Better Odds Slot Machines
When you read the seemingly endless stream of slot machine jackpot stories churned out by the media, it can be easy to trick yourself into thinking the old one-armed bandits can be beaten.
After all, if an anonymous player with only $40 deposited in a Megabucks machine can walk away with a $13.1 million jackpot, why can’t the next multimillionaire to beat the odds be you?
Since there are no games with an RTP of 100, you'll have to settle for something lower than that. In general, any slot machine with an RTP of 96.5% or more is a good choice. Use a Slots Chart. Once you have compiled a list of the slot machines with the best odds, you can use the slots chart below to pick a winning slot machine to play. 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. The odds against winning any one prize are listed on the backs of the tickets. Sure your chances of hitting it big are stacked high against you. Not so with the slot machines you play at the.
Well, it certainly could be, but making that happen is almost entirely reliant on random chance. Slots just aren’t like their skill-based casino counterparts like blackjack and video poker. You can’t play better than other gamblers or use skill and savvy to even the score versus the house.
You don’t get to make decisions that influence where the reels will come to rest, and lacking those essential elements of a skill game, the slots become pure games of chance.
With that said, some slot players out there definitely play worse than others. By failing to recognize the crucial connection between payback percentage rates and expected value or by believing in B.S. systems that claim to make every slot session a sure thing, millions of poor slot players combine to dump billions of dollars into the casino industry’s coffers every year.
You don’t have to be one of them, though, thanks to the six ways to become a better slot machine player listed below.
By adding these tools to your arsenal of slot strategies, you’ll always bet against the best possible odds while avoiding the sucker machines that gobble up bankrolls before less informed players even know what happened.
1 – Don’t Fall for Myths, Misconceptions, Superstition, or Straight-Up Snake-Oil
Spend enough time around the slot machine parlor, and you’ll invariably hear fellow players discussing their preferred systems and strategies.
If they’re talking about payback percentage comparisons, game selection, and bankroll management, by all means, let their wisdom wash over you. Those are thinking players who use common sense and logic — but they’re also a rare breed.
More often than not, when you hear a slot spinner start talking about the “secrets” to winning consistently, they’re referring to completely nonsensical myths and misconceptions.
Some players just refuse to believe that a gambling game can be based on chance alone, so they resort to illogical ideas like “hot” and “cold” machines, casino supervisors controlling when and where jackpots are paid, and even codes appearing on the reels that are indecipherable unless you know what to look for.
The most commonly used slot systems tend to be based on erroneous beliefs, so don’t be surprised to see regulars getting up every few minutes or so to try a new machine.
According to these superstitious players, if a slot isn’t landing on certain symbols right out of the gate, it’s a “cold” game that won’t produce a jackpot for days or months.
Other players walk the floor like scavengers, lying in wait before snagging a machine after it’s been “primed” by an unlucky tourist. These slot vultures believe that a machine is more likely to land a jackpot combination only after it has claimed a certain number of coins.
You’ll even see some players staring closely at the reel screens after every spin, searching for inscrutable patterns like “zig-zags” and “Vs” linking special symbols. For these players, the appearance of a pattern on the reel screen signals that a slot is ready to dispense its most lucrative topline payouts.
Of course, none of these “foolproof” systems for beating the slots will actually work.
Best Odds Slot Machine Fire Red
Previous spins can’t affect the future, so a machine is just as likely to trigger a jackpot on weekdays as opposed to weekends or when it’s situated in high-traffic areas or off in the corner.
The probabilities have been preprogrammed into the machine’s random number generator (RNG), so there’s no amount of pattern-tracking that can help predict when jackpots will be awarded.
You wouldn’t know that from researching slot strategies online, though — not with so many snake-oil salesmen out there trying to trick hopeful gamblers into spending big bucks on utterly useless products.
You don’t want to be the sucker these hucksters count on to line their pockets, so head here to read up on game selection, payback shopping, and other slot machine strategies that really work.
2 – Only Bring Your Bankroll to the Best Slot Locations Around
By now, most players know that the corporate-owned casinos on the Strip offer the worst slot odds in Sin City.
But until you see the data spelled out clearly, it can be difficult to gauge just how awful Strip slots really are. Fortunately, the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) performs annual surveys to compare win rates (for the casino) to player payouts. This data allows the NGCB to calculate average payback percentage rates for all slots in the Silver State — rates which can be broken down based on region and coin denomination.
- The Strip – 88.38%
- Downtown – 89.15%
- Boulder Strip – 90.38%
- Las Vegas – 90.88%
- The Strip – 91.64%
- Downtown – 93.40%
- Las Vegas – 95.29%
- Boulder Strip – 96.21%
- The Strip – 89.35%
- Downtown – 94.25%
- Las Vegas – 96.41%
- Boulder Strip – 96.13%
- The Strip – 92.43%
- Downtown – 94.63%
- Las Vegas – 95.39%
- Boulder Strip – 96.13%
- The Strip – 87.83%
- Las Vegas – 88.52%
- Downtown – 89.07%
- Boulder Strip – 91.35%
- The Strip – 91.96%
- Downtown – 92.67%
- Las Vegas – 93.53%
- Boulder Strip – 94.34%
As you can clearly see, warnings about the Strip are far from superstitious — they’re entirely accurate. Across the board, you’ll always face the worst odds when spinning on the Strip, so take your bankroll to Boulder City, Downtown, or North Las Vegas instead.
3 – Choose a Higher Coin Denomination to Increase Your Payback Percentage
Take a second look at the data shown above, but focus on the coin denominations rather than the region.
When you do, you’ll notice a close correlation between bigger bets and a better payback percentage for players. When you grind the penny slots, your average payback rate stands right around 90% — giving the house a huge edge of 10%.
