The Hard Truth: Why Consistent Winning at Slots is a Myth

Entertainment Is Key

Slots have become a premium form of entertainment, which has become as state-of-the-art and competitive as big-budget TV shows. Long gone are the days when slots were simply a 3 or 5-reel gambling game, all cut from the same material. Now there are so many types of slots in many shapes and sizes. Players have come to love slots like superfans love big franchises – think Thunderstruck II or Megaways slots. The chance to enjoy an excellent form of entertainment and win life-changing sums of real money at the same time is a huge draw. Still, alongside the joy and big thrills, there is the downside – the fact that what makes slots too much fun makes them so addictive and potentially creates problem gamblers out of otherwise recreational players.

Digging Deeper Into The Slots Thrill

Keeping control of slot gambling can be problematic, especially when that lethal mix of chasing losses and high-octane, adrenaline-fuelled slot action comes into play. But understanding how slots are designed, why they create such a thrilling gaming experience, and the dangers will give players focus and a clearer head when playing. Knowing that the slippery slope towards problem gambling also means you have a greater chance of avoiding going down it.

Slots: Engineering Stimulation

A few years ago, a BBC documentary in the UK explored the potentially habit-forming effects of slots. A journalist investigating his habitual behaviors with alcohol let himself be a guinea pig in a test designed to chart his brain's responses to spinning a slot. The major discovery was that his brain was more stimulated when the spin produced a near-win than when he won. So, when that final reel looks like it's just about to land a Bonus Round but misses, the slot player's brain gets as excited as if it hits. Slot designers are very aware of this, and slots have been engineered to keep your brain in a constant state of “so close, so close,” inciting you to keep spinning. This anticipation is what most of us would call the thrill. When turning a slot for real money, we know we may lose our stake or win on the next spin. The unpredictability, AKA variance, is where we get that slot “thrill” from and keeps us spinning and spinning.

Slot Mythbusters

You should play slots that haven't paid out for a long time

This theory is one of the age-old slot myths that once had a factual basis. The truth behind this myth is that in the days of land-based slot machines, there would be scouts watching slots that had not paid out any winnings, and then after a certain amount of time the scout would start playing the slot that was due to payout. With the mechanics of traditional, land-based one-armed bandit slots, there was a likelihood that slots that had gone past their expected payout would payout sooner than others. But, with the online and digital slots that now fill brick-and-mortar casinos, this theory is null and void. The sophisticated RNG that powers today's slots means that it's not possible to gauge whether a slot is more or less likely to payout, based on how much it has already paid out.

Slots pay out more often at certain hours in the day

The idea that jackpots are likely to be hit at night doesn't have much sound logic to back it up. The reality is that this myth has come to life through the fact that more jackpots have been witnessed being won at night, firstly because players play in casinos at night more often, but also since casinos make a point of not letting natural daylight into the casino, it will have looked like it's nighttime in the casino regardless. This myth has no basis in truth in the online casino world.

Skill is a fundamental factor when playing slots

The concept of skill, when applied to slots, is fictional. Since a player is limited to a predetermined set of actions: spin, increase bet size, decrease bet size, spin, and pick bonus rounds, there is no determining human factor involved in the outcome of a slot win. Slots are not poker, where players can use their wits to change the outcome or bluff other players. Players like to think they are playing a certain edge, primarily when investing large sums of money. When you tell a slot player that their wins and losses are entirely down to chance and the advanced RNG built into the slot machine, many regular slot players will pretend that there are strategies and tactics to increase their chances of winning cash. There isn't any sort of skill that is going to help you crack that progressive jackpot on a slot machine online. When applied to the vast majority of slot games, those strategies and tactics are pure fiction. There is no skill element in playing slots. The only real system that can benefit a bankroll is discipline when playing, strictly sticking to budgets and time limits.

Some slots and casinos online are luckier

Gamblers, however mathematical in their approach, however much they rely on logic and calculation, all depend on a certain kind of faith, one way or another. Gamblers have to believe that odds can be beaten, that their big run is just around the next corner, and that their dream about putting everything on red must be for a reason. For that reason, the concept of luck being on their side is one of the most popular myths in all aspects of gambling. It's not chance for most gamblers, it's luck, and when a gambler's luck is in, that's when they're at their peak. But, the cold-hard truth about online casinos and slots is that they all run on the same RNG engines, designed by state-of-the-art iGaming developers, and luck has nothing to do with any of it. If a player finds that they win more often playing the same slot at one casino than another, it's pure chance.

Keep Control, And Keep Slot Fun!

Keeping control of your slots gaming is the best route to keeping playing slots a premium form of entertainment. It's natural that a slots player is looking for excitement, even when not winning slots can offer a massive amount of explosive thrills, with animated reels and enticing bonus rounds. The best slot game designers are great at creating slots that feel as much like immersive video games as slot machines. The immersive angle has been hot within the iGaming world for a long time, as companies compete to produce the games that players return to. But you must recognize that while these games can be as much fun as video games, video games do not cost you 20c- $500 every time to click a button. Here are a few things to remember when deep into a slot session.

Keep to your Limits

Many casinos now offer players various deposit limit tools and ways to keep a check on their gaming sessions. But it's crucial that before you jump into an online casino game, you have clear boundaries regarding how much you are willing to lose on the game and how long you will play before taking a break. Even in a winning session, it is easy to get fixated on the idea that if you leave the game, you are going behind in winnings, but that's not true. By taking a break after 45 minutes, the game will still be there with the same RTP and game features as before. So, give yourself obvious limits and stick to them.

Don't try and win big

It sounds anti-intuitive since every gambler wants to win real big money. But by setting unreasonable goals at the outset and imagining yourself jetting off to Vegas (like Matt Damon in Rounders), you're already setting yourself up for disappointment. Winning the big jackpots is rare, and being content to win more than you started with should be enough for one slot session. Think about your gaming as one session at a time, don't try and rush for the big bucks.

Play slots when it's leisure

One common trend that tends to creep into problem gamblers' online casino play is that they play more and more when they have other things they would usually be doing or play slots whenever they have spare time. But playing slots should be something other than a time-filler or encroach on valuable family time or recreational activities. Playing slots should be a leisure activity rather than a habitual activity.

Make use of the online casino tools available

The best online casinos are implementing top-notch tools to help players keep control of their gambling. Many gamblers have identified these tools as vital in not becoming problem gamblers. By using Reality Check, Time-out, Cool-Off, and Deposit Limit tools, players can remove the temptation of having slots available to play 24/7.

The Truth About Playing Slots Faqs