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In spite of their huge popularity, there is a lot of misunderstanding around how slot machines work and what variables are at play every time you spin the reels.
To clear up any confusion, here is a look at the top myths that muddy the waters of slot games and the truth that lurks behind them.
Slots are programmed to payout at certain points
If you have every pumped coins into a land-based slot machine or played digital equivalents of these games on sites like ManySpins, you might have the misconception that there is some unknowable yet important sitting imposed by the operator to only payout once enough money has been made or enough spins have been paid for by the player.
In reality, this is entirely untrue; the only thing which controls whether or not a machine pays out is the random number generator (RNG) that determines the outcome of each spin.
This means that you have just as much chance of hitting the jackpot on your first spin as on your 50th. In spite of this, plenty of people still adhere to the gambler’s fallacy, in spite of the fact that no outside force or nefarious fix is involved in choosing whether you win or lose.
Indeed gambling industry regulators require that slot machines are fair to players in this way; the main things affecting the likelihood of a win are the number of reels, symbols and paylines.
There is no way to give yourself a better chance of winning
Having said that slots are not fixed or unfair, it is worth pointing out that you can still control your chances of winning according to the game you choose to play.
It all comes down to finding a game with a favourable return to player (RTP) percentage. The closer the RTP to 100 percent, the greater the overall amount of cash that the machine takes in which is then paid out to the people who put cash into it.
While RTP is not strictly related to winning chances, as it could also indicate that the game just has a very high top jackpot rather than providing more frequent, smaller wins, it is a fairly decent indication of a slot that will reward players relatively regularly. Keep this in mind and read the small print to find RTPs that suit your playing style and budget.
Lucky streaks should be pursued
If you are lucky enough to secure a few wins in quick succession, it might feel like you are cresting the wave of a lucky streak, which in turn could convince you that you need to keep playing for as long as your luck holds out.
Again, this is merely the way our brains interpret fortunate circumstances and has nothing to do with the way that slot machines operate. As mentioned earlier, RNG is the master of the slot machine domain and it does not care whether you have never won anything in your life or if you are always hitting the jackpot.
Because of this it is important to quell any sense that a specific slot machine is on a ‘hot streak’ in its own right, or that your personal luckiness at any one time will be instrumental in influencing the outcome of the next few spins.
Playing slot machines should be fun, but this is only possible if you go about it with all the facts to hand and with a level head. Hopefully the debunking of these myths will give you the perspective you need to play slots safely in the future.
Image Source: Pixabay
