How To Make Money From Slot Machines

1. How To Make Money From Slot Machines Jackpots
2. How To Pick A Winning Slot Machine
3. How To Win At Slot Machines

Best Payout Slot Machines. In addition to reading slot reviews, there are several other ways players can find slot games with the best payouts.Always check a slot's pay table before inserting money. This will tell you the maximum payout you can win on the symbols, as. Slot Machines in Land-Based Casinos. When it comes to payout percentages, it's all about how slot machines are programmed. To make matters trickier, casinos and game developers don't always publish the numbers for specific machines. However, there are ways players can figure out which machines have more favorable payouts.

Slot machines don’t seem to involve much strategy. All you do is push the spin button over and over and let the reels do the rest.

Looking to play slots online? Check out one of the sites above!

But there are some things you can do to greatly improve your chances of beating slot machines. And what’s nice is that anybody can quickly use these slots hacks to win more.

The 7 hacks that I’m going to discuss in this post can be used right now. Others can be used within a few minutes after doing simple research on your smartphone.

Keep reading as I cover 7 ways in which you can hack into more slots winnings.

1 – Look up Online Slot Machine Providers to Find Best Payback

You need to play online slots if your main focus is winning the most money. The reason why is because internet slots offer higher payback on average than land-based games.

A bonus is that you don’t have to bet as much to earn this high payback. Instead, you’ll only have to risk a penny per line to achieve top pay back on many online slots.

Of course, you must know which slots pay the most first. The best way to do this is by googling online slots providers to find their highest-paying games.

Online slots makers offer their games across a broad range of internet casinos. And the return to player (RTP) is the same at each casino site.

This is why you search for slots payback by game designers, rather than individual casinos. Here’s an example of how I find the highest-paying slots from Rival Gaming:

• I google “Rival Gaming slots RTP.”
• This brings up different websites with info on Rival’s RTP.
• I can see that the following slots offer high payback:
• Cosmic Quest: Mystery Planets = 98.95% RTP
• Doo-Wop Daddy-O = 97.89%
• Gold Rush = 97.46%
• Bust A Vault = 97.45%
• As the Reels Turn: The Gamble = 97.0%

You can use this method to find RTP for many online slot machines. Another way to accomplish this goal is by looking at a game’s help screen.

Some slots list their payback on the help screen. Thunderkick and Quickspin are two companies that feature RTP on their games’ help screens.

Unfortunately, there are providers that don’t list RTP on the help screen or publish it online. Therefore, you’re left in the dark regarding how much these games pay back.

But most online slot machines offer this information somewhere. And you won’t have to look more than 5 minutes to find them in many cases.

2 – Look at State Gaming Reports to Find Best Land Based Slots Payback

Finding RTP for land-based slot machines is a more-difficult matter. The main reason why is because each casino can order different payback for the same slot machine.

MGM Grand might order a game with 90% payback, while Circus Circus may want it with 89% RTP.

This is nice for casinos because they can customize slots RTP to their liking. But this makes it tougher for players to figure out what kind of payback they can look forward to.

The best way to find RTP for slot machines in brick-and-mortar casinos is by looking at state gaming reports.

Each state with casino gambling has an agency that governs the industry. These organizations provide regular reports that list slots payback.

The only catch is that these reports only offer generic numbers on games within the specific coin denominations. Here’s an example from the Nevada Gaming Control Board’s 2017 report:

• Penny slot machines = 90.17% payback
• Nickel slot machines = 94.54% payback
• Quarter slot machines = 93.06% payback
• Dollar slot machines = 93.94% payback
• $5 slot machines = 94.16% payback
• $25 slot machines = 95.03% payback
• $100 slot machines = 93.21% payback

You can see that most Nevada slot machines offer between 93.06% and 95.03% payback. The outlier is penny slot machines, which only offer 90.17% RTP on average.

Here’s another example froma 2017 report on Connecticut’s Foxwoods Casino:

• Penny slot machines = 89.88% payback
• Nickel slot machines = 90.58% payback
• Quarter slot machines = 91.95% payback
• Dollar slot machines = 93.45% payback
• $5 slot machines = 94.08% payback
• $25 slot machines = 96.16% payback
• $100 slot machines = 96.76% payback

This report shows that payback increases as you move up coin denominations. And this is more reflective of what you see acrossthe brick-and-mortar casino industry.

