What Slot Machine Has The Best Odds Of Winning

By: Jay Adrianna - at February 15, 2015

The RTP is calculated on a scale from 1 to 100. Most slots have an RTP between 92-97%. Always choose an online slot machine game with an RTP of 96% or above. This is the best slots strategy to. These can be large six-figure amounts or as little as $1,000. Progressive Slots: Have a jackpot that increases with each spin that doesn't trigger the top prize. Games like Mega Moolah, Wheel of Fortune and MegaBucks range into the millions of dollars. Fruit Machine: A name for a slot machine in the United Kingdom. Suppose you have a slot machine with three reels with ten symbols on each, and it only pays out when three cherries hit. The odds of winning that jackpot, as we determined earlier, is 1/1000. If we set the jackpot as $900, and charge $1 per bet, the payout percentage for that game will be 90%, or $900/$1000. Of course, no one would play a slots.

Slot
  • Answer (1 of 5): Never been there. Of all the casinos I’ve ever visited I haven’t spent and hour total on the slots. It is a mindless exercise in giving your $$$ to a casino.
  • Slot machines are the most popular game in any casino. Sure, people bet more on the lottery, and the worldwide sports betting market is huge. But slot machines are the game du jour in most casinos, especially in the United States. Sadly, slot machines games also offer the worst odds in the casino except maybe for keno. The compounding effect of.

Las Vegas is one town that everyone has to travel to at least one time in their life. The lights and the action are something that everyone can get a kick out of. In recent years, the gritty undertones have been replaced with an almost Disney feel. Everything is family friendly, and the hotels even have amusement park rides the whole family can enjoy. Of course, at its heart, Las Vegas will always be a gambling town. Even with all of the weddings and bachelor parties going on, it is still about the almighty buck at the various casinos throughout town. Every restaurant and every hotel has some way in which you can put your money on the line. These are the places with the best odds of you being able to win big when you are visiting Las Vegas.

15) The Venetian
This is one of the prettiest casinos that can be found in Las Vegas, or anywhere else for that matter. From the moment you walk in the door, it is nonstop opulence with gilded décor and ceilings that will certainly make you lose your footing. The massive size of the casino floor may seem off-putting at first, but you will soon get your bearings, and start to enjoy everything that the betting floor has to offer. You can find your niche very quickly with a slew of different games that you are able to get involved in. Everything from slots to blackjack to sports betting is available here. If you enjoy Spanish 21, the Venetian offers some of the best odds for winning at this game in Las Vegas.

The Venetian
By Ricky Barnard via Wikimedia Commons

One of the main draws is that you are able to take advantage of mobile betting. Simply download the app that allows you to bet on races and other games, and you are able to place a bet and check in on the status of your bet as you are walking throughout the hotel. It is not necessary to stay on the casino floor, but with all of the re-creations of art masterpieces, you may be inclined to stay and just take pictures even if you did not have any luck at the tables.

Outside of The Venetian
By ZooFari via Wikimedia Commons

14) Palms Casino Resort
When you are not trying to win your nest egg at the tables in the Palms casino resort, you can enjoy the movie theater or the nightclubs and bars. Once you are ready to sit down, you may not be shocked to find that you are elbow to elbow with Hollywood royalty. Many legends of the silver screen like to hang out at the Palms because of the great restaurants as well as the great gambling that is offered. Among the major casinos, this is one of the few that has some pretty decent odds of winning even if you are betting against some of the higher stakes players.

Palm's Place
By Marc Berry via Wikimedia Commons

The only real suggestion here is to stay away from the slot machines. These are the bread and butter of the casino since the odds are stacked against the players, even though state law requires that they pay out at least 75 percent of what they take. At the tables, there are several people betting against the house. If you find yourself at a table with people who are less skilled than you, you have just as much chance of beating the house as they do. Regular tournament play is on Wednesdays, so if you are just in town to have fun, and don’t feel like a tourney, you might want to skip this one in the middle of the week.

