols, and is popular at both land-based and online casinos.
Learn more about god of wealth video slot or play at intertops casino.

Like their land-based counterparts, online casinos are capable of producing large slots wins. Not only have the number of online slots choices matched - and sometimes even exceeded - the variety found in land casinos, but their payout rates tend to be even higher. Depending on the frequency and size of jackpots, online casinos may occasionally even top the 100% mark for overall slots payouts in a given month. While it holds true that players benefit from higher return rates, playing slots online also offers some conveniences over land based play. Gone are the expenses and travel requirements of playing at a brick and mortar casino. Playing slots at home can also be much more informal. For example, a player can play in his or her pajamas, if they choose. For an idea of how well average online casino slot machines pay, the table below shows a recent ranking of top paying internet casinos for slots games:

How to play slots for real money

By james carter, updated august 26, 2019. Updated on january 2, 2020.

Slot machines are the most exciting casino games in the world. The combination of simplicity and huge jackpots - along with plenty of psychological factors designed in the game (best explained in addiction by design: machine gambling in las vegas by natasha dow schull) ensure that americans keep pouring billions of dollars a year into slots. The downside for customers? You'll lose by a wide margin in the long run, and in general the bigger the jackpot, the more of an edge the slot machine has over you.

You can increase your chances in the long run, though, by choosing the right games at the right casinos -- it's not unheard of that you will lose five times the amount on average that you would have lost if you chose the best slot machines and played at the best online casinos.

Top US sites in 2020

The intention of this slot machine guide is to explain everything you need to know about slot machines in order to minimize your losses and give yourself the best chances to win money. If you're just looking for a high-quality, reliable slots online casino to play at, here are my top recommendations:

Bonus: 100% up to $5,000.

Fantastic mobile casino.

Quick cashouts.

Ran by the team behind 'bodog' brand.

How real-money slots work - the basics

A slot machine has no feelings. The amount of winnings it pays are dictated by the EPROM chip and the random number generator ("RNG") inside the machine. It doesn't consider whether someone has recently won or lost -- every spin of the reels is random.

It's possible to influence your chances of winning at slots. When you press spin, the RNG generates a random number (between one and a billion, for example) for each reel of the machine. Every number represents one of the symbols (the more numbers represent a symbol, the more it is "weighted" in the machine).

The EPROM chip then determines whether you've won with the combination of symbols or not; the more winning combinations there are, and the more the player wins per winning combination, the higher the odds of winning and the payback of the machine.

Suggesting you have all the information available, calculating your chances of winning at slots is simple: multiply the probability of each outcome with what those outcomes pay, and then sum the results. It's always under 100% (otherwise casinos would make no profit) and often near 90% (casinos make a lot of money from slots).

Here's an example of an imaginary slot machine (let's call it king of cats) with three winning combinations -- a real-life slot machine works the same way, but likely with more ways of winning at slots:

Combination	pays	probability	return
three lions	2500	0.001%	0.025
three tigers	1000	0.015%	0.15
three jaguars	400	0.05%	0.2
three leopards	50	0.5%	0.25
three cheetahs	5	7%	0.35
total	3955	7.566%	0.975

The slot machine above would return 97.5% to players in the long run. However, we rarely know the odds of slot machines. We do know the paytable - how much each winning combination pays to players - but we have no idea of the probability of getting that winning combination.

To calculate the probability of a winning combination, we need to know is how many stops there are for each symbol. For example, in the machine above there could be 45 stops and one of them would be a lion symbol. By calculating (1/45)*(1/45)*(1/45) we get 0.001%, or the probability of hitting three lion symbols in a row.

In real world, those symbols would have been weighed differently so that they're more likely to come on the first two reels and much less likely to come on the last reel, resulting in a near-miss situation.

I advise you not to play at all because slot machine odds are never good, but if you're going to play anyway, here's how you can find the slot machines that likely have better odds than others.

Why we lose at slots

We lose at slot machines because they're set to give back less than they take on average. It's impossible to play slot machines better; you can just press spin and hope for the best. With that said, though, you can improve your odds of winning at slot machines greatly by making good decisions before playing and having a good strategy when entering a casino - more about that lower on this page.