The UNLV Center for Gaming Research offers all the state casino gaming reports in one convenient place.

Your best chance to achieve better payback in a land-based casino is by playing games with higher coin denominations. This is different from online casinos, where you can often achieve the same payback no matter what coin size you’re playing.

The downside to playing large coin denomination slots is that your theoretical losses will be higher. Here’s a comparison between playing Foxwoods’ $0.25 and $1 denomination slots:

• You perform 1,000 spins on a quarter slot machine ($250 total).
• Quarter slots offer 91.55% RTP on average (8.45% house edge).
• 250 x 0.0845 = $21.13 in theoretical losses
• You perform 1,000 spins on a dollar slot machine ($1,000 total).
• $1 slots offer 93.45% RTP on average (6.55% house edge).
• 1,000 x 0.0655 = $65.50 in theoretical losses

Even thoughquarter slot machines offer lower payback, your theoretical losses will be smaller. But if you like betting more per spin anyways, then you should take advantage of higher payback with larger coin denominations.

3 – Use Hit Frequency to Find Hot Slot Machines

One of the the biggest slots myths is that you can find “hot” slot machines by going around and playing different games. The logic behind this is that you’ll eventually find a machine that’s paying immediately.

The reason why this is a myth is that slots results are determined by random number generators (RNG), which cycle through countless number combinations. These number combos are determined so fast that results are completely unpredictable.

Therefore, anybody who’s going around to different slot machines to find the hot games is wasting their time. But this isn’t to say that you can’t use certain means to figure out which slots will pay frequently.

Hit frequency refers to how often a slot machine pays per line. Here’s an example of how this works:

• Game A is a 50-line slot machine that offers 4 payouts per line on average.
• Game B is a 50-line slot that offers 3 payouts per line on average.
• Game A has higher hit frequency.

The only problem with hit frequency is that games don’t list this information. The closest I’ve seen is Pragmatic Play online slots, which offer a volatility rating based on lightning bolts.

But the average slot machine forces you to figure out hit frequency based on pay table info. And the key factors that you want to look at include jackpot size, number of large payouts, and the number of small prizes.

You can use common sense from here to figure out which games will pay more frequently than others.

A slot machine with a huge progressive jackpot and few small payouts won’t deliver prizes as often. But a game with a small jackpot and more small payouts should have higher hit frequency.

Playing games in the latter category gives you a better chance to win on each spin. This means that you’ll earn money on a more consistent basis and have a better chance of sustaining your bankroll.

These are essentially the hot slot machines because they offer more prizes. If winning frequently is important to you, then it should look for slots with small jackpots and a larger number of small payouts.

4 – Use Certain Variables to Manage Your Slots Bankroll

Bankroll management doesn’t theoretically improve your chances of winning. But it does help you better manage your risk and play slots longer.

The only problem is that slots are one of the toughest games in terms of bankroll management. It’s hard to calculate how many bets (a.k.a. units) the average player loses.

This can be affected based on how quickly you’re spinning the reels and how fast the slot machine moves. A game with multiple bonus features and animations moves slower than a game without the same features.

But generally, the average slots player loses anywhere between 250 and 350 units per hour. You can use these variables to begin calculating your bankroll management

Here’s an example:

• You have a $200 bankroll.
• Your average bet is $0.25 per spin (25 lines at $0.01).
• You lose 250 units per hour.
• 300 x 0.25 = $62.50
• 200 x 62.50 = 3.2
• Your bankroll will theoretically last for 3.2 hours.

The keyword with all this is theoretical, because you can never perfectly predict your short-term losses or winnings.

Slot machines are the most-volatile game in the casino. This means that your short-term results will vary wildly in comparison to the statistical average (payback in this case).

You can lower the volatility, though, by playing games with high hit frequency. Games with smaller payouts deliver more prizes in the short run, which leads to lower volatility.