Palms Basketball Suite

13) Circus Circus
If you have the kids along with you, they will certainly get bored if you are at the tables gambling all night long. This is when you might want to consider taking them to Circus Circus. This casino is very family oriented and has décor your children will find highly engaging. They are able to take advantage of the amusement park and the video arcades while you are trying your luck at the tables. It is the best way to make sure you can turn a family vacation into a gambling vacation for you.


By Mutari via Wikimedia Commons

Best of all, since the atmosphere of this casino tends to ward off many of the high rollers, it allows beginning gamblers an advantage in the game. You will be able to play at the poker tables without having to worry about seasoned players taking all of your cash. Chances are that you will be playing against some other tired parents just looking for something fun to do rather than watching the kids for a change. If nothing else, you might just make some friends out your gambling foray.

Midway, Circus Circus

12) Aria Resort & Casino
If you are looking for luxury, it is hard to beat Aria. This is one of the newest casinos on the strip and it is the only casino that is located within the City Center development. The main thing that sets its gambling floor apart from the rest of the casinos' is that it has an open feel. The other casinos give you a kind of claustrophobic feeling with closed roofs and no way to see anything but gleaming lights and gamblers as far as the eye can see. The open construction of Aria is a welcome departure from the norm.

Front View of Aria Resort and Casino
By Sarah Nichols via Wikimedia Commons

If you are getting tired of rolling dice and hunching over the poker table, you can order up a chair massage right on the casino floor. This is a very unique service you will not find at any other casinos. While the massage may not make you a better gambler, you will at least feel like you got something out of money that you spent while on the casino floor.

Lobby of the Aria Hotel
By Colin Rose via Wikimedia Commons

What Slot Machine Has The Best Odds Of Winning

One of the best bets if you are a poker player is that it has more poker tables and options than just about any other casino in town.

11) The Excalibur
Any expert in Las Vegas will tell you to start small and work your way up as you get more experience on the gambling floor. This is why the Excalibur is one of the best casinos to get started at. You will not be surrounded by all those professional gamblers that see the inside of a casino more often than they see their home. There are $5 minimums available, so you are able to start off small and see where things take you. Since the biggest opposition you are likely to face is the dealer, you will have a pretty good shot at winning at least a few hands. If nothing else, it is a good place to get your bearings on what you can expect at some of the larger casinos.

Excalibur During Daytime
By Brian Whitmarsh via Wikimedia Commons

The Excalibur is one of the older casinos in town, so do not expect a lot in the way of glitz and glamour. Also, do not expect a lot of comps. Unless you are willing to spend all your money at the slots (never a good idea) you are not likely to get much for free while you are gambling. Now, if you hit a big winning streak, you will certainly get some free drinks and maybe even a free meal, but you are better off getting your meal elsewhere.

Night View of Excalibur from Tropicana Avenue
By Josh Truelson via Wikimedia Commons


- The Tao Of Badass -

What Slot Machine Has The Best Odds Of Winning

10) Mandalay Bay
After watching poker played on television and in the movies, everyone thinks that they are an expert. Las Vegas is a great town to put those feelings to the test. If you truly have the talent, you will find out. If you don’t, you will surely lighten your load while in town. If you just want to try your hand in a real setting, there is no better practice ground than at the Mandalay Bay. This is one of the casinos known for poker, and it is among the only places in town where the casino will actually teach you how to play for free. If you show up in the afternoon, there are lessons given to anyone who wants to take them. Just be careful who is watching you learn.

Mandalay Bay
By Kris1123 via Wikimedia Commons

While you are at the Mandalay Bay, take a little time to walk away from the table and experience the rest of the casino. It is one of the hotels in town that likes to put on a big water and lights show. Since there are so many people drawn to the casino for the entertainment, the odds are stacked pretty well in your favor. With so many different gambling options, you have the ability to choose something you have some talent for.