Generally, the more decisions you can make in a casino game, the lower the house edge is (with optimal play). Since there's almost no room for decisions when playing slots machines - again, your only decision is to press spin - the house edge is high at slots when compared to other popular casino games. And since you play slot machines for real money so fast (400-800 spins an hour), you lose more at slots than at any other casino game. (read how slots work to understand them better.)

Like most casino games, a slot machine is a game of independent trials (the previous game has no influence on the next game). Your chances of winning with each spin are the same regardless of whether you've lost or won. So, there's absolutely no room for in-play slot machine strategy.

How much do slot machines pay back?

A slot machine's payback percentage could be anywhere from 75% to almost 100%, but of course, always lower than 100% (otherwise, the casino would make no profit). You can calculate a casino game's house edge by subtracting its payback percentage from 100% - this is how much the casino makes per bet in the long run. For example, with a 5% house edge, casinos make $5 per every $100 bet.

Calculating a slot machine's payback percentage is easy if you have all the information available: multiply the probability of each outcome with what they pay, and the sum is how much the slot machine returns in the long run, also known as its "payback."

But most of the time we don't have that information. We're in the dark -- sure, casinos can claim certain payback or payout percentages but how do we know they're truthful? Some online casinos get their payouts reviewed by private auditors, but how do we know if the auditors are honest?

It's a different situation with games like blackjack or roulette; in both cases we can calculate the house edge because the rules are known. If you care enough to make the calculations (and you should), you'll know exactly how much you stand to lose or win in the long run.

You could argue that casinos make so much money from slot machines that they have no reason to cheat. I agree, but you can still get a raw deal even if they are honest (setting a low payback percentage is not cheating). I want to have an idea of what kind of a return I get for my money regardless of the honesty of the casino. (see how to pick slot machines to find the best slots to play.)

Not only do casinos keep slot machine players in the dark about payback percentages, they have also weighed slot machine reels differently, resulting in as many near-miss moments as possible, which encourage future play. The first reel is the likeliest to hit something, the second reel is less likely to hit and the third reel is even less likely to hit.

NOTE: some casinos are tested by auditors that publish monthly payout percentages for everyone to see online - now, "payout" is different from "payback." the actual money that the casino has returned to players through their games is "payouts" and the theoretical money that the slot machines are set to return is "payback." payouts can be influenced by huge jackpot wins, for example, in which case a month's payout would look much better than the games have been set to pay back.

How you can win more

Here's the truth: the best thing you can do is to stay far away from slot machines (and stay clear from myths). Losing less is winning more and you can lose the least by never playing slots, even if you knew how to play slot machines the optimal way.

But you came here to learn how to play slots for real money, so I have to assume that you will play them at some point. Good news: you can win more (or, in fact, lose less) by playing the right slot machines at the right casinos.

The main consideration is always payback but you should also pay attention to casino comps and other benefits (such as cashback) that come along with playing at casinos.

Why to play slots

Some of you may wonder why to play slot machines at all. Exactly. They're a terrible investment -- think of a machine that you put $1 in and receive $0.95 back. That is basically a slot machine, except for all the sounds and animations, and of course a chance to win a lot of money, perhaps even millions of dollars.

The odds are heavily against you winning that money though. Meanwhile, in the long run, the casino takes your dollar bills and gives you back less. So if you agree to participate in this weird transaction, the least you can do is to find the casinos and slot machines that give you back the most money.

How to find the best casino slots to play

If you're going to play in las vegas or some other popular gambling destination, take a look at this survey. It'll give you a good idea of how the location of the casino affects the general payback percentage of its slot machines; the best las vegas casinos are located mainly in north las vegas, not on the strip. You can use the same logic in other places where there are many casinos around, although if you're "stuck" with only a few, I'm not sure if location makes much of a difference.

After selecting a casino that potentially has a high payback percentage on average, an important part of a good slot machine strategy is to immediately join the casino's slot club (could be called "player's club" as well). Contrary to popular myths, slot club members have the same house edge in their games as other players; the difference is, casinos can track slot club members (you have to insert a club membership card to the slot machine when you play) and it helps them to give you comps when you deserve them (otherwise you may miss-out on them). You'll likely receive something extra just for signing up - free money to play with or a free drink, for example.

