Electronic slot machine odds used to be easy to calculate. It’s just a simple math problem when you’re dealing with three reels, ten symbols on each reel, and a limited paytable. But the rise of electromechanical electronic slot machines and (later) video electronic slot machines further complicates the situation.
[Electronic Slots] How Odds Work
Probability has two meanings. One is the possibility of whether something will happen. The other is the branch of mathematics that computes that probability. To understand the odds associated with a video slot machine (or any other gambling game), you must understand the underlying math behind probability.
But don’t worry. Math is not difficult. Probability involves addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, all of which you learn in middle school.
The first principle of probability is that each event has a probability between 0 and 1. If something can never happen, its probability is 0. If something always happens, no matter what, its probability is 1.
So the probability is always a small fraction. It can be represented in many ways such as decimals, decimals, percentages and odds.
A simple example is a coin flip. The chance of getting heads on a coin toss is 50%. This is common sense, but how is it determined mathematically?
You simply get the total number of possible outcomes and divide the outcome you are trying to determine by that number. When a coin is tossed, there are two possibilities, heads or tails, but only one is heads. That is 1 divided by 2 and can be expressed as ½, 50%, 0.5 or 1:1 odds.
Odds are expressed as the number of ways it will not happen versus the number of ways it will happen. For example, if you were to roll a six-sided die on a jili game, and you wanted to know the odds of rolling a six-sided die on a jili table game, you would see a 5-to-1 odds. Besides six, there are five ways to roll something, and only six.
Addition or multiplication can be used when you want to determine the likelihood of multiple things happening, depending on whether you want to determine whether one event or the other is going to happen, or whether one and the other are going to happen.
If you’re looking at an “OR” problem, you add the probabilities together. If you’re looking at an AND problem, multiply the probabilities with each other.
So if you want to know the probability of rolling two dice and having one or the other roll six, add those probabilities. 1/6 + 1/6 = 2/6, rounded down to 1/3.
If you want to know the probability of rolling two dice and getting a six on both dice, you can multiply the probability. 1/6 X 1/6 = 1/36.
[Electronic slot machine] The strangeness of the way it is used
Early electronic slot machines were mechanical devices. They have three metal reels, each with ten possible stops.
To calculate the odds of a single symbol appearing on the reels, simply divide a symbol by the total number of potential outcomes. So if there is a cherry on the reel, the chance of hitting that cherry is 1/10, or 10%.
To calculate the odds of getting three cherries, you can multiply 1/10 X 1/10 X 1/10 by 1/1000, or 0.1%.
If the odds of hitting that symbol are the same as all other symbols, you have 10 possible chances of winning, which means your odds of winning SOMETHING are 10/1000, or 1%.
However, most people don’t play video slot machines, which pay 99x 100, so the video slot designers turned two of the three symbols out of some symbols into additional smaller prizes. As long as they pay less than the odds of winning these jackpots, these electronic slot machines are guaranteed to be profitable in the long run.
For example, if hitting three cherries pays $1000, you’ll be playing in a breakeven game, but if the payout is $750, it’s easy to see how the casino guarantees a profit. The difference between the odds of winning and the odds of paying is where the casino makes money.
How [Electronic Slots] Works Now
Modern electronic slot machines use a computer program called a random number generator to determine the outcome of various spins of the reels. This will create a virtual reel containing as many symbols as limited only by the program in question.
A mechatronic slot machine with 256 symbols per reel would be huge, too big to play, and much less to make. But the computer can create an imaginary reel with 256 symbols each and take up only the space occupied by the iPod Shuffle.
To make things more fun and interesting, electronic slot designers can program different probabilities for each symbol. Most symbols may appear every 256 spins, but others may appear twice, and others may only appear halfway.
This enables video slot designers and casinos to offer video slot games with larger jackpots than would be possible with mechanical reels. They are able to offer these big jackpots and still generate decent profits.
What does this have to do with recycling rates?
ROI is the amount a slot machine is designed to pay out for a large number of spins. This number is almost always less than 100%. The difference between 100% and ROI is the house edge, and that’s where casinos make their money.
A simple example can help illustrate how this works. Let’s say you have a video slot machine with 3 reels each with 10 symbols on each reel, it will only pay out if you hit 3 cherries. As we determined earlier, the odds of winning this jackpot are 1 in 1000.
If we set the jackpot at $900 and charge $1 per bet, the payout percentage for this game will be 90%, which is $900/$1000. Of course, no one will play a video slot game that only pays out once every 1000 spins, which is why various smaller payouts are programmed.
Unless you have access to the console’s standard meter, there’s no way to tell what the payback is for a particular game. The casino management has this information, but the gaming players never have access to it.
The best video slot machine odds are almost always found in real casinos. If you see video slot machines at an airport or bar, be aware that the returns on these games are much lower than in actual casinos.