View from Pool at Mandalay Bay
By Erin Khoo via Wikimedia Commons

9) The Flamingo
This is the casino that many remember from the movie 'Swingers.' It is one of the older casinos in town, and as such, it does not draw a lot of the professional gamblers. Additionally, the tables allow you to place smaller bets and get your feet wet. While you are able to start small, you will also be able to move your way up to playing at some of the higher stakes tables if you feel so inclined. Just make sure that you are getting yourself a drink while you are on a winning streak. More than likely your drink will be for free, and that just makes a good time better.

The Flamingo
By Kvasir via Wikimedia Commons

While many may flock to the Flamingo for the low $5 betting available, they will stay for the inviting atmosphere of the staff and the décor. You are not distracted by a lot of lights and sound. Instead, there is a more subdued atmosphere, so that you are able to concentrate on what you are doing while you are at the table. It can help to bring the fun back for you.

Bugsy Siegel Memorial Outside the Wedding Chapel at the Flamingo Hotel
By Jarhed via Wikimedia Commons

8) Tropicana Las Vegas
If you are going to go to Tropicana, make sure that you join the Players Club first. This is a club that will allow you to have protection if you decide to play the machine-betting games. If you should lose $200, you are protected over the course of three days. This is reimbursed in the form of a “free play” rather than actually giving you your money back. You will at least be given the opportunity to win your money back. It is suggested that if you already have lost $200, don’t go beyond your free plays and lose $200 more. Switch to some other kind of gambling instead.

Tropicana Las Vegas North Tower
By Matthäus Wander via Wikimedia Commons

As some of the older hotels have been demolished or given in to lower rate tables, Tropicana has been able to hold on as one of the better casinos. This may be in large part due to the $200 million renovation that the casino went through. The new theme of Tropicana is to make it look like the casino is set in South Beach. You can find graphics from “Sex and the City”, “The Hangover”, and “Ghostbusters” on the different walls. You can still find low limits to bet on if you are not willing to risk some of the higher stakes.

Casino and Leaded-Glass Ceiling

7) Paris Las Vegas
Those who live close to the strip will tell you that you have to go to Paris, if for no other reason than to try out the Le Village Buffet. It is renowned as being one of the best on the strip. Of course, you may go for the buffet, but you will stay for the gambling, and the gambling floor will not disappoint you. Keep in mind that the casino floor is pretty big, but you will not have to worry about getting lost. There are definitely larger and more confusing casino floors on the strip. The staff has been rated well and will be more than happy to help you should you not be able to find what it is you are looking for.

Paris Las Vegas
By thinboyfatter via Wikimedia Commons

If you are worried about getting hooked by the professional gamblers, simply stay out of the high stakes rooms. This is where all of the high rollers go to play on a daily basis. The sports bet areas are among the favorite spots for locals and tourists alike to find a fun place to relax. Just settle in and lean back in front of one of the large TVs, and watch the game. Even if you are losing money, you will still be able to enjoy watching the game and having a drink.

Paris Las Vegas Lit up at Night
By ZooFari via Wikimedia Commons

6) Binion’s Gambling Hall & Hotel
While you are in Las Vegas, you are supposed to check out the Fremont Street Experience, and when you go to Binion’s, you are able to do just that. This is the casino where the World Series of Poker got its start. Beginning in 1970, the now famous series brought together some of the best in poker to try their hand at winning a truly huge pot. Do not let this intimidate you from trying to play poker at these tables. There are many novices that want to play in this historic location, and you will be among them, which puts you at good odds of winning whenever you are playing. Just make sure to stay away from the high limit tables if you are unsure of your skills.

Binion's Gambling Hall & Hotel

You will not be able to stay the night at Binion’s since the hotel closed in 2009, but you can still get a bite to eat in between hands at the blackjack and poker tables. If you do not want to worry about coins when playing slots, this is the place for you since you will be using a “ticket-in ticket-out” system while you are playing the machines.

