Slot Machine Secrets and Instruction Tricks

Slot machines first became popular in casinos as something for women to do while their husbands played table games. Things have changed. According to VegasClick, slot machines make up about 70 percent of a casino's total intake. There are certain secrets and tips you should be aware of if you want to play.

Although the exact odds for slot machines are a carefully guarded casino secret, what is not secret is that table games offer much better odds. According to VegasClick, a website that recommends readers stick with table games, the larger a slot machine's jackpot grows, the worse the odds become.

Don't believe certain "myths" about slots. According to Going to Vegas, a machine is never "due" to hit. By the same token, there's no reason that a machine that has just paid out a jackpot won't hit another one. Each machine has a Random Number Generator (RNG), a computer chip that randomly dictates where each reel will stop from the moment the button is pressed or the lever is pulled. It also means the odds are not effected by how the reels are launched.

The online gaming website Gambling City advises players to look for machines in high-traffic areas. The common thinking is casinos are more likely to place their "loose" machines in areas where a lot of people congregate, such as the line to the cashier's cage. If this is true, it's because the casino wants to encourage as many people as possible to keep playing.

Slot machines only pay out their biggest jackpots if you are playing the maximum number of credits. Play the maximum whenever possible, which means playing the machine you can afford. A quarter machine, for example, may have single, double and triple options. The third and most expensive is the one to play if you want to go for the jackpot, but it will cost 75 cents, not 25 cents per spin. If you go to $1 machine with the same configuration, the maximum spin will cost $3 per spin.

Set a budget before every gambling session. Only play with the money you know you can afford to lose. When that money is gone, stop playing and move on to another activity. Playing at a slot machine can be hypnotic--it is easy to lose track of how long you've played or how much you've spent. It's up to you to pay attention and limit losses to what you can afford.

According to VegasClick, you'll do better if you avoid the animated video reel machines in favor of their physical reel counterparts. Video reel machines take extra time to display the added entertainment features. The casinos "charge" you for your time by setting slightly worse odds on the video reels.