5 – Don’t Fall for Slot Machine Psychology Tricks

Many players are unaware of the psychology at play with slot machines. Game makers use everything from enticing graphics to triumphant soundeffects to keep people playing longer.

A study from the University of British Columbia (UBC) found that many players fall into a “slot machine zone,” where they become completely immersed in the game and ignore everything else around them.

This study featured small white circles on each side of a slot machine’s screen. Players were asked to push a button when these circles turned red.

The study concluded that problem gamblers had more difficulty spotting the red circles on the sides because they were so involved in the game.

2011 research from Ontario’s University of Waterloo examined the effect that losses disguised as wins (LDWs) have on players. LDWs are payouts where players only win back a portion of their original bet.

Here’s an example:

• You play a 100-line slot machine.
• You bet $0.05 per line ($5 total).
• You win a $1 payout.
• Your net loss is $4.

Anybody can see that this is an overall loss.But slot machines use encouraging sound effects and flashing lights to make it feel like you’re a winner in these cases.

University of Waterloo researchers measured skin conductance response (SCR) amplitudes and heart-rate changes to measure how players felt after LDWs. They then compared these results to how players reacted after true wins and complete losses.

The researchers discovered that LDWs offered a significantly higher pleasure rate than complete losses. In fact, players’ arousal rates were on the same level for LDWs as they were for actual wins.

Being aware of these factors will better help you avoid becoming completely immersed in games and spending more money than you plan for.

6 – Look the Best Slots Comps (*Hint* Online Deposits Bonuses Are the Best)

Casinos offer slots players comps to retain their loyalty. This can also encourage more play because some gamblers wrongly assume that comps are more valuable than they are.

Land-based and online casinos typically comp players at around a 0.1% rate. This means that you’re going to earn $1 in rewards for every $1,000 you wager.

This doesn’t seem like much, but it adds up when considering how fast people play slots. Here’s an example:

• You perform 600 spins per hour on a dollar slot machine.
• You play 3 hours per day.
• 600 x 3 = $1,800
• You play 5 days during the month.
• 1,800 x 5 = $9,000
• $9,000 x 0.001 = $9 in slots comps.

Online casinos almost always stick to the 0.1% rate. They do this by awarding one comp point for every $10 wagered.

Players can then exchange 100 points for $1 cash back. This means that you’re betting $1,000 (100 points) to get $1 in rewards.

Some land-based casinos offer a 0.2% comp rate for slots players. This doubles your rewards with the same amount of betting.

The catch, though, it’s that it’s hard to find land-based casinos that offer higher slots comps. Unlike online casinos, which freely offer their points-for-exchange rate on their loyalty program page, land-based casinos aren’t great at explaining their VIP programs.

You can still find information on some brick-and-mortar casinos by visiting their websites. Another good practice is to research casinos that have a reputation for offering good slots comps.

Examples of Las Vegas casinos that are known for offering good slots rewards include The Palms, The Cosmopolitan, and The Venetian. Playing at these casinos gives you a better opportunity to earn higher loyalty rewards than at online casinos.

But the absolute-best slots rewards, are deposit bonuses that you receive when depositing at internet casinos.

These bonuses are expressed in a match percentage based on how much you deposit. Here’s an example:

• A bonus is worth a 100% match up to $500.
• You deposit $200.
• This means that you’re eligible for a $200 bonus.

Players obviously can’t just cash out bonuses right away, because the casino would lose a fortune. Therefore, you need to meet wagering requirements before the money is officially yours.

Standard wagering requirements for an online slots deposit bonus is 40 times the reward. Here’s an example of how this plays out:

• The bonus offer is a 100% match up to $200.
• You deposit $50.
• This makes you eligible for a $50 bonus.
• 40 x 50 = $2,000.
• You must wager $2k to unlock your deposit reward.

$2,000 may seem like a lot of money to earn a $50 bonus. But this is a much-better rate than you’ll receive through either a land-based or online casino comp program.

Here’s the math on why:

• You wager $2,000 at a casino with a 0.1% comp rate.
• This earns you $2 in rewards.
• You wager $2,000 to get the $50 bonus mentioned above.
• You get $50 in rewards.