Additionally, most casinos give slot club members cashback (0.5% per bet, for example) and that is almost like playing against less house edge, although not literally. You don't win more likely but you receive a portion of your bets back.

Now, look around the casino. I bet you feel the temptation to head over to the flashiest slot machines with the biggest jackpots. That's what most slot players do and it's exactly the opposite of the best way to play slots. Unless your only goal is to win a million dollars (regardless of how unrealistic it is), playing progressive jackpot slots is the worst slot machine strategy you can choose. Many make that mistake and it's no wonder why US casinos get 70% of their revenues from slot machines.

Odds in progressive jackpot slots

The only way you can win a million dollars playing slots is to play slot machines with progressive jackpots, however, you get even worse odds to win than you would get if you played flat-top slots.

The odds of winning a jackpot are usually way better on the first reel of the machine than on the last one. The casino wants to create as many "near-miss" moments as possible -- it is a psychological trick, designed to make the player want to to play more.

It's easy to see why near-misses work: if you're one symbol away from winning a jackpot, it'll leave you with a different feeling than if the jackpot wasn't close at all.

In reality, it only seemed to be close.

In nevada, the regulations state that one stop on the reel can't be weighted more than six times the stops before and after it (many have adopted this rule).

Symbol	1st reel	2nd reel	3rd reel
blank	2	4	6
jackpot	1	1	1
blank	2	4	6

Progressive slot machine odds could be weighed like above; the first reel hits a jackpot symbol once out of five times while the third reel only hits once out of 13 times, often resulting in mentioned "near-miss" situations.

But that was a simplified example. Hitting a progressive jackpot usually has more symbols, of course, and way worse odds. The chances of winning the biggest of them all, megabucks, are somewhere in the 1:50,000,000, according to john robinson at casino city times.

Progressive slot machine odds are worse than flat-top machines (the ones without a progressive jackpot) -- this is because a part of the bet goes to the jackpot while the casino takes its own cut. Unless the size of the jackpot is huge - in which case playing jackpot slots could be worth it - it always makes sense to choose a simple fixed jackpot slot machine.

So which slot machine types are best for you?

The simplest slot machines, also known as "straight" or "flat-top" slots, are your best choice financially. No, you can't win a million dollars playing those machines, and yes, they're less flashy than other slots, but they're the best slot games to play at a casino. For every dollar you bet, you may have to lose 10 cents more to flashier machines with progressive jackpots - that's a huge difference in the long run.

So now that you've chosen a simple machine, let's think about your betting strategy for slot machines (I'm not referring to progression betting systems; they don't work):

Choose the highest denomination. The higher the denomination, the lower the house edge. For example, nickel slots have a higher house edge than dollar slots.

Bet the maximum amount of coins. There's usually an incentive to bet maximum coins. For example, the jackpot becomes bigger relative to the bet, giving you a better return from the machine (odds stay the same but payout increases relatively more than bet size).

Bet slowly. Not because pressing the spin button fast or slow would impact your odds of winning at slot machines, but because it's a viable slot machine strategy because you have more time to play with your money and the longer you stay at a casino, the more comps you'll probably receive.

Get an edge at the casino by knowing which games have the best odds

The best and worst casino games to play if you want to win

Image (c) michael blann / getty images

Some people go to a casino to have fun, and only want to play the games they like the most. But if you want to improve your chances of walking away with more money than you went in with, you need an edge. Before you sit down at a table, know which casino games have the best odds so that you can spend your money wisely.

Before you start, know that none of the casino games have good odds for players. There's a reason for the phrase, "the house always wins." every casino game is designed to give the house a better chance of winning, but some of them are more tilted than others.

The three best casino games to play

If you walk into a casino and can't remember the details of this article, keep one thing in mind: you have the best odds of winning at a table game. They may be more intimidating than slots, but they usually work out better for the players.

Here are the three best casino games to play if you want decent odds of winning money:

Blackjack's odds of winning: 49%

Blackjack is a simple card game with an element of skill to it. The odds of winning aren't too bad. You play against the dealer; more people can play at one time, but each is only trying to beat the dealer, not each other. The person whose hand comes closest to 21 without going over (which is called a "bust") wins.

Winning blackjack takes luck and a relatively small amount of skill. The dealer relies as much on luck as the players do, so the odds of winning are pretty even. In most casinos, the advantage to the dealer is about one percent.