How to Win at Electronic Slots
Everyone wants to know how to win at video slots, but the truth is, winning at video slots is no harder than losing money at video slots. You put your money into the machine, spin the reels, and hope for the best. Video slot machines are meant to be fun; they have no intention of providing income to gamers.
In fact, the opposite is true. Electronic slot machines are there to provide income to casino owners. How it works is one of the themes of this page.
On the other hand, you can minimize your losses and increase your enjoyment of video slot games by understanding how they work. You can also find out which electronic slot machine will make the most money. The house will still have an advantage over you in the long run, but knowing how much you might lose in a given venue can help you make better money management decisions.
In fact, it might be a good idea to revise the definition of “winning”. Don’t think of yourself as a winner if you bring back big profits, think of yourself as a winner anytime you’re having a good time.
How Electronic Slots Work
All electronic slot machines in modern casinos use a random number generator (“RNG”) to determine the outcome of each spin. An RNG is a tiny computer that does nothing but constantly generate numbers. When you press the spin button, the microcomputer selects a number that determines the outcome. In fact, this happens before the reels even stop spinning.
On modern electronic slot machines, the reels are displayed right there. From a practical standpoint, you put a quarter coin on the machine, press a button, and the screen flashes: “You lost!” or “You won $10.” The mechanics that determine the outcome are the same, but who wants to play a game like this, especially if you know that the house has a mathematical advantage over the gamer.
The spinning reels, sound effects and bonus games all make the game more fun. If you don’t like the artwork, music, or any other aspect of the video slot game, don’t bother with it, because that’s the real reward of playing the game. The chance to get lucky and win big is also a real reward, but don’t overlook other aspects of the game.
The random number generator is programmed to repay a certain percentage of payments over a period of time. This time period is called “long term” in gambling math, and is much longer than most people think. We’re talking about tens of thousands of spins, not tens or hundreds.
The percentage programmed in these machines is always less than 100%. If an electronic slot machine game is programmed to pay back more than 100% of the money invested in it, it will create a loss for the casino.
Casinos don’t lose money.
The trick is to find the electronic slot machine with the highest payout percentage.
Which electronic slot machine pays back the most money
If the ROI of a location for every electronic slot game in the world is posted on the machine, it is easy to determine which electronic slot machine pays the most. For example, you can limit your investment to machines with a return of over 95%.
Unfortunately, however, the casino does not provide information on specific games.
However, you can find information about specific locations and their recycling rates. Some gambling guides and magazines publish this information. For example, the U.S. Casino Guide provides certified information on state-by-state payout percentages. Not all states disclose this information, but it’s not a huge logical leap to expect higher ROI in states that do disclose it.
For example, the overall ROI of electronic slot machines in Black Hawk, Colorado is 92.8%. In Colorado’s central city, it was 92.93 percent, and in Cripple Creek it was 93.66 percent. Alabama does not release figures for its returns.
Which casinos do you think offer better games?
No matter where you play, some guidelines apply. One of them is that payouts are higher in large cities where there is a lot of gambling. For example, spending in Las Vegas is generally higher than in Colorado. Payouts go up as you fight for higher bets. For example, PE N in Las Vegas NY slots averages around 88% to 91%, but dollar slots average between 93% and 96%. Finally, electronic slot machines at airports usually offer the lowest payouts.
What does this mean for gamers? This means that in the long run, if you bet $x on a particular game, you’ll win back $x multiplied by that machine’s ROI. For example, if you play a dollar video slot machine on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas and the payout ratio is about 93%, if you bet $10,000, you will win back $9300. You lose $700.
That’s just a long-term mathematical expectation, though. In the short term, anything can happen, which is what drives people to keep playing.
How to Maximize Your Gains and Minimize Your Losses
There are three ways you can maximize your winnings and minimize your losses. The first is to always join the electronic slot machine club and always use the membership card when playing games. Video Slots Club members return a percentage of their games to them in the form of casino bonuses and cash back. Usually it’s a small percentage (think 0.1% or 0.2%), but it adds up, especially if you play a lot of games.
Also don’t make the mistake of thinking that using a Video Slots Club card will reduce the expected payoff of the game. This is not true. The random number generator in these games has no way of knowing if you are playing a video slot club card, like jili’s slot games, and the random number generator is also used to ensure a fair game.
The second way to increase your bonuses and minimize your losses is to use effective money management techniques. That means limiting the amount of time you play, limiting the amount of money you’re willing to lose in any session and on any given gambling trip, and finding other fun things to do with your time other than playing video slots.
Finally, try to play the machine with the highest payout percentage. In the long run, if you keep playing, you may end up with a loser on video slots (unless you hit a huge jackpot), but you’ll lose money more slowly and gain more entertainment value from gambling .