Fremont Street Showcasing Golden Nugget and Binion's
By Johnwalton via Wikimedia Commons

5) The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
The Cosmopolitan is another of the casinos where you can take advantage of the Players Club and get a $100 rebate for machine losses. This is another of the newer casinos in town, and it offers a lot for the whole family. You will be able to check out the bars while the kids are enjoying themselves. The restaurants will have something for everyone, so you can have a nice family dinner before sending the kids to bed and seeing what you can do with their college funds.

Cosmopolitan Resort and Casino
By Allen McGregor via Wikimedia Commons

You may want to consider staying at the Cosmopolitan while you are in town. Like several other hotel-casinos, there is a good chance that if you start winning, they will comp your room rate for the duration of your stay.

Night View of the Cosmopolitan Resort and Casino
By Cygnusloop99 via Wikimedia Commons

4) El Cortez Hotel & Casino
Almost everyone will tell you to check out El Cortez while you are in Las Vegas. This is for a few different reasons. For one thing, the casino is not on the strip. Instead, it is downtown, and you are able to have better luck with the odds because the casino is not one of the ones where many of the locals will try to prey on tourists. If you are going to be there on the weekend, even better. You will be able to check out the food truck festival that is held there every Saturday. This will allow you to experience all of the different foods that these vendors have to offer.

El Cortez Hotel & Casino

On top of being one of the better places to eat on the weekends, the casino is on Fremont Street, which is a destination that every tourist needs to check out at least once while they are in Las Vegas. This is because the whole Las Vegas scene would not exist if it were not for the downtown area. El Cortez is just one of the last stalwarts left from this bygone era and is a must see. It does not hurt that the odds of you winning are in favor while you are gambling here.

Inside of El Cortez

3) Caesar’s Palace
It is hard to imagine a trip to Las Vegas without going to Caesar’s Palace. There are very few places that can be described as truly Las Vegas in style, but this is one of them. The entire scene is all out opulence. Built as if it was built for Caesar himself, the entire casino and hotel resembles something out of ancient Rome, with a hefty dose of mythology. It is no wonder that just about all of the boxing matches occur at this location. If you just want to be entertained, you can find what you are looking for at Cleopatra’s Barge, including some great drinks and dancing.

Caesars Palace View from Across Bellagio Lake

Of course you are in Las Vegas for the gambling, so you will want to mosey on down to the poker tables. Steer clear of them during the tournament schedules. You will know when these are going on because they are highly publicized within the casino. Keno and sports book, along with tons of slots, give you the choice of how you want to play the odds. Staying with card games will give you the best odds of winning.

Sports Book Betting Area at Caesars Palace
By Blane via Wikimedia Commons

World Famous Forum Shops at Caesars Palace

2) MGM Grand Hotel & Casino
MGM Grand puts the grand back into the casino. It is actually the biggest in Las Vegas. Heck, it is the biggest resort complex in the world. There is simply nothing that can compare with the absolute magnitude of the MGM Grand. As such, the odds are in your favor. If you walk up to a table and you notice that the dealer knows every single person there, just walk on to find a table at which you are not the only stranger. The more people from out of town you can find at a table, the better your chances are of winning because they are not career local gamblers.

MGM Grand Hotel and Casino
By Bobak Ha'Eri via Wikimedia Commons

You do not always have to play poker whenever you want to play a table game. You can also get involved in Casino War, roulette, Pai Gow and more. If you are into poker and that is all you want to play, you will be able to find a multitude of poker games that you can play as well as the varying stakes that are available to you so your chances are even better of winning.

Lion Habitat at the MGM Grand
By Izx from Wikimedia Commons

1) Bellagio
If you are looking for sophistication, you cannot beat the Bellagio Casino. This is one of the ultimate luxury resorts. As such, you can expect that there are not going to be many low stake tables to get involved in. Of course, you can also expect that you will have a really easy time of winning. The locals tend to stay away from the tables, and big money players come in from out of town to try their luck, often with more money than knowledge of the game.

Bellagio Casino at Night
By Photographersnature via Wikimedia Commons

Expect to get free drinks as long as you are able to stay at the table. In fact, you can expect to get pretty much anything for free as long as you are not losing too much. If you go up and down, you may still be able to get a lot out of the experience. Just make sure that this is not your first stop, so you are able to get some experience under your belt before going for the big money. With some decent experience, the odds are stacked in your favor to win at Bellagio.