If you want to brush up on your blackjack skills, check out these blackjack tips for beginners from business insider.

Craps' odds of winning: nearly 50 percent

Craps is a table game played with dice. One person is the "shooter," who rolls the dice, and the other players make wagers on the results of that roll.

On the first roll, called "coming out," the shooter wins on a seven or an eleven. If the shooter rolls any other number, that number is now the "point." the shooter needs to hit the point before he rolls a seven to win.

The simplest bet to make is: will the shooter win or lose on his roll? You can also place other bets. For example, you can bet that the shooter will hit another number before he rolls a seven.

If you make a "pass line" wager to bet whether or not the shooter will win, your odds are approximately 50/50. If you make more specific bets, your odds of winning drop but your payouts rise.

You can read more about craps strategies and rules in pokernews.Com's craps for dummies guide.

Roulette's odds of winning: nearly 50%

Roulette is a wheel with 38 numbers on it. The numbers 1 - 36 are either red or black and the number 0 (and in american casinos, also 00) in green. The croupier, as a roulette dealer is called, spins the wheel and the ball falls on one of the numbers.

There are several ways to place roulette bets. The simplest is to bet on whether the ball will fall on a red or black piece, which has odds of almost 50/50 ("almost" because of the one or two green tiles at 0 and 00).

You can increase the payout — but lower your odds — by betting on specific numbers or ranges of numbers (like "1 to 12" or "1 to 18").

If you'd like to learn more, check out the best and worst roulette strategies from roulettephysics.Com.

Note that the three games with the best odds of winning still have odds that mean that you'll win less than half the time. That means to walk away with more money than you started with, you need a good amount of luck.

The two casino games with the worst odds of winning

The two casino games that are hardest to win also happen to be two of the most popular games to play. They're easy to understand and require little to no skill, so a lot of people play, making lots of money for the casinos.

Now, there's nothing wrong with playing these games if you enjoy them. After all, you went to a casino to have fun, right? But keep in mind that the chances are high that you'll lose the money you play with.

Big six wheel/wheel of fortune: odds of winning: 26% - 39%

When you play the big six wheel, you bet on whether the wheel will stop on a segment labeled $1, $5, $10, $20, or a joker. The segment that the wheel stops on is the amount you'll receive if you win.

Placing a $1 bet has the best odds of winning, with only an 11 percent edge for the house, but also the worst payout. The joker offers a 36x payout but has a 24 percent edge for the house.

Slots: odds of winning around 1 in 49,836,032

You play slots by putting money into a slot machine and pulling a lever or pushing a button to spin a wheel. Depending on where the wheel lands, you win or lose.

Slot machines have various odds of winning, and the odds are printed on each machine. Be sure to read them before you select a machine to play.

Generally, the more money you need to spend to play, the better your odds of winning are. You may also have better odds of winning smaller payouts than a jackpot prize.

If you want more tips, check out this strategy for winning at slots.

The wildcard — odds are hard to calculate

There is one casino game where the odds are wildly variable because skill plays as large a part in winning as luck does:

Poker: odds vary dramatically

Poker is a game where you have more control over whether you'll win or not. Luck plays a role, since you receive random cards, but how you play those cards does a lot to determine whether you win or not.

Obviously, playing poker at a casino is a very different beast than playing at home with your friends. You will be up against other players who may be total beginners or vicious sharks.

If you want to win money playing poker at a casino, make sure your skills are good before you start. Then find a table that meets your budget and skill level.

Upswingpoker.Com recommends playing at night, when there may be more recreational players and when the drinks have been flowing for a while.

Conclusion

These tips will help you make informed bets at a casino, but remember that the house always has the advantage. The more often you bet, the higher your chances of losing are.

There's a difference between not winning and being a loser. You can enjoy a casino and accept that it will cost you some money to be there. After all, you'll spend money if you go to an amusement park, too.

But be sure to walk into the casino with a firm budget of how much money you are willing to lose, and never let yourself cross that boundary.

Furthermore, be aware of the warning signs of gambling addiction and know how to get help, if necessary.

Slot machine odds

Learn about the odds and probabilities of slot machines, including how slots payouts work at land casinos and also at online casinos.

