Choosing the Perfect Slot Machine

Whether a player is gambling strictly for fun, or trying to win big, it is important to choose wisely among the many slot machines in a casino. Are there really a lot of differences from one to another? Absolutely!

There are traditional three reels, single payline slot machines, there are multiple reels and payline machines, and there are those that require minimum bids in order to gain access to the biggest payouts.

Anyone looking to play a slot machine game should carefully read the payout table and instructions to be sure it is the one for them. To begin with a player should see what the denomination for the game is, this could be a quarter or it could be a token, and play cannot begin until a machine has been “unlocked” by this payment.

Using this play fee a prospective player can determine if the machine will work with their set bankroll. What is a bankroll, and why should it be set to a certain amount? Gambling is risky, and slot machines can eat up a lot of money very fast. A player’s bankroll is the amount of money they can reasonably and safely put into active play. This means if a game has a ten dollar minimum for a spin, someone with a one hundred dollar bankroll may want to consider another machine. Though this machine may offer big payouts, in only ten spins the majority of the bankroll could be gone – and most players average between four hundred and six hundred spins in an hour!

The next item to consider is the payback percentage of the machine. Because all modern slot machines are operated by computer software, they can have specific settings that allow for better returns to players. The software used to determine the outcome of every spin is referred to a Random Number Generation software. It basically delivers a series of unending and random numbers, even while a slot machine is not being played. As soon as the spin button is triggered it locks in on a series of numbers that uses a mathematical equation to determine where the reels should be stopped. This all happens in a matter of milliseconds, and the random numbers are spit out literally at over one hundred per second. This technically means that two machines, side by side, at the exact same point in the sequence would probably have two different outcomes if hit seemingly at the same time by two different people.

The RNG software guarantees every single player a fair chance at winning, but some have their percentages adjusted to deliver bigger profits to the casino. The laws are different from state to state, but Nevada is the state with the lowest setting at a seventy five percent payback. Some casinos ignore this and go all the way up to ninety eight percent payback to keep their customers very happy.

A machine should have a good rate or percentage before a player commits a good deal of time and money playing it. Finally a player should determine how complex or simple they want their gaming experience to be. For first time players a three reel, single payline is just fine and very enjoyable. More experience players may want to go with reels and video slots, or with bonus games offering such inexpensive extras as “multipliers” which pay ample bonuses for the appearance of a single symbol. For example, if a multiplier symbol is the orange symbol, and a player gets five coins for each time it appears, they would win five for their first coin wagered, ten for their second and so on!