Keep in mind that you can get a better comp rate by moving up in an internet or land-based casino loyalty program. But low rollers will find that deposit bonuses offer the best chance to earn free cash.

7 – Get More Expected Value from Progressive Jackpots That Have Increased

Expected value (EV) is a common gambling term used to describe how much money you can expect to win back from your bets.

Looking at the house edge is a good way to determine your EV because this shows how much you’ll win back in the long term. For example, a slot machine with 96% payback is offering -4% EV since you’re losing 4% on each wager.

Most casino games offer negative expected value (-EV), and slots are no exception. But you can improve your EV by playing progressive slots when the jackpot has increased by a significant amount.

Casino seed progressive jackpots with a certain amount of money.

Microgaming’s Mega Moolah slot is seeded with $1 million.

Players contribute the rest of the money into a progressive jackpot. Each bet that players make contributes a small amount to make the jackpot grow.

The standard contribution amount is 2% of every wager. This means that a $1 bet would contribute $0.02 to the jackpot.

A single player isn’t going to make a progressive jackpot grow very quickly. But these prizes increase rapidly when thousands of players are making bets.

You can use the starting jackpot amount compared to growth to estimate your EV. Given that Mega Moolah is seeded with $1 million, you know that your EV is much higher when the jackpot reaches $10 million.

Again, this is all theoretical and based on the idea that you can actually win the jackpot. Chances are that you’ll never win a huge payout like this in your lifetime.

But the goal is to continue playing progressive slots that offer more EV based on the growing jackpot. A more practical method of doing this is by playing smaller mystery jackpots, which must pay a specific value.

Arrow’s Edge offers a mystery jackpot that pays at exactly $10,000. You may be getting positive expected value (+EV) by jumping in when the jackpot is worth $9k.

What’s more is that you at least have a shot at winning this payout, versus the giant jackpot in Mega Moolah.

I’m not advocating that you dump your entire bankroll into progressive slots. After all, the base payback on most of these games isn’t as good as a normal slot.

If you’re going to play these games, figure out where a starting jackpot begins and compare it to the value that now. This will improve your EV and give you a higher theoretical chance of winning money.

Conclusion

Casinos have the edge in slot machines. But you can at least reduce this edge, or even gain one (progressive slots) by following the hacks in this post.

The biggest thing that you want to do is to find payback for the slot machines you play. This is easier in online casinos, where you can search by game provider or look at the help screen to find RTP.

Land-based casinos make it more difficult to figure out how much you win back. But you can use the coin denominations to make a rough estimation.

Hit frequency is another important hack to remember, especially if you’re dealing with a small bankroll. The more payouts you can win back in the short term, the better chance you have of maintaining your bankroll.

You also want to avoid falling for the psychological tricks that surround slot machines. This means realizing that LDWs are actually losses, and the graphics, theme, and music are designed to keep you playing longer.

Other important hacks you can use include getting the best rewards possible, maximizing your EV on growing progressive jackpots, and properly managing your bankroll.

I can’t guarantee that you’ll win profits by following these tips. But it’s definitely worth doing so if you enjoy slots because these hacks will give you a greater chance to win.

Ask any retiree who visits Las Vegas regularly about their favorite casino game, and you’ll invariably hear about the fabled penny slots.

These slot machines take their name from their low coin denomination, ditching the nickels and quarters typically wagered on each spin for a single penny. Or so the story goes anyhow…

In reality, the advent of payline-based slot gameplay ensures you’ll almost always be playing for more than a penny per spin. That’s because you need to pay one penny for each payline in play, so a standard 30-payline machine would charge $0.30 each time you let the reels fly. Despite this deceptive misnomer, however, the penny slots reign supreme in Sin City.

And that discrepancy occurred even though Nevada is home to far less penny slots (54,754 machines) than multi-denominational games (70,658 machines).

Indeed, just like your grandparents have reported, the penny slots are by far the most popular game on any casino floor. A major casino might spread a dozen blackjack tables in the pit, but the penny slot parlor will be chocked full with hundreds of machines from dozens of manufacturers. And when you run the numbers, it’s easy to see why.