Article highlights:

Basic three-reel slots are a common type of slot machine found at modern casinos, although multi-payline video slots are also very popular amongst players.

Introduction

Average slots payout at land based casinos

26.75 credits to play the .25 credit slots

74 credits to play the 1 credit slots

145 credits to play the 5 credit slots

Average slots payout at online casinos

Can you guess who controls slot machine odds?

Introduction to controls slot machine odds

Who controls slot machine odds is a popular question from slots enthusiasts. It’s quite an interesting question, which I thought my audience would appreciate an answer to.

Tim and michelle, co-hosts of the long-lasting five hundy by midnight, a gambling podcast that’s all about las vegas, answered the question well, if somewhat briefly.

I’m sure my own audience would like the answer too, so I’m providing a few more details as well as a more general answer with a bit of the why of it all.

This segment has the following sections:

Introduction

A bit of background on legal requirements

A bit of history on physically setting odds

Slot machine types based on how odds are set

Identifying who controls slot machine odds

Does it really matter who controls slot machine odds? Yes!!

Summary

Keep reading … or listen instead!

… or watch!

A bit of background on legal requirements

To not lose their gaming license, or to otherwise get in trouble with gaming control authorities, casino operators must remain in compliance with these legal gaming requirements.

For more information on your specific state, territory, or federal district of interest, see slot machine casino gambling, state-by-state: A weekly blog.

It’s worth noting that most gaming regulations set a low limit on payout returns to which casino operators deliberately stay well above. To do so is just good business.

A bit of history on physically setting odds

Slot enthusiasts loved having a choice of how many credits to bet, as well as playing a slot machine with more than one pay line. Increased credits and pay lines also led to much higher jackpots.

And so, that is what casinos did. They built and trained a workforce of slot mechanics to adjust the odds of winning on their new slot machines to meet their desired performance metrics.

Slot machine types based on how odds are set

Slot machines can be divided up into methods by which their odds of winning are set. These slot machine types include:

Standalone

Casino-specific progressives

Multi-casino progressives

State-wide progressives

Remotely controlled onsite by casino

Remotely controlled offsite by gaming regulators

These large group could actually be of two types: multiple properties of the same casino operator, or multiple casino operators, within a single gaming jurisdiction, i.E., state.

Finally, there are slot machines having their odds controlled off-site by state gaming regulators. These are most or all video lottery terminals style slot machines.

Identifying who controls slot machine odds

Who controls slot machine odds at a casino you are considering whether or not to visit? Who controls slot machine odds on the slot machine you’re sitting at?

Casinos with standalone slot machines where the actual machine in front of you has its own dedicated random number generator is relatively easily determined. Ask someone, how old is the casino?

Keep in mind that a very few casinos have both, assuming they have expanded their original structure not by renovating it, but by building a new casino facility right next to it.

This is the case with foxwoods resort, which is itself an older style casino. However, they recently build fox tower right next to it, which is a newer style casino.

The only sure way to tell the difference between these two slot machine types is to take a look at what the state gaming commission says they are at that casino.

Does it really matter who controls slot machine odds? Yes!!

The casino puts in the time and energy to hit their financial performance metrics. The casinos hire the best general manager who themselves hire the best possible team.

Before 2012, this amounted to increasing the odds of winning to be over 100% on a single slot machine near a busy area in their casino, as a promotional tool with its own limited budget.

In financial terms, they’re trying to tune their financial performance metrics on a daily or even hourly basis, something that was never before possible.

What’s happened is that, and it matters not at all how it came about, casinos have obviously bought into the idea of finely tuning their financial performance metrics.

In the future, I’ll talk more about the winning patterns I’ve found using this understanding. In the meantime, I hope I’ve made it clear how and why they exist.

Summary of can you guess who controls slot machine odds?

These patterns make it possible for savvy slots enthusiasts to improve their own gambling performance.

Odds of winning at craps

Craps odds are a measure of how much of an advantage the casino holds in the game. Comparing the true odds of a craps wager against the payout, a gambler can see how much he or she is likely to pay to play. This article lays out the true odds in craps, discusses how they compare to the payoff, and extracts the house edge.

It is important for dice shooters to know the house edge in craps. If you don’t, then you’re likely to lose a lot of money on bad bets. Reading this guide to craps odds will give a gambler a better understanding of the windfalls and pitfalls encountered when betting on the dice.

