Readers ask if quick reflexes are the key to winning
By John Grochowski
I keep a list of questions that I'm most often asked about slot machines. You could probably tick off some of them: 'Are games programmed to go cold after a big win?' 'Do you get less payback when you use your rewards card?' And the big one, 'Can you tell me how to win?'
Those have been standards ever since I started writing about casinos and casino games 20 years ago. But recently, another question has been shooting up the charts. I have it all the way up at No. 2 on the readers' hit parade:
'I've noticed on a lot of video slot games that if I hit the button a second time while the reels are spinning, they stop right away. I was wondering if I could use this to my advantage. If I see the bonus triggers or the jackpot symbols at the top, should I quickly hit the button again and try to stop the reels?'
I had that thought myself the first time I accidentally double-hit a button and saw the reels click to an immediate halt. Could this be an answer to the chart-topping question, 'how to win on the slots?'
For this article, I've poured through the seemingly endless slot machine tips and tricks out there, done a bit of experimenting myself, and come up with a list of the simplest, most effective ways how to win at slots. Slot machine tips that really work! Effective slots strategy means giving yourself the advantage. That leads us to tip number 1. Quick Hit slot machine from Bally Gaming. The free spins round has a unique twist too. It kicks off in the standard way, spinning in three free spin symbols, but you then have to pick from twenty question marks. Keep picking until you match three identical symbols and the higher the value of the symbol, the more free spins you receive.
Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. In nearly all slot games that allow you to stop the reels, there is no skill or timing involved on your part. The random number generator has already determined your outcome when you hit the button to spin the reels, and you're going to get the same result regardless of whether you stop the reels early, or let them halt in their own time.
When you play a slot machine, the game isn't actually being played out on the reels, whether it uses 'real' reels or video reels. It's being played internally, on the game's random number generator. The reels are just a player-friendly interface, and are told where to stop by the RNG. If there's a malfunction and the reel display doesn't match the numbers generated, it's the RNG that counts. Large jackpots can be denied—and have been denied—if a check shows the random numbers on the internal computer chip don't match the winning symbols on the reels.
But this is extremely rare. The engineering is good enough that almost all the time, the RNG and reel display are going to match up. This doesn't change if you double-hit the bet button. If the RNG has spit out a random number that tells the first reel to stop on a single bar, then you're going to get a single bar—regardless of whether you hit the button a second time for a 'quick stop,' or just let them take their own sweet time.
There are rare exceptions. When I've answered similar questions in the past, I've mentioned IGT's Reel Edge games. In their original incarnation, Reel Edge games enabled players to touch and stop the reels one at a time. There was actual skill involved. Your timing in stopping the reels determined the outcome. The reels spun very, very fast, so it was going take a keen eye and sharp reflexes to get better than random results, but it was possible.
I gave it a try, and found my reflexes just weren't fast enough to generate more than my normal share of winners. In the original three-reel Blood Life game, I identified a green 7 as the easiest symbol to pick out as it whizzed by. I touched each reel individually as I saw a green 7 reach the top of the slot window, and managed to stop 7s on all three reels. Alas, I failed to land them all on the same payline. Some younger folks with quicker reactions may have been able to do better.
I don't know if any of the first generation of Reel Edge games remain on casino floors. They were never widespread, and I don't get lists from casinos or manufacturers telling me what games are available in any given casino. The new generation of Reel Edge puts the skill-based portions of the games in the bonus events.
Blood Life's updated video incarnation, Blood Life Legends, allows you to test your skill with a joystick to guide a bat through the ups, downs, twists and turns of a cave as you try to collect gems for bonuses. There is actual skill involved, but it's not the reel-stopping experience readers have been asking about.
On most slot games, even in the bonus events you're getting an illusion of skill rather than actual skill. And when it comes to stopping the reels, it's the random number generator, not your reflexes, that determines the results.
What about my readers' other top questions?
To answer another—no, games are not programmed to go cold after big wins. Results remain as random as humans can program a computer to be. As long as the RNG keeps doing its thing, any big jackpot, any hot streak, and any cold streak eventually fade away into statistical insignificance, and the machine comes very close to its expected payback percentage.
No, you don't get less payback when you use your rewards card. The player rewards system doesn't interact with the RNG.
And no, with rare exceptions, there is no way to beat the slots except by being in the right place at the right time. There have been opportunities for small profit on games with banked bonuses such as the old WMS game Piggy Bankin', where the sharpies would start to play only when there were enough coins in the bank to give the player an edge.
Such games are not common. Just as with stopping the reels early, your results are up to chance and the RNG.
'Hey there, Tex. You want some free money?'
If anyone ever says this to you, run away. There's no such thing as free money and there's always a catch when someone tells you that there is.
If there's anything to be gleaned from movies about gambling, it's that casinos are evil and they want to leave you with nothing…NOTHING.
But wait. What if movies aren't like real life? And what if your main interest lies in playing the slots?
Here's some good news, there are right ways to play pokies and come out on top. If you're careful and calculated, you can avoid the typical pitfalls of casino life using some slot machine tricks.
Let's go over some of the best practices when hitting the slots. Here are some dos and don'ts for making the most of your trip to the casino. Play free casino slot machines online.
Grab a pack of cheap cigarettes and put your ugliest suit on, it's time to gamble.
Your Invitation to the Best Online Pokies in Australia
Let's go over some of the best practices when hitting the slots. Here are some dos and don'ts for making the most of your trip to the casino. Play free casino slot machines online.
Grab a pack of cheap cigarettes and put your ugliest suit on, it's time to gamble.
Your Invitation to the Best Online Pokies in Australia
Like a punt on the slot machines?
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Wait, Money Does Grow on Trees?
That thing at the beginning about running away when someone offers you free money?