But when you bump the stakes up only slightly to a nickel per spin, the payback rate climbs to over 94% on average. That figure inches even higher on the $1 machines, so whenever possible, ditch the penny slots for a much better play.
4 – Don’t Play Drunk, High, or Tired to Avoid Making Mistakes
This one sounds simple enough, but when the complimentary cocktails start flowing, even a normally reasonable gambler can start betting with reckless abandon.
The casinos count on that too, so don’t cooperate with their attempts to further separate slot players from their money. Staying sober and alert at the machines is the best way to prevent poor decisions, and poor decisions by players represent the casino industry’s lifeblood.
5 – Take a Visual Tour of How Slot Machines Really Work
You can’t slay a dragon without studying its tendencies first, and that holds especially true for slot enthusiasts.
Unless you know exactly how the modern video slots and RNGs really work, it can be far too easy to succumb to superstition.
That’s why I recommend using this extremely cool 3-D, 360-degree visual tour of a slot machine’s inner workings.
6 – Study a Slot Machine Glossary to Learn the Latest Lingo
If you’re still wondering about the difference between paylines and payback percentage, or progressive vs. fixed jackpots, we can help.
Average Slot Machine Odds
Consider this detailed slot machine glossary to be required reading.
Slot machines are fun, easy to learn, and wildly entertaining when the reels are cooperating. On the other hand, most slot games are designed to put players in an almost inescapable hole, with payback percentages hovering around 90% to create the ultimate longshot.
Knowing how to avoid the worst machines while bringing your money to the most player-friendly slots is half the battle, so keep these six tips in mind the next time you embark on that jackpot journey.
One final tip is for those of you how play slot machines online. Make sure that you stick to safe and trusted online casinos, as you’ll get a much better experience overall.
Many people will be visiting a casino this summer, whether on a trip to Vegas, on a cruise ship, or just at a local casino during a 'staycation.'
But before you go, you may want to know which games give you the best chance of winning.
So we went behind the scene at two casinos, and spoke with the game managers, to find out which games give you an edge.
Table Games Your Best Bet
Jay Bean, a Caesar's floor manager, agreed to sit down with us and talk about the games with the best odds.
He said many people don't realize that table games have much better odds than slots. They are intimidated by thoughts of card sharks taking their money, with images of an intense Texas Hold 'Em tournament in their minds, and so they stick with the safe games: the slots.
But they are doing themselves a disservice, he said.
Bean's advice? After you've spent some time on the slot machines, move on to the Blackjack table, and start by just observing.
1. Blackjack
Blackjack has the best odds of winning, with a house edge of just 1 percent in most casinos, Bean said.
Plus, you are playing against only the dealer, not hooded poker champions.
'Blackjack is one of our easiest games to play,' Bean said. 'You're just looking for a number that beats the dealer's number without going over 21.'
If you're a novice, Bean said to sit down during a less busy time, such as the afternoon, and the dealer will walk you through the game.
But the same is not true with poker: You should practice the game with your friends first, at home, Bean said, until you are comfortable with it. Bean said novices are best off passing on the poker tables, where yes, the competition can be tough.
You can find out more information about the game of blackjack at the following link:
http://wizardofodds.com/games/blackjack/
2. Craps
So from the Blackjack table, he suggests moving on to the dice game Craps, the game with the second best odds, also nearly 50-50.
The Craps table can be a bit intimidating for the beginner with all the boxes on the table, Bean admitted. But it's really not tough, and it has one of your best chances of winning. In the end, all you are really doing is betting on a dice roll.
For more information on craps, visit:
http://wizardofodds.com/games/craps/
3. Roulette
Bean said your next stop should be the Roulette wheel. It's simple, and pays fairly well.
'So you bet on your favorite numbers,' Bean said. 'The dealer spins, and if your number comes in you win.'
If you stick to betting on just Reds or Blacks, you have nearly a 50-50 chance of walking away a winner. If it lands on red when you choose red, you will double your bet, Bean explained.
While it may seem you have an even chance of winning by simply choosing a color, there is one catch that gives the house its edge: the extra green 0 and 00 position on the wheel. It's on all American roulette wheels.
Or, if you feel lucky, play just one number. It's hard to win, but if you do it pays out 36 to 1.
For more information on roulette, visit:
http://wizardofodds.com/games/roulette/
Worst Odds
Your worst odds? The casinos, understandably, did not want to talk about games with poor odds.
So we turned to Forbes Magazine, which in a report about Best Bets at the Casino, said two popular games -- the Wheel of Fortune and the ever-popular slot machines -- have the lowest odds of winning, with a house edge of 10 percent or more.
The Experts Agree
Professor of Analytics Michael Magazine has crunched the numbers, and agreed that blackjack is the best way to go home with money in your pockets. He said if you take a little time to learn the game, you have the best odds of winning.
'You are somewhere between 44 percent to 48 percent in every single hand of winning,' he said, noting that no other casino game gives you odds that good.
But Magazine cautioned that he's not promoting gambling, because he said even games with the best odds still favor the house.
'Play it long enough and you will lose. In the long term the house doesn't lose,' Magazine said.
If You Love The Slots....
Finally, if you really enjoy playing the slots, here is some good information to know, from state casino reports we examined.
With slots, the more money you put in per bet, the higher your chance of winning. If you put the max in a penny machine, which is usually around 50 cents, you have much better odds than if you put in 2 cents.
In addition, penny slots have the lowest odds, with $1 and $5 slots paying much better.
Always gamble responsibly, and don't waste your money.
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You can learn more about specific odds of slots machines in each state that has casino gambling by visiting the American Casino Guide.
Don't Waste Your Money is a registered trademark of the EW Scripps Co.
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