The house edge in craps

Defining the house edge in craps is no easy task. The game has so many different wagers. Those wagers have so many different expected returns. It can be said that craps has dozens of different examples of a house edge. For the purposes of comparing craps to other table games, it’s best to look at the best-case scenario.

Wise gamblers should look at the game’s potential. If you’re a smart craps player, then you’ll make the smartest wagers with the lowest house edge. Thus, you’ll bet on the don’t pass/don’t come bets to receive a 1.35% payout. Or if you don’t want to bet on the wrong side, you can make the pass/come bets and have a 1.41% house edge.

These two wagers are comparable to the house edge on baccarat or european roulette played with either imprisonment or “la partage” rules. Among the games with no strategy elements, craps has among the lowest odds. At the same time, if you don’t know what you’re doing, the odds in craps can be awful. No other game has more sucker bets

Real odds in craps

Players wanting to know the craps odds are likely to want to know the true odds on a wager. Using this data, a player can compare the real odds with the payouts to get a new perspective on the house edge.

Craps bet – real odds

Pass line bet – 251 to 244

Don’t pass bet – 976 to 949

Come bet – 251 to 244

Don’t come bet – 976 to 949

Buy 4 or 10 – 2:1

Buy 5 or 9 – 3:2

Buy 6 or 8 – 6:5

Lay 4 or 10 – 1:2

Lay 5 or 9 – 2:3

Lay 6 or 8 – 5:6

Place 4 or 10 – 2:1

Place 5 or 9 – 3:2

Place 6 or 8 – 6:5

Hard 6 or 8 – 10:1

Hard 4 or 10 – 8:1

One roll: any 7 – 5:1

One roll: any craps – 8:1

One roll: craps 2 or 12 – 35:1

One roll: craps 3 or 11 – 17:1

Craps payouts

For easy reference, you can look at the chart below to see the common payouts or payoffs for craps bets. Compare them to the chart above to see the different in the real odds and the amount you’re paid for a win. The difference is the house edge. Players thinking about the logic of betting systems like the martingale technique should keep these two sets of numbers in mind. The casino always has the advantage, no matter how you vary your betting patterns.

Craps bet payouts

Pass line bet – 1:1

Don’t pass bet – 1:1

Come bet – 1:1

Don’t come bet – 1:1

Buy 4 or 10 – 2:1

Buy 5 or 9 – 3:2

Buy 6 or 8 – 6:5

Lay 4 or 10 – 1:2

Lay 5 or 9 – 2:3

Lay 6 or 8 – 5:6

Field bet (3,4,9,10,11) – 1:1

Field bet (2,12) – 2:1

Place 4 or 10 – 9:5

Place 5 or 9 – 7:5

Place 6 or 8 – 7:6

Hard 6 or 8 – 9:1

Hard 4 or 10 – 7:1

One roll: any 7 – 4:1

One roll: any craps – 7:1

One roll: craps 2 or 12 – 30:1

One roll: craps 3 or 11 – 15:1

Horn bet 3 or 11 – 3.75 to 1

Horn bet 2 or 12 – 7.5 to 1

Big 6 – 1:1

Big 8 – 1:1

Craps house edge compared to payouts

As a general rule, the lower the payoff on a bet, the lower the house edge. You can look at the chart below to see that the wagers which have the best payouts also have a big house edge. These are the sucker bets in craps and I recommend you avoid them. Unless you want a one-bet thrill because you’re about to leave the table, I would not suggest betting on one-roll bets like the craps bets or the “any 7”.

That being said, many players toke dealers by making a bet on one of the wagers with a high payout. The thinking goes that the dealers would prefer to receive a big payout than a small gratuity. That probably varies from dealer to dealer, though the four dealers on a craps table are required to share tips in some casinos, which might change attitudes.

