Slot Machines Myths

The Misconceptions Surrounding Slots

As the most popular type of game in both online and brick-and-mortar casinos, slots are surrounded by numerous myths that superstitious players often fall prey to. It is difficult to explain why, but many of the players who have helped perpetuate these misconceptions have likely done so simply because they are not acquainted with how slots actually work.

A great number of paid winning systems for slots have emerged in recent years. These rarely work, causing the players who have bought them to grow disillusioned and further perpetuate the myths associated with slots. In the following article, we shall attempt to lay to rest the most widespread myths surrounding slots and provide reasonable explanations as to why these notions are false. If you continue reading, you will learn about the actual truth behind cold and hot streaks, why you should not worry about using the autoplay feature, and why the length of time you spend on a slot will not affect your chances of winning, as well as other clarifications that will give you a better idea of what to expect when playing slots.

Most Widespread Myths about Slot Machines

1. Slots are Programmed to Go on Cold and Hot Streaks

Anyone who has ever spun the reels may have noticed that certain slots go on hot streaks, offering consistent payouts for specific periods of time, followed by prolonged cold streaks during which the game hardly pays anything at all. It is precisely this tendency that has birthed the misconception that gambling venues and online casino operators pre-program the slots they offer to affect their payouts.

Hot and cold streaks can indeed occur over relatively short periods whenever there is a statistical deviation. Note that when it comes to the law of averages, a “short” period of time often spans several years. Inexperienced players should, above all, remember that the outcomes of the spins will eventually even out to the slot’s average player-return percentage over the long term.

2. Slots Go “Tight” after Somebody Bags the Jackpot

There is a widespread misconception among some players that a slot which has just paid a gargantuan progressive jackpot should not be played immediately afterward because it goes “tight”. While there is some strange logic behind this, the idea of personifying slot machines is laughable, to say the least. Some may say the slot machine is trying to counterbalance paying the huge jackpot and return to its average payout percentage by rendering less frequent wins. However, there is hardly an ounce of truth in such a statement.

Neither slots, nor roulette wheels nor dice have memory. Hence, a slot cannot “remember” it has just awarded a life-changing amount of money to someone. In fact, slots do not even know somebody has just collected a jackpot. The game’s RNG continues to spew its long sequences of numbers, ensuring each and every spin is random. Realistically speaking, you may hit the jackpot the very next day after somebody else has collected it.

3. Other Players Will “Steal” Your Jackpot

Anyone who has ever played slots, especially in land-based casinos, has probably witnessed the following situation firsthand. A player spins the reels at a particular machine for hours on end without much success. Then they decide to take a break and grab something to eat or visit the restroom, but another person jumps in, plays the same slot, and hits the massive jackpot. A superstitious player is likely to accuse the second person of “stealing” their jackpot – had they postponed their lunch break by a couple of minutes, they would have collected the prize.

Although it can certainly feel this way, no one can “steal” your jackpot because the slot’s RNG is tirelessly at work, producing its number sequences even when the machine is idle and there is no one there to press the Spin button. The winning symbols that land the jackpot are produced at the very split second the second player hits the button.

4. Using Loyalty Cards or Bonuses Decreases One’s Winning Chances

This is yet another misconception that evokes nothing but laughter among experienced slot players. Both online and land-based casinos treat their patrons to various promotions and loyalty incentives that aim at rewarding loyal customers, not punishing them. Whether you are using free spins, bonus credits, or loyalty points is completely irrelevant to the slot (which, ultimately, has no way of knowing how you fund your play) and does nothing to negatively affect your chances of landing a winning combination. If anything, using bonus credits and loyalty points/cards will add more value to your gameplay.

5. Looser Slots are Located Near the Entrance

This myth applies mostly to spinning the reels in brick-and-mortar gambling establishments but is equally nonsensical. According to some players, casinos strategically position the slots with the highest payout percentages at the front of the venue so they can lure more players. At first glance, this makes sense. This may indeed have been the case years ago when slots were still a novelty in land-based venues, and casinos were trying to attract players and introduce them to this type of game. Nowadays, when slots are already the most popular casino game in the world, floor managers have adopted the practice of grouping the machines according to their chip denomination and type.