That equates to an average expected loss of between $0.36 and $0.96 per hour, amounts which won’t threaten to bust your bankroll anytime soon. But when you up the stakes to $1 per spin, those 300 to 800 spins per hour can cost between $24 and $64 every 60 minutes.

With these figures fresh in your mind, it’s easy to see why so many players are flocking to the penny slots – especially folks working with a limited bankroll. When you only have a small stake to gamble with, the ability to play – and hopefully win – for a few pennies at a time is invaluable.

Nobody likes to lose, but there’s something about blowing through a few hundred bucks in a matter of minutes that stings just a little bit more. By sticking to the penny slots, casual players can limit their losses, all while chasing that elusive jackpot dream.

The casinos bank on casual players ignoring this fact while focusing on the inexpensive cost of entry. And sure enough, as the NGCB data mentioned earlier makes clear, most players don’t bother thinking about the nuances of penny slot play.

If you’re a slot player nursing a smaller-sized bankroll who is searching for ways to improve their penny ante action, look no further. The guide below will cover four essential tips and tricks for successfully navigating the world of penny slots.

You’ll learn why the old maxim about always betting the max doesn’t apply, the value to be gained by leaving tourist hotspots behind, the modern systems casinos use to deploy their machines, the importance of payback and hold percentages, and how to avoid the most common myths and misconceptions about slot gameplay. When its all said and done, this page should leave you better prepared to maximize your limited bankroll while minimizing your liabilities and losses.

The first strategy tip most slot players learn offers the following advice – always bet the maximum number of paylines and coins.

On a typical quarter slot, the machine offers anywhere between 1 and 5 coins per spin. That equates to $0.25 for minimum bettors, and $1.25 for folks playing the maximum.

And on a quarter machine which includes bonus rounds, free spin rewards, and a progressive jackpot, that strategy makes perfect sense. After all, most games are designed to provide those perks only if the player has bet the max, so playing for anything less removes much of the game’s inherent value.

As the old saying goes, “why play for a progressive jackpot you can’t even win?” But for penny slot enthusiasts, that bit of wisdom can be tossed out the window.

For one thing, these games usually ditch the massive progressive jackpots for fixed awards – and these can be won at any wagering level.

Secondly, even the more modern penny slots usually eschew in-game bonuses and side games for standard spinning. That is to say, you’ll be competing for the game’s primary pay table prizes, rather than a chance to spin the wheel, play memory games, or earn free spins.

Jean Scott – a veteran casino player and author of the popular “Frugal Gambler” series of strategy books – captured this sentiment perfectly in a blog post for the Las Vegas Advisor:

“Now I well know the problem with slots. The negative EV (the house edge) will eventually put players in the loser category and sometimes very quickly. The fun factor can disappear very quickly if you are losing more money than you can afford.

Players with small bankrolls know that they need to play minimum bets so they can extend their fun time.

Hit those buttons with higher level bets and, yes, your bonuses may be more frequent and jackpots bigger, but you will very likely go broke before you can gain this advantage!”

And using a simple table devised by John Grochowski – a longtime professional gambler and strategy writer – you can see exactly how upping the ante increases your bankroll requirements:

This table is especially informative, because it shows just how differently maximum stake players must approach penny slots. When you’re working with a smaller bankroll than most, $125 is probably a sensible amount at which to limit your losses. Thankfully, that’s the exact amount you’d need to play a 50 payline game for one penny per line. But if you found the same machine and decide to bet the max with five pennies per line, you’d need to bring a whopping $625 with you to survive three hours of action.

Unless you’re stuck on the idea of playing for progressive jackpots, the penny slots simply don’t require a maximum bet to have fun – and hopefully, collect a steady stream of smaller payouts while you do.

This piece of advice is counterintuitive to most recreational players, especially those who haven’t yet experienced the sights and sounds of famous Las Vegas Strip.

But while The Strip can be quite the entertaining experience for tourists, gamblers are preyed upon like sheep by the wolf-like casinos.