Craps bet house edge

Pass line bet – 1.41%

Don’t pass bet – 1.35%

Come bet – 1.41%

Don’t come bet – 1.35%

Buy 4 or 10 – 4.76%

Buy 5 or 9 – 4.76%

Buy 6 or 8 – 4.76%

Lay 4 or 10 – 2.44%

Lay 5 or 9 – 3.23%

Lay 6 or 8 – 4.00%

Field bet (3,4,9,10,11) – 5.50%

Field bet (2,12) – 5.50%

Place 4 or 10 – 6.70%

Place 5 or 9 – 4.00%

Place 6 or 8 – 1.52%

Hard 6 or 8 – 9.09%

Hard 4 or 10 – 11.11%

One roll: any 7 – 16.90%

One roll: any craps – 11.11%

One roll: craps 2 or 12 – 13.90%

One roll: craps 3 or 11 – 11.11%

Horn bet 3 or 11

Horn bet 2 or 12

Big 6 – 9.09%

Big 8 – 9.09%

Guide to craps odds

The chances of winning at craps are affected by the bets you make. While there is no strategy when playing craps, there is a kind of strategy in knowing which bets to place. It’s the difference in a house edge of 1.41% and 16.90%. In the real world, that translates to the probability of losing $1.41 for each $100 wagered, or losing a whopping $16.90 for every $100 wagered. Over an hour’s time, making the wrong bets in craps is likely to cost you a lot of money. Craps odds matter.

Slots odds

Mar 8, 2020 | reading time: 15 minutes

Table of content

1. Slot machine odds chart

- 2. Slots odds of winning

3. Online slots odds

4. Online slots best odds

5. Slot odds best machines

6. Slot machine odds by state

7. Casino slots best odds

8. Best slots odds in vegas

9. Better odds slots or blackjack?

All casino gamblers (either is terrestrial or online) really love playing slots, as they’re an incentive challenge, providing a delightful atmosphere, thanks to their amazing video and audio features, doubled by their highest wins. In fact, each online slot game works according to a random number generator (RNG). This ensures that the results of each game remain random and in accordance with fair gaming practices of the gambling industry. Increasingly more reputable online casino is regularly checking their random number generators with an independent audit firm.

1. Slot machine odds chart

The original slot machine had three reels with 10 symbols on each physical roll. Although the number of stops increased over the years to about 22, still the mechanical limit the number of possible outcomes. A virtual reel spool stops have up to 256 virtual rolls. Roll physics has only 1000 possible combinations. The manufacturer is limited in terms of the maximum payment amount that can offer because it could occur at every 1,000 spins. If the jackpot paid is hill 100: 1, then the car will already be using 10% of the result of this win. 25% preserves the original car that limits the house. The 256 virtual rolls have 16,777,216 spins limit, which mean the manufacturer may choose to offer one million to the winner, knowing that this will happen only once at every 16.7 million spins.

3. Online slots odds

There are two main aspects that determine the chances of winning the game of slots you play, the first is the number of reels and symbols and the second is the payment percentage of slots. Most slots accept different amounts of credit to play, usually from 1 to 15 credits per line. As the amount bet is higher, the amount that can be won will be higher. Each additional coin inserted multiplies earnings results. For example, you enter a single currency; a winning round can pay maybe 10 times the value of that single currency. But if you win after you have placed five coins, payment may be 50 times that amount!

4. Online slots best odds

You have to play "max bet" for big gains at the slots; there is no reason to play the lowest bid. “maximum bet, the maximum gain”; the maximum bet is usually two or three times higher than the price advertised; for example, the maximum bet on slots with 25 percent will be 50 cents or 75 cents. As mentioned above, a key element in determining the odds of winning the game is the type of slots, specifically the number of reels and symbols. The basic rule is that the more symbols have a slot machine or an online slots game the lower will be the winning probabilities.

5. Slot odds best machines

Imagine playing a game of slots with three reels and 20 symbols on each reel. Your goal is to uncover three liberty bell symbols (or any other symbol) on the pay line. Assuming that each reel contains only one symbol of the same type, you can calculate the probability of finding all three bell symbols on the pay line follows:
multiply the number of symbols on each reel to find out the total number of possible combinations. In this case, it is 20x20x20 = 8000
the above number 8000 means that one of the combinations is the combination of liberty bell. To express this in percentages, next thing you should do: (1/8000) x 100 = 0125. This means that the opportunity to discover the triple combination liberty bell is 0.125%.