'Dancing' Fountains of the Bellagio
By Photographersnature via Wikimedia Commons

Conclusion
These Las Vegas casinos are just a handful of the hundreds of casinos you can try out. The locals will tell you that the best odds are at the casinos outside of town, but gambling experts will tell you to never bet with the locals. This is especially true if you are a novice at gambling. The locals that bet every day will smell you coming from a mile away and cozy right up to you until even your emergency backup money is gone. The best advice is to bet on what you are comfortable with, and above all else, have fun. Never gamble what you are not willing to lose, and never bet with the thought about what you might win. Approach your trip to Las Vegas with these 15 places in mind and bet with a level head, and you might still have some money for a drink on the plane.



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Slot machines are the most exciting casino games in the world. The combination of simplicity and huge jackpots – along with plenty of psychological factors designed in the game (best explained in Addiction by Design: Machine Gambling in Las Vegas by Natasha Dow Schull) ensure that Americans keep pouring billions of dollars a year into slots. The downside for customers? You’ll lose by a wide margin in the long run. Also — in general, the bigger the jackpot, the more of an edge the slot machine has over you.

You can increase your chances in the long run, though, by choosing the right games at the right casinos — it’s not unheard of that you will lose five times the amount on average that you would have lost if you chose the best slot machines and played at the best online casinos.

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The intention of this slot machine guide is to explain everything you need to know about slot machines in order to minimize your losses and give yourself the best chances to win money. If you’re just looking for a high-quality, reliable slots online casino to play at, here are my top recommendations:

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How Real-Money Slots Work – The Basics

A slot machine has no feelings. The amount of winnings it pays are dictated by the EPROM chip and the random number generator (“RNG”) inside the machine. It doesn’t consider whether someone has recently won or lost — every spin of the reels is random.
It’s possible to influence your chances of winning at slots. When you press Spin, the RNG generates a random number (between one and a billion, for example) for each reel of the machine. Every number represents one of the symbols (the more numbers represent a symbol, the more it is “weighted” in the machine).
The EPROM chip then determines whether you’ve won with the combination of symbols or not; the more winning combinations there are, and the more the player wins per winning combination, the higher the odds of winning and the payback of the machine.
Suggesting you have all the information available, calculating your chances of winning at slots is simple: multiply the probability of each outcome with what those outcomes pay, and then sum the results. It’s always under 100% (otherwise casinos would make no profit) and often near 90% (casinos make a lot of money from slots).
Here’s an example of an imaginary slot machine (let’s call it King of Cats) with three winning combinations — a real-life slot machine works the same way, but likely with more ways of winning at slots:

CombinationPaysProbabilityReturn
Three Lions25000.001%0.025
Three Tigers10000.015%0.15
Three Jaguars4000.05%0.2
Three Leopards500.5%0.25
Three Cheetahs57%0.35
Total39557.566%0.975

The slot machine above would return 97.5% to players in the long run. However, we rarely know the odds of slot machines. We do know the paytable – how much each winning combination pays to players – but we have no idea of the probability of getting that winning combination.
To calculate the probability of a winning combination, we need to know is how many stops there are for each symbol. For example, in the machine above there could be 45 stops and one of them would be a Lion symbol. By calculating (1/45)*(1/45)*(1/45) we get 0.001%, or the probability of hitting three Lion symbols in a row.
In real world, those symbols would have been weighed differently so that they’re more likely to come on the first two reels and much less likely to come on the last reel, resulting in a near-miss situation.
I advise you not to play at all because slot machine odds are never good, but if you’re going to play anyway, here’s how you can find the slot machines that likely have better odds than others.

