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Even though there're a lot of myths about slot machines, the strategy that is universal and that allows you to win again and again simply does not exist as the player can’t influence the flow of the game or the odds. Strictly speaking, the player doesn’t have any way to influence the special device that controls the speed at which the reels spin. Thus, the only realistic strategy of playing slots is to try and work out the odds of winning and to control your costs, so that you do not spend several millions playing slot machines, like the Mayor of San-Diego did.
Basic strategy for slots: Evaluating the probablities
The basis of calculating the probabilities for a lot machine is to work out the probability of rolling a same symbol on a single reel of a machine (and there're three to five of these). If the machine has not been tempered with, there will be a single symbol rolled during a round, thus giving the probability of having winning symbol on a single reel as 1 in 64. If there're three reels, then the odds of winning are three times less, for example, 1 in 64 times 3, or 1 in 192.
These simple odds would apply only on a very basic machine with traditional three reels and no progressive jackpot. The more reels there are, the higher is the total number of the winning symbols, and less the chances of rolling a winning combination in total. Jackpot also influences the odds (the higher it is, the smaller the chances of rolling it) and this is why a lot of experts recommend not to play on the machines with cumulative jackpot, as the chances to win it are minimal.
Another important consideration for effective game at the slots is a 'losing' symbol. It's easy to see this one – normally it's located next to the @winning@ symbol – either above it, or straight after it. The main trick is that it can be rolled much more frequently than the winning symbol (which can be rolled once per roll max). So when the player sees the 'losing' symbol, he has a feeling that luck is on his side, somewhere nearby, and so he enthusiastically carries on playing and losing money. And this is the biggest mistake that could be made: playing slot machines with no strategy.
How to win playing fruit machines – strategy to select the machine
One so the most common misconceptions regarding fruit machines is that changing the machine after several wins or losses works as a strategy. The idea, that the time spent playing the machine, somehow influences the odds of winning, is a false one. In reality, when you pull, your odds would be exactly the same as, say, a hundred pulls ago. The odds are fixed.
To win more, you need to select the appropriate machine, and not based on superstitions, but on a system of payouts at a particular casino. How does this look in practice? First of all, every slot machine at a casino is there to make money, and a specific amount of it. For example, if a machine could have been set in such a way that out of all money spent on it, it will give 10% of total to the casino, and return the other 90% to the players.
Times when the owners tempers with his machines to change the odds and so to increase profits are quite rare, as casinos tend to stick to the laws, according to which a percentage of wins should be at least 75% (i.e. the slot machine should pay out at least 75% of all money spent on it as wins). Great news is that generally this percentage is 90%. In some generous casinos, it can go as high as 98%. So before you start playing, your strategy should be based on selecting a casino, which has the highest percentage of wins for the players at maximum.
There's also another factor at play, which is needed to be taken into account when selecting the machine you are going to use: the number of reels. The smaller it is, the higher the odds of winning – simply because the total number of symbols is smaller and the odds of them coinciding are greater. You can find machines with tens of reels in online casinos, these are profitable to play if you don’t plan on winning large jackpots, and instead are sticking to a lot of small wins. A larger number of reels means a lot of symbols and a lot of chances to hit a winning combination.