6. Slot machine odds by state

Each state has its own rules regarding slot machine odds; as in arizona, for example, the payback percentage is 80% to 100%, in florida is a fixed rate of 92, 44%. Based on this rule, all online casinos adopted their internal regulations regarding odds and winning percentage. In time, if the payout percentage is below 100, that means the casino will win, as the number of winning combinations is lower. Check the slot game type before playing, see how many reels and potential winning combinations has, and then make calculations according to the example shown before and you will see what your chances of winning are.

7. Casino slots best odds

As noted at the beginning, the second thing that will influence your chances of winning will be the promised casino payout percentage. Payment percentages of slot games denote the amount of money deposited by players that will be paid as winnings. Basically, winnings will be paid from money deposited by gamblers, but the casino will charge a small percentage of this amount and will keep covering expenses and for profit. It is in your interest to play at the casino which has the largest payment percentage. These probabilities are only valid for combinations of symbols, and slots games there are an enormous number of symbol combinations, so your chances of winning at slots are much higher than these examples.

8. Best slots odds in vegas

Terrestrial casinos offer for slot games a payment percentage around 80% -95%, but the best casinos do not fall below 95% and others go even up to 98%. Las vegas casinos have an average share of 0.85 cents payment. It means that they pay 85 cents for every dollar earned.

9. Better odds slots or blackjack?

Blackjack is a quick, simple and fast casino game, but, as well in slots, you must have a strategy to win. As in slots, everything depends on the number of card decks played, if you split the aces, doubled the amount after the split and so on; therefore, even the odds are almost similar, the winning chances are bigger at blackjack (in my opinion). But, slots offer a higher visual and incredible atmosphere, and if you hit a progressive jackpot, your earnings will be higher than in blackjack games.

So, let's see, what we have: learn about slot machine odds and the probability of winning; including information on the casino’s house edge and advice on how to beat the slots. At what are casino slot machine odds

Thursday, April 29, 2021

Winning At Slots - What Are My Odds, what are casino slot machine odds.

What are casino slot machine odds

New casino sites to play real money

Winning at slots - what are my odds?

Why can’t I make a consistent return at slots?

Why play if there’s a house edge?

What is the exact edge on a particular machine?

Busting slot machine myths

Further advice for playing slots

How slot machines work

What are the odds?

Can you guess who controls slot machine odds?

Introduction to controls slot machine odds

Keep reading … or listen instead!

… or watch!

A bit of background on legal requirements

A bit of history on physically setting odds

Slot machine types based on how odds are set

Identifying who controls slot machine odds

Does it really matter who controls slot machine odds? Yes!!

Summary of can you guess who controls slot machine odds?

Slot machine odds

Article highlights:

Introduction

Average slots payout at land based casinos

Average slots payout at online casinos

How to play slots for real money

Top US sites in 2020

How real-money slots work - the basics

Why we lose at slots

How much do slot machines pay back?

How you can win more

Why to play slots

How to find the best casino slots to play

Odds in progressive jackpot slots

Get an edge at the casino by knowing which games have the best odds

The best and worst casino games to play if you want to win

The three best casino games to play

Blackjack's odds of winning: 49%

Craps' odds of winning: nearly 50 percent

Roulette's odds of winning: nearly 50%

The two casino games with the worst odds of winning

Big six wheel/wheel of fortune: odds of winning: 26% - 39%

Slots: odds of winning around 1 in 49,836,032

The wildcard — odds are hard to calculate

Poker: odds vary dramatically

Conclusion

Slot machine odds

Article highlights:

Introduction

Average slots payout at land based casinos

Average slots payout at online casinos

Can you guess who controls slot machine odds?

Introduction to controls slot machine odds

Keep reading … or listen instead!

… or watch!

A bit of background on legal requirements

A bit of history on physically setting odds

Slot machine types based on how odds are set

Identifying who controls slot machine odds

Does it really matter who controls slot machine odds? Yes!!

Summary of can you guess who controls slot machine odds?

Odds of winning at craps

The house edge in craps

Real odds in craps

Craps bet – real odds

Craps payouts

Craps bet payouts

Craps house edge compared to payouts

Craps bet house edge

Guide to craps odds

Slots odds

Mar 8, 2020 | reading time: 15 minutes

Table of content

1. Slot machine odds chart

3. Online slots odds

4. Online slots best odds

5. Slot odds best machines

6. Slot machine odds by state