Why We Lose At Slots

What Slot Machine Has The Best Odds Of Winning Scratch

We lose at slot machines because they’re set to give back less than they take on average. It’s impossible to play slot machines better; you can just press spin and hope for the best. With that said, though, you can improve your odds of winning at slot machines greatly by making good decisions before playing and having a good strategy when entering a casino – more about that lower on this page.
Generally, the more decisions you can make in a casino game, the lower the house edge is (with optimal play). Since there’s almost no room for decisions when playing slots machines – again, your only decision is to press spin – the house edge is high at slots when compared to other popular casino games. And since you play slot machines for real money so fast (400-800 spins an hour), you lose more at slots than at any other casino game. (Read how slots work to understand them better.)
Like most casino games, a slot machine is a game of independent trials (the previous game has no influence on the next game). Your chances of winning with each spin are the same regardless of whether you’ve lost or won. So, there’s absolutely no room for in-play slot machine strategy.

How Much Do Slot Machines Pay Back?

A slot machine’s payback percentage could be anywhere from 75% to almost 100%, but of course, always lower than 100% (otherwise, the casino would make no profit). You can calculate a casino game’s house edge by subtracting its payback percentage from 100% – this is how much the casino makes per bet in the long run. For example, with a 5% house edge, casinos make $5 per every $100 bet.
Calculating a slot machine’s payback percentage is easy if you have all the information available: multiply the probability of each outcome with what they pay, and the sum is how much the slot machine returns in the long run, also known as its “payback.”
But most of the time we don’t have that information. We’re in the dark — sure, casinos can claim certain payback or payout percentages but how do we know they’re truthful? Some online casinos get their payouts reviewed by private auditors, but how do we know if the auditors are honest?
It’s a different situation with games like blackjack or roulette; in both cases we can calculate the house edge because the rules are known. If you care enough to make the calculations (and you should), you’ll know exactly how much you stand to lose or win in the long run.
You could argue that casinos make so much money from slot machines that they have no reason to cheat. I agree, but you can still get a raw deal even if they are honest (setting a low payback percentage is not cheating). I want to have an idea of what kind of a return I get for my money regardless of the honesty of the casino. (See how to pick slot machines to find the best slots to play.)
Not only do casinos keep slot machine players in the dark about payback percentages, they have also weighed slot machine reels differently, resulting in as many near-miss moments as possible, which encourage future play. The first reel is the likeliest to hit something, the second reel is less likely to hit and the third reel is even less likely to hit.
NOTE: Some casinos are tested by auditors that publish monthly payout percentages for everyone to see online – now, “payout” is different from “payback.” The actual money that the casino has returned to players through their games is “payouts” and the theoretical money that the slot machines are set to return is “payback.” Payouts can be influenced by huge jackpot wins, for example, in which case a month’s payout would look much better than the games have been set to pay back.

How You Can Win More

Here’s the truth: the best thing you can do is to stay far away from slot machines (and stay clear from myths). Losing less is winning more and you can lose the least by never playing slots, even if you knew how to play slot machines the optimal way.
But you came here to learn how to play slots for real money, so I have to assume that you will play them at some point. Good news: you can win more (or, in fact, lose less) by playing the right slot machines at the right casinos.
The main consideration is always payback but you should also pay attention to casino comps and other benefits (such as cashback) that come along with playing at casinos.

Why to Play Slots

Some of you may wonder why to play slot machines at all. Exactly. They’re a terrible investment — think of a machine that you put $1 in and receive $0.95 back. That is basically a slot machine, except for all the sounds and animations, and of course a chance to win a lot of money, perhaps even millions of dollars.
The odds are heavily against you winning that money though. Meanwhile, in the long run, the casino takes your dollar bills and gives you back less. So if you agree to participate in this weird transaction, the least you can do is to find the casinos and slot machines that give you back the most money.