But wait, there is another variation of this myth which states that casino floor managers are actually trying to “hide” their best-paying machines at the back of the venue. This also does not make sense. If anything, casino managers would profit more if they placed the highest-paying machines in a busier section of the venue, so that when players see someone winning, they would join in and invest some of their funds in that particular game.

6. Payout Rates are Affected by the Time of Day

Now, this is an interesting notion that comes in several different variations. There is a widespread belief among superstitious players that progressive slots are more likely to hit over the weekend as compared to weekdays. Interestingly enough, there is an ounce of truth to this because most recreational players are at work on weekdays. Indeed, more jackpots are won on weekends simply because more people visit the casinos and play the games. There may be more winners on weekends, but the number of losers increases proportionally as well.

Another variation of this myth claims that slot machines tend to pay out more generously during slow periods when there are hardly any customers on the floor. Even if you are the only player in the entire venue, you would still have the same chances of winning, because neither the slots nor their RNGs know what time of day (or week) it is or how many people are currently visiting the casino.

7. The Temperature of the Coins Matters

This must be one of the most ludicrous notions ever. Believe it or not, there are some superstitious slot players who actually think—brace yourselves—that the temperature of the coins they insert into the machine affects the outcome and their chances of winning.

Interestingly enough, such a person might hold the coins in their palm to warm them up before inserting them into the slot because slot machines are apparently averse to cold coins and will avenge themselves on players by adjusting their payouts accordingly. We have said it before and will say it again – whether you win or lose depends solely on the slot’s Random Number Generator.

8. Using the Autoplay Feature Decreases Your Chances of Winning

Anyone who has ever played slots online has probably noticed the Autoplay feature and knows what its purpose is. And no, its purpose is not to decrease your chances of turning a profit. This myth somewhat resembles the notion held by land-based players that pulling the slot’s lever boosts their chances of winning as opposed to pressing the Spin button. Both myths are equally nonsensical, however.

First of all, the Autoplay feature exists to provide additional convenience to players who prefer more dynamic gameplay and wish to speed up their game. Thus, the Autoplay feature may lead to losing more money because you play at a faster pace, but using it by no means affects the payout percentages of the slot. The same applies in full force to the lever/button notion – the RNG decides on the outcome of the spins and has no way of knowing whether a given player is pulling the lever or pressing the button.

9. Casinos Alter the Slots’ Payouts

Some recreational players assume that the personnel in land-based gambling venues deliberately messes with the slot machines to make them looser during slow hours or tighter on weekends when everyone is off work. Now, this is not impossible. One viable way of altering a slot’s payout percentage is by simply replacing its motherboard chip with a different chip pre-programmed with a lower RTP.

However, it takes time for such a switch to happen, not to mention it is deemed an illegal practice. And casino operators know this very well. Would anyone risk incurring hefty fines, having their license suspended and even spending some time behind bars just to reduce players’ chances of winning for a couple of hours on a Sunday? We think not.

10. The Longer You Play a Slot, the Greater Your Chances of Winning

Players are actually encouraged to experiment with different slots, whether online or offline. So, no, the notion of playing the same slot for hours on end because it will eventually reward you with a hefty payout is completely false. Nobody is ever due to win.

Of course, common sense dictates that the longer you play, the greater your chances of landing a hefty prize, because sooner or later the law of averages will prevail and one of the RNG’s long sequences of random numbers will eventually convert into an outcome that renders a huge pay. But consider this – the longer you spend on any given slot, the more you are likely to lose overall, because the casino effectively collects a small percentage of each wager you make. Because of this, it would be better to diversify your gaming session a bit and consider switching to a looser game with lower variance.

FAQ: Slot Machines Myths