Take a look at the data below, which was compiled by the NGCB as part of the regulator’s annual statewide slot machine survey:

Las Vegas Slot Machine Payback Percentages by Location

1¢ Slot Machines

• The Strip – 88.45 percent
• Downtown – 88.66 percent
• Boulder Strip – 90.42 percent
• N. Las Vegas – 90.71 percent

5¢ Slot Machines

• The Strip – 91.84 percent
• Downtown – 92.08 percent
• Boulder Strip – 95.73 percent
• N. Las Vegas – 95.38 percent

25¢ Slot Machines

• The Strip – 90.59 percent
• Downtown – 94.48 percent
• Boulder Strip – 96.39 percent
• N. Las Vegas – 96.58 percent

No matter which slot games you prefer, playing on The Strip inherently increases the odds against you. The percentage figure listed next to each location reflects the average payback rate – also known as the return to player (RTP) rate – offered on average by all slot machines in that area.

And as you can see, playing on The Strip always provides players with the worst possible payback rates. As a penny slot specialist, you’ll be up against an 88.45 percent payback rate while playing on The Strip. That equates to a house edge of 11.55 percent, making penny machines in the heart of Sin City a moneymaking monster for the casinos.

But take your action to the Boulder Strip or North Las Vegas, and that payback rate bumps up all the way over 90 percent. That may not seem like all that much of an improvement, but when you factor in the rapid pace of play found on slot games, padding your expected return by a full 2 percentage points is a massive improvement.

And it doesn’t matter if you’re playing true penny slots, or the nickel and quarter variety, as the pattern holds true across the board.

Another benefit of playing off the beaten path is the discounts and perks off-Strip casinos tend to lavish on their players. For the big boys like MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment – two casino conglomerates that control almost all properties on The Strip – enormous profits are practically ensured. They have a steady stream of tourists walking in the doors, so these venues can offer lower paying games and skimp out on the comps and perks.

But as Lucas Peterson – author of the “Frugal Traveler” column in the New York Times – recently discovered, venturing outside of the tourist traps offers a vastly different experience. Peterson visited the tiny Ellis Island Casino, located just east of Las Vegas Boulevard on Flamingo Road.

While the Ellis Island may lack the amenities and ambiance of a Strip establishment, this joint sure does know how to treat its customers.

Here’s how Peterson described his experience playing penny slots at Ellis Island:

“All casinos have rewards programs. You sign up, get a little card with a magnetic strip, and as you spend money you collect coupons for freebies and discounts.

At Ellis Island, they’ll give you that cheap steak dinner (normally $12.99) if you play just $5 worth of slots. But isn’t that just breaking even?

Well, in addition to it just being a little mindless Vegas fun, you can push it further: If you play $10 worth of slots instead of $5, not only do you get that discount on the steak dinner, Ellis Island also rewards you with bonus play money – a random amount between $10 and $500.”

In his case, Peterson’s initial $10 play on the penny machines produced a $66 free-play reward. He used that to play for a little while longer, cashed out for $30 profit, all while enjoying a free steak dinner on the side.

In his words, the casino paid him to play (and win), while throwing in a comped meal to boot.

You just won’t find customer appreciation like that on The Strip, which is why penny slot players on a lower bankroll should always get out of dodge to explore Las Vegas’ outlying areas.

Spend enough time around the slot parlor and you’ll inevitably hear players whispering about “loose” machines.

While the concept has faded into the realm of myth in the modern age, the notion that some slots are programmed to be loose – paying out more winners more often than the baseline – used to be based somewhat in reality.

Back in the day, when the average casino only carried a few hundred slot machines rather than a few thousand, casino managers could carefully tailor the arrangement of their games. No, they couldn’t control the actual outcomes (more on this to come in the Myths and Misconceptions section), but they could purchase a certain selection of higher paying machines before placing them in choice locations on the floor.

At the time, the idea was to get people standing in the lobby or by the buffet interested in playing slots because they kept hearing jackpot payouts and celebrations.

Today, however, the big casinos have thousands of slot machines under a single roof, making this level of management impractical. Rather than place certain games known to pay more often in select locations, casino managers simply stock their entire venue with games offering varied payback rates.

Here’s how John Robison, author of“The Slot Expert’s Guide to Playing Slots,” summed the placement situation up in a post for the American Casino Guide:

“The last change in the slot floor that I want to mention is perhaps the biggest change of all.