What Slot Machine Has The Best Odds Of Winning Win

How to Find the Best Casino Slots to Play

What Slot Machine Has The Best Odds Of Winning Golf

If you’re going to play in Las Vegas or some other popular gambling destination, take a look at this survey. It’ll give you a good idea of how the location of the casino affects the general payback percentage of its slot machines; the best Las Vegas casinos are located mainly in North Las Vegas, not on the Strip. You can use the same logic in other places where there are many casinos around, although if you’re “stuck” with only a few, I’m not sure if location makes much of a difference.
After selecting a casino that potentially has a high payback percentage on average, an important part of a good slot machine strategy is to immediately join the casino’s Slot Club (could be called “Player’s Club” as well). Contrary to popular myths, Slot Club members have the same house edge in their games as other players; the difference is, casinos can track Slot Club members (you have to insert a Club membership card to the slot machine when you play) and it helps them to give you comps when you deserve them (otherwise you may miss-out on them). You’ll likely receive something extra just for signing up – free money to play with or a free drink, for example.
Additionally, most casinos give Slot Club members cashback (0.5% per bet, for example) and that is almost like playing against less house edge, although not literally. You don’t win more likely but you receive a portion of your bets back.
Now, look around the casino. I bet you feel the temptation to head over to the flashiest slot machines with the biggest jackpots. That’s what most slot players do and it’s exactly the opposite of the best way to play slots. Unless your only goal is to win a million dollars (regardless of how unrealistic it is), playing progressive jackpot slots is the worst slot machine strategy you can choose. Many make that mistake and it’s no wonder why US casinos get 70% of their revenues from slot machines.

Odds in Progressive Jackpot Slots

What Slot Machine Has The Best Odds Of Winning Lottery

The only way you can win a million dollars playing slots is to play slot machines with progressive jackpots, however, you get even worse odds to win than you would get if you played flat-top slots.
The odds of winning a jackpot are usually way better on the first reel of the machine than on the last one. The casino wants to create as many “near-miss” moments as possible — it is a psychological trick, designed to make the player want to to play more.
It’s easy to see why near-misses work: if you’re one symbol away from winning a jackpot, it’ll leave you with a different feeling than if the jackpot wasn’t close at all.
In reality, it only seemed to be close.
In Nevada, the regulations state that one stop on the reel can’t be weighted more than six times the stops before and after it (many have adopted this rule).

Symbol1st Reel2nd Reel3rd Reel
Blank246
Jackpot111
Blank246

Odds Of Winning Slot Machine

Progressive slot machine odds could be weighed like above; the first reel hits a jackpot symbol once out of five times while the third reel only hits once out of 13 times, often resulting in mentioned “near-miss” situations.
But that was a simplified example. Hitting a progressive jackpot usually has more symbols, of course, and way worse odds. The chances of winning the biggest of them all, Megabucks, are somewhere in the 1:50,000,000, according to John Robinson at Casino City Times.
Progressive slot machine odds are worse than flat-top machines (the ones without a progressive jackpot) — this is because a part of the bet goes to the jackpot while the casino takes its own cut. Unless the size of the jackpot is huge – in which case playing jackpot slots could be worth it – it always makes sense to choose a simple fixed jackpot slot machine.

So which slot machine types are best for you?
The simplest slot machines, also known as “straight” or “flat-top” slots, are your best choice financially. No, you can’t win a million dollars playing those machines, and yes, they’re less flashy than other slots, but they’re the best slot games to play at a casino. For every dollar you bet, you may have to lose 10 cents more to flashier machines with progressive jackpots – that’s a huge difference in the long run.
So now that you’ve chosen a simple machine, let’s think about your betting strategy for slot machines (I’m not referring to progression betting systems; they don’t work):

  • Choose the highest denomination. The higher the denomination, the lower the house edge. For example, nickel slots have a higher house edge than dollar slots.
  • Bet the maximum amount of coins. There’s usually an incentive to bet maximum coins. For example, the jackpot becomes bigger relative to the bet, giving you a better return from the machine (odds stay the same but payout increases relatively more than bet size).
  • Bet slowly. Not because pressing the Spin button fast or slow would impact your odds of winning at slot machines, but because it’s a viable slot machine strategy because you have more time to play with your money and the longer you stay at a casino, the more comps you’ll probably receive.