Well here's one case where it may actually work out in your favour. Let's talk about the first thing you should do when trying to take advantage of the slots, use no-deposit bonus codes.
If you've ever been to Las Vegas, then you've seen what can only be described as casino heaven. The Vegas strip is a veritable pig pen of casino activity, and with so much competition between establishments, the different casinos need ways to get people into their building instead of someone else's.
That's where no-deposit bonus codes come in. These are essentially free money vouchers. The casinos use them to bring people in the doors, where they know that will power will eventually fade away along with the free money. So evil, right?
But if you're smart and careful, you can take this free money and use it to make more money using some of the tricks we'll outline here.
A Couple Slot Machine Tricks
Sure, most folks just waltz on to the casino floor and just start losing money, but it doesn't have to be that way. If you get to know the way that casinos work, then you'll be at an advantage.
Or at least an advantage over the other gamblers. The casino always has the advantage. Remember, you're in their house.
Loose Slots
Yep, there is such thing as a 'loose' slot machine. This is an old-school term that basically means that a slot is more likely to pay out.
In the age of digital slot machines, the actual mechanics of the machine don't cause it to pay out more, but machines today have random number generators (RNG's) that do pay out at different rates.
Casinos always keep the machines that have higher payout rates away from the ends of the aisles and away from doorways. This is to keep gamblers from winning big on a machine and immediately taking their business elsewhere.
So always make sure to get into the thick of it before you settle down at a machine.
Bet Max
What? Bet the max amount? Isn't that the quickest way to bankruptcy?
Yes and no. Machines nowadays have multiple bet lines so when you bet the max you can take advantage of multiple lines. The odds of you winning don't increase, but the amount you win will greatly increase when you do win if you bet max.
Different machines have different volatility levels. Machines with high volatility are quicker to run you out of town, but the winnings will be way better. Low volatility machines pay out less money at a higher frequency. Keep this in mind.
Play Classic Over Video
Those big flashy video slots with all the fun graphics and loud music? They aren't just there to entertain you. They're there to take your money.
The video slots are there to draw people in, and it works. But the casino's cost of running and maintaining video slots is much higher and they take up tons of space compared to the other machines, so the payout is almost always lower.
Stick to the boring old slots. There's less to look at but you might just leave them with heavier pockets.
Random or Progressive?
Temptation is the name of the game at the casino, and progressive slots are really tempting.
A progressive slot machine is one that pools all the money from everyone that's played it since its last jackpot. There are also multi-slot progressive jackpots that pool a few different machines to tempt people with enormous payouts.
Keep It Random, Y'All
Random slots obviously look a bit less enticing, as they have a fixed jackpot. They do, however, pay out those jackpots more frequently. Pick your poison, but often good things come to those who wait.
Pay Tables
Quick Hit Slot Machine Tricks That Work
Take a look at the pay tables of different machines to compare. A pay table shows the payout for each combination of symbols/amount bet.
Pay tables can be an indicator of a machine's volatility, and doing a little comparison rather than just sitting down randomly at a machine can help you in the long run. It's better to take your time and find the right machine that your research tells you is more likely to pay out.
Talkin' Bout Practice
Did you know that practice always makes perfect? Well, not perfect in this case because it'll never be perfect. But there are websites where you can try out some of your strategies, look at pay tables, multipliers, and other game features without losing your hard earned dough.
Check out a practice site to try out different games and learn about the nuances of each slot machine. There is a lot of variance between machines when it comes to free spins, bonus rounds, and multipliers, so it will benefit you greatly to familiarize yourself before you do it for real.
Try Math
Listen, these god-forsaken machines were built on math. And if you really want to beat them, you have to fight fire with fire. This requires a lot of time and brainpower, but it is possible to give yourself a chance.
There are loads of math based strategies available online. While they certainly don't guarantee success, they at least allow you to feel like you're in control over the game. Get a good pocket-sized calculator, a notepad, and a pen and go get yourself some money.
Know When to Give up on a Machine
This is an easy one. Sometimes you just have to know when to give up if a machine isn't paying out. It's not exactly following your gut, but more like letting the results dictate what you do.
You never want to end up like the old person sitting at the same machine for hours on end in their sweats, smoking cigarette after cigarette, dumping all of their excess money into the slots.
And what was stated earlier rings is all too true. The slots will always win in the end.
The easy way to avoid this is to have the willpower to walk away and find another machine. You can do it.
Youtube Quick Hits Slot Machine
Bounce Around
Not staying too long at one machine is one of the more obvious tips. But if you have the option, bouncing around to different casinos is another good move.
Casinos are all vying for your business, and as mentioned earlier, they will offer you different perks to get you in their clutches. Why exploit the generosity of just one establishment when you can get free spins, chips, and bonuses from two? Or three? Or four? Don't limit yourself.
Have Limits
No, but do limit yourself though. If you're not having a good day at the races, pack it in early.
It's really easy to go down a dark gambling hole, and that's what the casinos want you to do. But you can always go back, so don't be discouraged.
Set a limit for yourself on how much money you are willing to spend at this place, and fastidiously stick to it. Yes, the next spin could change your life, but what if it's actually about 150 spins from now? Be careful out there.
Good Luck
The bottom line in all of this is that this is all luck based. If you are playing the slots and using slot machine tricks expecting to win, you're doing it wrong! There are lots of so-called 'experts' telling you how to play the pokies, but the best advice is to not let the pokies play you.
All that you can do is employ some of these strategies and hope for the best, and you'll be in a better position than if you just go in blind. Even the most seasoned and strong-willed gambler is at the mercy of the slot machine.
In any case, good luck to all and visit our pokies blog for more articles about all things pokies or look at one of our many gambling guides to gambling in Australia.