Casinos used to have hundreds of slot machines. Now they have thousands. One slot director in Las Vegas said in an interview a few years ago that with so many machines on his floor, he didn’t have time to micro-manage them.

He and his management decided the hold percentage they wanted for each denomination and he ordered payback programs close to that percentage for his machines. Furthermore, he said this was the common practice in Las Vegas.”

I’ve made mention of payback percentages many times now, and for good reason.

What the house edge metric is for table game players, payback percentage – and its inverse, the casino’s hold percentage – means for slot enthusiasts. Manufacturers and designers like International Game Technology (IGT), Scientific Games, Konami Gaming, Bally, and Aristocrat are all bound by strict gaming regulations which require games to have predetermined payback rates.

A popular themed game like The Walking Dead by IGT, for example, offers a generous 96 percent payback rate – good for a 4 percent house edge. But when you bring your bankroll to an older game like Mr. Cashman by Aristocrat, the payback percentage falls to 91 percent.

As it turns out, casinos rely on players not knowing their way around payback rates, as Steve Walther – senior director of marketing & product management for Konami Gaming – wrote in a 2017 column for the Las Vegas Sun:

How To Make Money From Slot Machines Jackpots

“There are multiple schools of thought with regard to hold percentage and players’ ability to determine the hold in an individual session.

As games become more complex, the types of winning combinations have grown exponentially. When old games only had a certain number of slots on a wheel, maybe it was easier. Now, being able to feel the hold in a single session could be very difficult.

However, other schools of thought are different for repeat gamblers and those schools say maybe they can notice.”

Fortunately, these companies are bound by law to publish their payback percentages, so you can run a quick Google search for your favorite games to check up. If the game is offering anything less than 90 percent, you should avoid it like the plague. Low to mid 90s are the norm for penny slots, while anything higher is a gift from the heavens.

On a final note, of all the gambling games under the sun, slots seem to give rise to mistaken beliefs more than most.

Maybe it’s because players can’t make decisions to influence the outcome, but superstition runs rampant in the slot world.

Olaf Vancura- who serves as vice president of game development for slot maker Mikohn Gaming, a subsidiary of IGT – offered his take on the most pervasive slot myths during an interview with the Las Vegas Sun:

“I guess the No. 1 myth is that slot machines keep track of wins and losses and will compensate to get to a win.

But in the U.S., this is is illegal. Slots aren’t allowed to make adjustments.

They cannot and do not. Each win is a separate event.”

And Konami Gaming’s higher-up Walther echoed those sentiments, warning players to steer clear of fallacies and misinformation about the casino’s ability to control payouts from on high:

“There is all sorts of lore out there.

If you push buttons in a certain combination, if animals look at you funny, there are all sorts of myths.

And one is that there is a magical control center that can update games at a touch of a button.”

As the major myth associated with slots, many people will swear up and down that the casino’s “control room” has direct access to the reels spinning on their screen. Fortunately for players who enjoy fair play, Vancura clarified that this is simply an impossibility:

“Some people believe a slot director off in a back room somewhere is sitting at a computer and can change the machine right out from under you.

So if you are playing a good machine that you were doing well at, someone can tighten it down and you will run into a cold streak.

It’s not possible for the casino to pull the rug out from under you.”

And according to Vancura, another commonly heard myth – that players can “vulture” jackpots by waiting for a machine to be primed by previous play – just doesn’t hold up to technological scrutiny:

How To Pick A Winning Slot Machine

“Today’s slot machines don’t work that way. They are based on RNGs or random number generators.

Different manufacturers have different rates. But a good rule of thumb is that the RNGs are running hundreds of times per second.

So unless you had initiated that same spin at precisely the same instant, you would not have won the jackpot. If you’re even a tenth of a second off, you will get a completely different outcome.”

Penny slots can be a great way to enjoy the casino experience on the cheap, but only when you know how the game is really played. Using these five tips, you should be able to get your coins behind the best bets only, while avoiding the pitfalls that ensnare uninformed players.

How To Win At Slot Machines